The passion for Golf in Asia is still going strong, with the latest golf clubs serving as a clear status symbol. The great news for golf enthusiasts is that the top courses in the region are not just reserved for professional players - there are numerous picturesque greens where you can practice your putt in luxurious resort settings where even royalty would feel at home. Check out our list of the most captivating golf courses in Asia.
HIRONO - Miki-Chi, Japan
Japanese golfers had never seen the kind of deep, strategically placed bunkers that architect C.H. Alison introduced to Hirono in the early 1930s — so much so that this style of bunkers became known as “Alisons.” Originally, the course bore a sandy, scrubby appearance akin to Pine Valley (where Alison consulted), but tree planting changed Hirono’s character over the decades. Thankfully, Martin Ebert’s 2019 restoration effort reestablished sand as a dominant theme. No one seems to agree on which is its best par-3, as they are all outstanding. Certainly, the Fjord 5th across a lake and the Devil’s Divot 7th played across a gulley with a series of menacing bunkers cut into the far face are as good a pair of one-shotters as you’ll find on any outward nine. Another standout hole is the par-5 15th, where a central-hazard tree followed by a ravine put great pressure on the player’s second shot. From inception, Hirono set the standard for design excellence and all other Japanese courses have been measured against it since.
KAWANA (FUJI) - Ito, Japan
There are no guarantees a great course will emerge from a great site. Routing a course — making all 18 holes connect while simultaneously complementing one another — requires vision and talent. It is a true gift and the primary differentiator between being a good architect and an elite one. In the case of the Kawana Resort, its owner, Baron Okura, did not think that the original routing took full advantage of the site’s wonders, which range from views of snowcapped Mt. Fuji to cliff-top panoramas of the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, he organized for C.H. Alison to scout the property while he was working at Tokyo GC. Alison developed a different routing and several years later the course was built under the expert guidance of Koymo Ohtani and Kinya Fujita. The result is what some people consider to be their favorite course along the Pacific Ocean — including California and Oregon! There isn’t a single weak hole, and the golfer eventually runs out of superlatives when describing how well this undulating land was utilized. Recent tree clearing along the perimeter has enhanced the site’s phenomenal coastal setting. Just look at this view of the 7th hole; a decade ago, trees behind the green blocked off this water view.
ONO - Ono City, Hyogo, Japan
Ono GC was established after the war as a sister club of Hirono by Toyohiko Inui, the founder and developer of Hirono GC. Inui chose Osamu Ueda, who had restored Hirono, to design the course. The front nine is on relatively gentle terrain facing the huge Oike Pond, which is strategically incorporated into holes 7, 8, and 9. The back nine is laid out on slightly hilly terrain with the 10th being especially handsome thanks to its well-placed bunkers. The next hole features a pine tree as a central hazard, a favorite design ploy of Ueda’s (he did the same at holes 4 and 7). At the 11th, the pine stands at the dogleg point and helps to make the hole a gentle double dogleg. Holes 14 and 15 flow uphill, and 16 is a gorgeous downhill heroic par-5. Many overseas visitors note how the par-3s (5, 8, 12 and 17) are all memorable and their individuality accentuates one’s impression of the course overall. Ono deserves its praise as a true hidden gem among classically designed Japanese courses. — Masa Nishijima, GOLF panelist.
SOUTH CAPE OWNERS CLUB - Namhae-gun, South Korea
American designer Kyle Phillips’ work has dazzled at such diverse geographic locations as the California Golf Club of San Francisco, Kingsbarns in Scotland and Yaz Links in Abu Dhabi. Add in this South Korean course and you start to gain a sense of Phillips’ global footprint. Working for business magnate Jae Bong Chung, Phillips was given a sprawling coastal site complete with cliffs on an island just off the South Korean peninsula. You might assume the highlights are the par-5 6th, which twists uphill past rocks and large sandscapes, and the 220-yard 7th, which plays out over the sea. But then you arrive at the stretch from 13 to 16. The 16th is Asia’s equivalent of 16 at Cypress Point, and there is a legitimate debate as to which is finer. No surprise given its owner, but the clean lines and décor of the clubhouse and lodging show immaculate taste, and the music library is a can’t miss.
SHANQIN BAY - Hainan, China
A tropical island in the south China sea may be an unlikely location for world-class golf but Hainan Island features a plethora of dramatic landforms: steep stretches of rolling farmland, a broad canyon, majestic sand dunes and dense vegetation. Shanqin Bay’s routing, bordered by the sea on three sides, embraces all of these geomorphic features creating a thrilling 18-hole ride. The tumultuous journey takes golfers high on a cliffside and hill where stunning ocean views prevail and dips and turns into valleys and ravines bordered by unyielding native vines and grasses. There’s a pleasant mix of long and short holes that hug the land and are simultaneously natural and strategic. Fairway bunkering is relatively sparse as befits the terrain. Greens are strewn over both high and low land, creating a wonderful, motley array of approach shots. The interior holes may lack the visual drama of those on cliff and beach but do not cede any shot value or playing interest. At Shanqin Bay, Coore and Crenshaw turned hostile geography into an exalted playground for golf. — Joe Andriole, GOLF panelist.
HIMALAYAN - Pokhara, Nepal
In a country known for trekking, golf architect one-hit-wonder Major Ram Gurung delivers a stunning walk across unirrigated ground in the sub-tropical region of Pokhara, Nepal. Holes run back and forth across the Bijaypur River, which flows downhill from the Annapurna mountain peak more than 26,000 above sea level. The ledge-top descent into the canyon at the 3rd amounts to the start of an escape from civilization for the next couple of hours. Strategic options abound at a hole like the 6th, a long par-5 with decisions about where to place your tee ball alongside whitewater rapids, followed by a choice to go for the green on your second shot. Heroics and skill are required to play the angles properly and to keep your ball dry if you want an eagle putt. If the 6th hole delivers foolish temptation, then the uphill, 150-yard 7th is about caution. The green is partially hidden on a plateau with wild vegetation growing out of the rocky precipice. Survive by playing your tee shot to the center of green. Did you make the carry from up there? Walk across the river and climb the ledge to find out. The flow and rhythm of the holes and how they relate to one another are excellent throughout. The ascent back to civilization — on the 16th-hole tee shot across a chasm — requires a moment of pause. You can’t find this brand of excitement anywhere else. — Tom Brown, GOLF panelist.
BALLYSHEAR - Tambon Bang Bo, Thailand
Do you celebrate blind shots? How are you in the face of an unexpected bounce, or having to endure the rub of the green? At Ban Rakat Club — affectionately named Ballyshear — architect Gil Hanse created a welcome break from the norm course (especially for Asia) that poses such unconventional questions, with inspiration drawn from C.B. Macdonald’s historic-but-no-longer existing Lido course. Shapers transformed a flat site by moving sandy soil to create elevation changes. The par-5 6th hole with its alternate fairway is a triumph in design as it is so rare to find an alternate fairway that actually works — but if you accept the risk of finding the narrower right fairway, you are rewarded with a shorter shot to the green. The course features several C.B. Macdonald-style template holes, and they thrive because of the bouncy conditions. Recent advances with zoysia grasses have transformed what is possible in Thailand’s climate; the firmness is produced by the low level of moisture percentage in the fairways, less than what is found at most professional tournament sites around the world. — Tom Brown, GOLF panelist.
