Reignwood Pine Valley Golf Club
Jack Nicklaus opened the Golden Bear Championship course at Reignwood Pine Valley in 1998, a par 72 of about 7,216 yards in the hills below the Great Wall and the centerpiece of one of the most exclusive private clubs in China.
Photo: Reignwood Pine Valley via Google, by Ali Mou.
The verdict
Reignwood Pine Valley sits in the Changping district northwest of Beijing, in the foothills that run up toward the Great Wall at Badaling. Its Golden Bear Championship course is a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 1998, a par 72 of about 7,216 yards, and over the years Nicklaus and his son Jack Nicklaus II expanded the property into one of the largest and most ambitious golf estates near the capital.
Our verdict: this is a trophy club rather than a resort, widely described as the first invitation only members club in China and built to a standard meant to impress a global membership. The Golden Bear course earned its profile as host of the Reignwood LPGA Classic from 2013 to 2016, and the setting below the mountains gives a Beijing round a sense of occasion that the city courses cannot match. Access is the catch, and it is the whole story of playing here.
Reignwood Pine Valley at a glance
- Opened
- 1998
- Designer
- Jack Nicklaus
- Type
- Private parkland
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- 7,216 yds
- Access
- Members and guests
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 against Nicklaus Design, Top 100 Golf Courses and leading course databases. The Golden Bear Championship course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1998, a par 72 of about 7,216 yards. Pine Valley is a private members club, so it publishes no public green fee; any visitor play is by member invitation or club arrangement. Always confirm access and current arrangements directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The Golden Bear course is classic large scale Nicklaus, routed across rolling ground with broad, shaped fairways, deep bunkering and big, contoured greens that ask for control on the approach. From the championship tees it stretches past 7,200 yards, and the par 72 setup gives the strong player room to attack while leaving plenty of trouble for the careless.
When the LPGA came to town the course was set up at a tighter par 73 of roughly 6,600 yards, and the closing stretch produced real drama: Shanshan Feng holed an eagle at the last to win the inaugural 2013 Reignwood LPGA Classic in front of a home crowd. The water and the shaping around the finishing holes make the closing run the part of the round players remember.
Beyond the Golden Bear layout the estate carries further Nicklaus holes and a vast clubhouse and lodging complex, so a visit is as much about the scale of the place as any single hole. What stays with you is the mountain backdrop, the manicure, and the feeling of playing somewhere very few people get to tee it up.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Private, invitation only members club; play is reserved for members and their guests rather than a public tee sheet |
| Green fee | No public green fee published; guest play is arranged through a member or the club and priced privately |
| Booking | Through a member host or a specialist who works with the club; advance arrangement is essential |
| On the day | Caddies are standard; smart golf attire expected; the club operates to a high formal standard |
| Getting there | About an hour by road northwest of central Beijing toward Badaling and the Great Wall |
| Best months | Late April to October; Beijing winters are cold and the season is firmly warm weather golf |
Access details verified June 2026 from club and tournament sources; as a private club the arrangements change, so always confirm directly before planning a trip around a round here.
Where to stay nearby
The estate includes its own lodging, including the Chinese palace styled suites used for members and guests, which keeps the golf on the doorstep when an invitation comes together. It is built for a stay where the club is the destination rather than a stop on a city tour.
Most visitors base themselves in central Beijing and travel out for the day, pairing golf with the Great Wall at Badaling and the sights of the capital. For a fuller China golf trip, the warm island courses far to the south, such as Yalong Bay in Sanya, make a natural second leg when Beijing turns cold.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Reignwood Pine Valley.
Build a Beijing golf trip
A round at a private club like Pine Valley turns on the right introduction. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge looks at what is possible and pairs it with the best open access golf around Beijing, with no obligation.
Reignwood Pine Valley questions
Who designed Reignwood Pine Valley and when did it open?
The Golden Bear Championship course at Reignwood Pine Valley was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1998 in the Changping district northwest of Beijing. Nicklaus and his son Jack Nicklaus II later added further holes across the property.
What is the par and length of the Golden Bear course?
The Golden Bear Championship course is a par 72 of about 7,216 yards, a generous parkland layout in the foothills below the Great Wall at Badaling.
Can visitors play Reignwood Pine Valley?
Reignwood Pine Valley is a private, invitation only members club, widely cited as the first of its kind in China. Play is reserved for members and their guests, so access is arranged through a member or the club rather than a public tee sheet.
What tournaments has Reignwood Pine Valley hosted?
The club hosted the Reignwood LPGA Classic from 2013 to 2016, with Shanshan Feng winning the inaugural 2013 edition, and it has staged the Pine Valley Beijing Open on the men's tours.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026; access and host history verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.