Mission Hills in Hainan Island, China, is a resort with already 22 golf courses – but their latest course designs have a few people raising their eyebrows. Rather than your traditional thick rough, trees and sand traps, the hazards at Mission Hills latest course design will feature giant panda bears, replica Mayan ruins and the Great Wall of China.
Essentially, this will be a full-sized golf course with mini-golf style hazards. Some of the holes will also be designed after other famous golf holes currently played on the PGA Tour, most famously the 17th hole “island green” at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, home to the PGA Tour’s Players Championship. At TPC Sawgrass, players attempt to hit their tee shot onto an island green, surrounded by water. But at Mission Hill’s new design, the water is replayed by an 80-meter wide noodle bowl with 50-meter giant chopsticks!
There is also a promise of “man made” gale force winds on each tee, adjustable depending on the standards of the players and available by hitting a red button (downwind on a par-5?). Other holes will feature the Mayan Ruins, the “Birds Nest” Olympic Stadium in Beijing and of course, the Panda Bear hole. Although permission is still required by the owners of the complex, Mission Hills’ chairman Dr. Ken Chu in enthusiastic about the project – “This will be a fun alternative for families, novices and children on holiday.”
This reminds us of a course called Pagoda Ridge in Langley, B.C., Canada. Pagoda Ridge currently has a replica Great Wall of China on its golf course! Make sure to check out their website and see the photos!
Source: CNN, Pagoda Ridge Golf Course
