Shenzhen: Golf in a ‘Miracle City’

As a direct product of Deng Xiaoping’s economic liberalisation programmed of the late 70s, Shenzhen’s novel rise from a mere fishing village to a successful Special Economic Zone with a stock exchange of its own and the second busiest port in China is nothing short of being spectacular if not unprecedented in human history.

Today, after more than $30 billion from all over has been pumped into the city for infrastructure and other economic activities, Shenzhen is southern China’s financial center. Sitting just across the border with the Hong Kong SAR, it attracts business people of all kinds and from all over the world.

Coming with these are the trappings of a mega- and cosmopolitan city that serves to the needs of the variety of its visitors. And golf is one of them, if not a high profile one as that. The Mission Hills Group of 12 golf courses undoubtedly takes the lime light for any publicity of this fast-becoming popular but extremely expensive sport in China.

Apart from that, there are actually many more golf courses and clubs not only in Shenzhen, but also to a large extent the entire southern region of China around the Pearl River Delta offering a variety of golf packages for weekenders and regular golf visitors alike. Not least among them is the nearby and historic Zhong Shan Golf Club, which incidentally is also the home club of the current #1 of China, Liang Wenchong.