Spring City Lake Course
Robert Trent Jones Jr routed the Lake Course along a hillside above Yang Zong Hai Lake near Kunming, and it has spent the years since opening in 1998 at or near the top of every ranking of golf in China. Par 72 and 7,204 yards in a famously mild, spring-like climate, it is the headline course at one of Asia's great golf resorts.
Photo: Spring City Golf & Lake Resort via Google.
The verdict
Spring City Golf and Lake Resort, an hour from Kunming in Yunnan Province, takes its name from the southwest Chinese city's reputation for eternal spring, a high-altitude climate that stays mild and green the year round. It is home to two of the best courses in the country, the Robert Trent Jones Jr designed Lake Course and the Jack Nicklaus designed Mountain Course, and it is the Lake that usually claims top billing.
Opened in 1998, the Lake Course tumbles down a hillside to the shore of Yang Zong Hai Lake, using the dramatic elevation changes and the water as its canvas. It has been ranked China's number one course by China Golf Digest and has featured for years among the finest courses in Asia and beyond. At par 72 and 7,204 yards, with the lake in play and the mountains as a backdrop, it is the kind of setting that makes the long journey to Yunnan worthwhile, and a must-play for any serious golfer touring China.
Spring City Lake Course at a glance
- Opened
- 1998
- Designer
- Robert Trent Jones Jr
- Type
- Hillside lakeside resort
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- 7,204 yds
- Green fee
- Resort and visitor (indicative)
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the resort and leading course databases. The Lake Course is a Robert Trent Jones Jr design opened in 1998, par 72 over 7,204 yards, on the shore of Yang Zong Hai Lake near Kunming; the resort's second course, the Mountain Course, is by Jack Nicklaus. Green fees vary by season and stay-and-play package and are indicative for 2026, so always confirm current rates directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The Lake Course is all about the relationship between the land and the water. Robert Trent Jones Jr used a continuous routing that plays along and down the hillside to the lake, so elevation change is a constant companion, lifting tee shots and dropping approaches in ways that demand careful club selection and a clear head for the wind coming off the water.
The closing holes along the lakeshore are the headline, with the water threatening the bolder lines and the green complexes set so that a missed shot leaves a testing recovery. Through the round the bunkering is bold and the greens are large and contoured in the muscular style Jones Jr is known for, rewarding the player who controls trajectory and distance rather than simply swinging hard. At altitude the ball flies a little further, which adds another layer to judging the longer shots.
Conditioning is consistently excellent thanks to the kind climate, and the scenery, mountains on one side and the broad lake on the other, gives the course a sense of scale that photographs rarely capture. Paired with the Nicklaus Mountain Course next door, it makes Spring City a genuine destination resort, the best reason in golf to travel to Yunnan.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Resort course open to visitors and staying guests; book tee times in advance, especially around Chinese public holidays |
| Green fee | Varies by season and stay-and-play package (indicative, 2026); best value comes bundled with on-site accommodation, confirm current rates before booking |
| Booking | Reserve through the resort or a specialist operator; staying on site makes playing both the Lake and Mountain courses straightforward |
| On the day | Buggies and caddies are standard at Chinese resorts; expect significant elevation change across the round |
| Getting there | About an hour from Kunming, the Yunnan capital, which has good domestic flight links and growing international service |
| Best months | Pleasant year round thanks to the spring-like climate; spring and autumn are the pick for settled weather |
Access and fee arrangements verified June 2026; resort rates and packages change by season, so always confirm current pricing and availability directly before booking.
Where to stay nearby
The obvious base is Spring City itself, with on-site resort accommodation and serviced residences that put both courses on your doorstep and make the most of a stay-and-play package. For a golf-focused trip to Yunnan this is by far the simplest and most rewarding choice.
The city of Kunming, an hour away, adds hotels, restaurants and a gateway to the wider region, from the Stone Forest to the old town of Dali and the mountains beyond. Many visitors fold Spring City into a longer China tour alongside the country's other leading resorts, such as Mission Hills in the south and Sheshan near Shanghai.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts for a Yunnan golf trip.
Build a China golf trip
We book your Spring City stay and tee times across the Lake and Mountain courses, and pair Yunnan with the best of golf in China. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Spring City Lake Course questions
Who designed the Spring City Lake Course and when did it open?
The Lake Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and opened in 1998. It plays to par 72 and 7,204 yards along the shore of Yang Zong Hai Lake near Kunming in Yunnan Province.
Is Spring City the best golf course in China?
The Lake Course has been ranked China's top course by China Golf Digest and has long featured among the best courses in Asia. The resort's second course, the Mountain Course, is a Jack Nicklaus design, and the pair are consistently rated among the country's finest.
Can visitors play Spring City Golf & Lake Resort?
Yes. Spring City is a golf resort with on-site accommodation, and visitor and resort-guest play is available. Green fees vary by season and package, so always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Where is Spring City Golf & Lake Resort?
It sits on the banks of Yang Zong Hai Lake about an hour from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in southwest China, at an altitude that gives the region its famously mild, spring-like climate year round.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.