Sheshan International

The verdict

Sheshan International is the most famous tournament course in China, the long time home of the country's biggest professional event and a course the world's best players know well. Neil Haworth of the Nelson and Haworth firm designed it on hilly, wooded ground near the She Shan hill southwest of Shanghai, opening it in 2004. He routed it around a former quarry and made full use of the natural contours, producing a layout with genuine elevation change in a part of the world where flat sites are the norm.

From 2005 to 2019 it hosted the HSBC Champions, which became a World Golf Championship, won by a roll call of the game's biggest names. A par 72 of about 7,261 yards, it asks for thoughtful positioning, with water and bunkering in play on more than half the holes and a celebrated short hole over the old quarry. It is an ultra private members club, so access is by invitation, but its place in the modern game makes it essential reading for any golfer following the world tours.

The holes worth the trip

Sheshan stands out for its movement. On a site with real hills and a former quarry, Neil Haworth created a routing with elevation change, blind crests and dramatic drops that most courses in eastern China simply cannot offer. Water and bunkering come into play on at least eleven holes, and the greens are quick and well defended, so position off the tee is everything.

The signature is the short par 3 sixteenth, played across the old quarry to a green cut into the rock, a hole that has produced drama in the closing stretch of the HSBC Champions for years. It headlines a strong set of par 3s and a finish that has decided one of the biggest events outside the majors more than once.

What the professionals prize is the variety and the test of nerve down the closing holes, with the quarry, the water and the slopes all asking questions when the pressure is on. For the rest of us it remains a course best known from television, a private retreat that helped put Chinese golf on the world map.

Where to stay nearby

Most visiting golfers base themselves in central Shanghai, one of the world's great cities, with an immense choice of luxury hotels, dining and culture, or closer to the course in the western Songjiang district near She Shan. The city itself is a destination in its own right, and the golf is best treated as part of a wider Shanghai trip.

For a golf focused stay, a base in the western suburbs keeps Sheshan and the area's other courses within an easy drive, while a city center hotel puts the Bund, the food and the shopping on the doorstep. It is a fine city to build a trip around for those able to arrange access to its most exclusive course.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Sheshan International.