14 FEATURE June 2007 – Golf Business News Mission Hills Seeing is Believing! By Dominic Wall hese days we are often bombarded inaugural Goodwill Trophy. The inaugural with advertising from various com- Mission Hills Asia Pacific Open Amateur Tpanies and organizations claiming to Championship took place in 2006 and be the world’s best, the number one, the Mission Hills is the host venue for the next biggest and greatest. It can be difficult to 10 years.This championship is conducted distinguish the truth from the fiction. Not so by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation and in the case of the Mission Hills Golf Club is already the premier amateur cham- located in Shenzhen, China.All the claims are pionship in Asia. Mission Hills is also the true… and more! Home of the Faldo Series Asia. Having been fortunate to have visited Mission Hills on three occasions over the last • There are various levels of membership 12 months, it must be said that overall, the with the Charted Diamond Membership ‘Mission Hills’ experience is certainly one to costing US $167,000 with no annual fees savour. and provides access to the twelve courses seven days a week. Diamond level costs The Grand Ballroom of the Dongguan Clubhouse is spread over 4,500 square metres with a capacity of 3000 people. The statistics alone make fascinating US$143,000 (plus US$174/month) which reading: gives access to 10 courses seven days a week.A gold membership costs US$72,000 • Mission Hills Golf Club is currently the (plus US$174/month) and gives access to largest golf resort in the world with twelve either the five Shenzhen courses or the 18-hole golf courses (216 holes). The five courses at Dongguan. Emerald designers including a who’s who of world Membership gives access to the first 10 golf: Jack Nicklaus, David Duval, Pete Dye, courses on weekdays for US$63,000 (plus Nick Faldo,David Leadbetter,Jumbo Ozaki, US$89/month). Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Greg Norman, José Maria Olazabal, Annika Sorenstam and • To complement the golf courses, Mission China’s Zhang Lian Wei. Two courses are Hills also features four spa locations, a 315 also equipped with floodlights which room 5-star hotel – Mission Hills Resort, a allow golfers to play until 2 o’clock in the Country Club featuring the largest tennis morning. The courses are located in two centre in Asia with 51 courts – including a areas across the 15 square kilometre site at 3,000 seat stadium court, real estate Shenzhen and Dongguan. development, function rooms and various recreation facilities.The total investment to • On average, 1,500 golf rounds are played date is US$625 million. each weekday, 2,500 rounds each weekend day, and almost 3,000 rounds on Despite the size of the operation, the a peak day. 450,000 rounds were played in ability of Mission Hills to maintain high 2005 and 500,000 rounds in 2006. This standards of service across all areas of number is expected to grow again in 2007 operation is impressive. The caddies are with the opening of the Dye and Lian Wei educated about golf, friendly and speak Courses. English sufficiently well enough to assist players navigate the courses. Operational Heavy bunkering guards the fairways of the Olazabal Course - confirmed as venue for the 2007 • There were over 7,000 employees at the staff always appear friendly and courteous, World Cup end of 2006, of which 2,500 were caddies. even the course marshals (and there are two some respite but slowly starts to bear its for the 2007 World Cup. There are also around 1,500 security per nine) when they try to hurry slow teeth, finishing with three stunning holes all Golf courses aside,it is almost incredible to guards who are all members of the players along! adjacent to the same water hazard, including fathom the short period of time it has taken Chinese Army. It is also interesting to note Maintaining the courses to championship the signature 16th hole which requires a tee Mission Hills to get where they are today. that Mission Hills provides accommo- standards is no easy task given the variety shot to an island green. Nick Faldo himself Construction started in 1992 with the first dation and meals for all staff on-site – a of fairway and green turfs.For fairways, six has rated this as one of his finest design courses at Shenzhen opening in 1995.From a significant operation in its own right. courses utilise Paspallum, four use Zoysia achievements. nation that did not have a single golf course and two use Tiff 419. On the greens, seven In contrast The Nicklaus (or World Cup) on the mainland just over 20 years ago they • There were over 1,400 golf carts in utilise Tiff Eagle and the remaining five use Course requires long,accurate driving off the have created something truly remarkable and operation at end of 2006. Tiffdwarf. Despite the potential for tee. It was not only the venue for the 1995 provided a great legacy and asset for golf. maintenance headaches, the course staff World Cup but hosted the 2006 Asia-Pacific Maybe they have also provided us with an • Six driving ranges operate across the site appear to manage well. To oversee golf Open Amateur Championship and will host insight into what we can expect to see from including China’s first David Leadbetter course management, each course has a this major amateur title for the next 10 years. China at next years Olympics. Golf Academy and the Mission Hills Golf dedicated number of greens staff with one The inaugural Open Amateur was won by The statistics behind the Mission Hills Academy with Cindy Reid (to be open in supervising superintendent. Leading the English National Squad member Gary Boyd operation speak for themselves, yet taken in June 2007). individual course superintendents is an when he holed a six-foot birdie putt on the isolation don’t do the development real Assistant Director for each area (Shenzhen first hole of a sudden death play-off to defeat justice.For the golfing fanatic,Mission Hills is • There are two clubhouses with the new and Dongguan) who in turn answers to Japan’s Ryuarto Nagano; both players high- surely as close as it gets to paradise and 63,000mÇ Dongguan Clubhouse con- an overall Director of Golf Course lighting how tough the course can play with seeing is believing! taining a luxury spa, golf specialty shops Management. level par 288 over the preceding 72-holes. and a Grand Ballroom with 4,500 square Aside from the impressive operational The soon to be completed Pete Dye course * GBN would like to thank Mission Hills metres that can cater for a capacity of aspects of the development, it is the high is starting to attract international attention,as for providing the data that appears in 3,000 persons in western and Chinese quality of the individual course designs that is the Olazabal Course, confirmed as venue this article. banquets. It also has 38 functions rooms should drive a positive future for Mission sized from 23 - 188 square metres catering Hills. Having played three courses (Nicklaus, Dominic Wall has over 22 years experience at national and international level sports for up to 1,000 guests. Norman and Faldo) and ‘toured’ the others, management. His 16 years with the Australian Golf Union (now Golf Australia) there is a great variety to tempt golfers of all included the roles of National Director of Coaching, Manager Development and Acting • Mission Hills Golf Club has hosted over 30 levels. The Norman course, already rated as Executive Director and had previously worked as Development Manager for the international tournaments and events the most difficult in Asia, not only offers Australian Coaching Council based at the AIS. He operates his own consultancy including the World Cup of Golf in 1995 spectacular views but provides players with company called Golf Development & Performance Services, and his current clients (and will host the World Cup for twelve a sense of complete ‘isolation’ from it’s include the Saujana Golf Resort in Malaysia, the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation and consecutive years from 2007 – 2018), the neighbouring tracks. the Taiwanese Golf Association. He has completed a book for Fairfax Publishing 1st and 2nd Dynasty Cup’s and the The Faldo Course at first appears to offer entitled Golf Excellence which will be released in mid 2007. .