China has more than 600 golf courses. Most Western golfers are unaware that some of them rank among the finest in the world. The Mission Hills complex in Shenzhen holds the Guinness World Record for the largest golf club on earth. Spring City Golf & Lake Resort in Kunming is regularly listed among Asia's top five courses overall. Sheshan in Shanghai has hosted global tour events and is considered one of the most refined club experiences in the region.
I have been routing golf trips to China since the late 2000s, first as a complement to business travel and increasingly as standalone golf holidays. The courses are maintained to a standard that surprises most first-time visitors. Green fees, while not cheap, are significantly lower than comparable quality in Japan or South Korea. The challenge is logistics: China's golf regions are spread across a large country, and building a coherent itinerary requires understanding which hubs connect sensibly by air and where the best courses actually cluster.
This guide covers the courses worth building a trip around. I have left out courses that are geographically isolated without a cluster of other quality options nearby, and I have focused on those accessible to visiting international golfers rather than members-only clubs that are effectively impossible to book independently.
Where China's best golf concentrates
China's premium golf divides into four geographic hubs, each worth a dedicated visit or a segment of a longer trip:
Shenzhen / Guangdong: The most accessible hub for international visitors, given Shenzhen's proximity to Hong Kong and Hong Kong's connectivity as a major aviation hub. Mission Hills, Genzon, and a dozen other courses are within 90 minutes of Hong Kong International Airport. You can fly in via Hong Kong, cross the border, play three or four days of golf, and fly home without setting foot in a different Chinese city.
Hainan Island: China's southern tropical island and a dedicated leisure destination. Mission Hills Hainan is the marquee operation, but Sanya and Haikou have developed multiple resort and course options. The climate is warm year-round, which makes Hainan the reliable winter option when northern Chinese courses are closed or cold.
Yunnan Province (Kunming): Spring City Golf & Lake Resort is the sole reason to come here, but it is reason enough. Kunming is served by direct international flights from several Asian cities. The altitude — nearly 2,000 metres above sea level — and the volcanic lake scenery create a playing environment that has no equivalent elsewhere. Best visited in spring or autumn; summer afternoons bring afternoon thunder.
Shanghai and eastern China: Sheshan is the headline course, but access is restricted. Shanghai Links Golf & Country Club (Donald Steel design) and Tianma Country Club provide accessible alternatives for golfers on business trips or Shanghai-based visits.
Mission Hills Shenzhen — World Cup Course
The flagship course of the world's largest golf club — a Guinness World Record holder with twelve courses on a single estate. The World Cup Course hosted the 2000 World Cup of Golf and remains the defining layout at Mission Hills Shenzhen. Nicklaus built it across rolling terrain with generous fairways, strategic bunkering, and demanding approach angles. The greens are fast and large, rewarding players who can manage distance control from long iron approach. Within the 12-course complex you can also play designs by Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, and Vijay Singh on consecutive days. Nothing else in golf matches the scale. Stay on-site at the Mission Hills Hotel and the whole operation runs with notable efficiency.
Best for: Golfers who want volume and variety. The Nicklaus course suits serious low-handicappers; the Norman and Faldo tracks are more accessible.
Spring City Golf & Lake Resort — Lake Course
If you are going to play one course in China, this is the one. Spring City sits 1,900 metres above sea level on the shores of Yangzong Lake, a volcanic lake of extraordinary clarity southeast of Kunming. Nicklaus routed the Lake Course directly along the shoreline — several holes play across inlets with the lake filling your entire left eye-line. The altitude adds 10–15 metres to every shot; recalibrating your distances is part of the game. The Mountain Course on the same property, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., plays across ravines and through old-growth forest for a completely different challenge on day two. Conditioning here is consistently among the best in Asia. The resort hotel is modest relative to the course quality, but the setting more than compensates.
Best for: Any serious golfer visiting China. The Lake Course is a genuine world-class layout regardless of geography.
Mission Hills Hainan — Blackstone Course
Mission Hills's second Chinese mega-resort, on Hainan's tropical north coast. The Blackstone Course hosted the HSBC Champions event and is the standout layout in a ten-course complex. Curley built it on and around black volcanic rock outcroppings that give the course its name and its personality — the contrast between white sand bunkers, emerald fairways, and sharp dark stone is visually unlike anything else in Asian golf. Long hitters are tested; short game players are rewarded. The tropical setting means year-round play is possible, and Hainan's infrastructure has improved significantly since the island's designation as a free-trade zone. The resort offers helicopter transfers between Mission Hills Hainan and Mission Hills Shenzhen for golfers doing a dual-resort trip.
Best for: Golfers adding Hainan to a Shenzhen visit, or those who prefer a tropical beach resort context over the inland Shenzhen complex.
Sheshan International Golf Club
The most exclusive and most coveted round in eastern China. Sheshan is semi-private — access for visitors requires a member introduction or a booking through a specialist operator. Weiskopf carved the Sandy Lies Course through Sheshan's forested hills southwest of central Shanghai, creating a layout that feels more American parkland than Chinese resort golf. Fairways are tight, elevation changes are constant, and the greens are among the firmest and fastest in the country. The club is quiet by design. Playing numbers are kept low. You will not be hurried. For a Shanghai-based trip of three or four days, combining Sheshan with a day at Tianma Country Club or Shanghai Links provides a well-rounded itinerary.
Best for: Golfers who can arrange access and prefer an exclusive, unhurried club experience to resort-scale operations.
Spring City Golf & Lake Resort — Mountain Course
The second course on the Spring City estate and a genuinely different game from the Nicklaus Lake Course next door. Jones Jr. routed the Mountain Course through ravines, over ridges, and along cliff edges above a river valley. The par-3 seventh plays 185 metres across a gorge to a green perched on a narrow promontory — one of the great short holes in Asia. The layout is shorter than the Lake Course but demands more precise shot-shaping. Combined, the two Spring City courses represent the strongest two-course offering in China and arguably the best value given the scenic quality relative to green fee.
Best for: Second round for anyone staying at Spring City. Pairs naturally with the Lake Course over two days.
Genzon Golf Club
Less famous than the Mission Hills complex but widely respected among China's golf community for conditioning and course quality. Nicklaus designed Genzon across hilly Shenzhen terrain with generous landing zones from the tee and exacting approach requirements. The club is quieter than Mission Hills, staff-to-player ratios are high, and the pace of play is notably better managed. For a Shenzhen golf trip of two or three days, Genzon offers a strong complement to Mission Hills without the circus-scale atmosphere of the world's largest golf club.
Best for: Golfers spending multiple days in Shenzhen who want quality without the scale of Mission Hills.
Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course
The only public golf course in Hong Kong and, remarkably, among the best-value rounds in all of Asia. Kau Sai Chau sits on a vehicle-free island in Sai Kung Country Park, accessible by ferry from the Sai Kung town pier. Gary Player designed both the North and South courses across dramatic hillside terrain with views over the island-studded harbour. The North Course is tougher and more spectacular; the South Course is more accessible. Green fees are subsidised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club — the gap between what you pay and what you receive in course quality is extraordinary. For a Hong Kong stopover or a dedicated golf day on a Asia business trip, this is essential.
Best for: Anyone transiting through or staying in Hong Kong. Exceptional value; book well in advance as demand is high.
Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club
One of the most scenic golf venues in Asia, carved across the Clear Water Bay Peninsula with South China Sea views from almost every hole. At par 69 over 5,800 metres, Clearwater Bay is shorter than most courses on this list but the terrain compensates — elevation changes are dramatic, ocean exposure makes wind management essential, and the clifftop par-3s demand precise club selection. Access is members-only or through reciprocal club agreements, which makes it harder to get on than Kau Sai Chau but the experience rewards the effort. If your home club has a reciprocal arrangement, bring the paperwork.
Best for: Golfers with member or reciprocal access who want the most scenic round in Hong Kong.
How to plan a China golf trip
The most common structure for a standalone China golf trip is five to eight days focused on one hub. The Shenzhen–Hong Kong corridor is the easiest entry point: fly into Hong Kong, spend an arrival day in the city, cross into Shenzhen via the Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau border crossing (straightforward by MTR), and play three or four days at Mission Hills and Genzon before returning to Hong Kong for a departure round at Kau Sai Chau or Clearwater Bay.
The Spring City visit requires a dedicated segment. Kunming's international connectivity is improving — there are direct services from Singapore, Bangkok, and several other Asian cities — but routing via Beijing or Shanghai adds a day each way. For serious golfers who want the single best course in China, the travel is worth it. A three-night stay at Spring City gives you two full rounds on the Lake and Mountain courses and a day to recover from the altitude adjustment.
Hainan combines most naturally with other tropical Asia itineraries. Haikou has direct international connections from several Chinese hub cities; getting there from a Western departure will require a connection through a mainland gateway. The island's warm, humid climate is best from November through February; July and August bring typhoon risk and afternoon heat that affects play.
Visas: Most nationalities require a Chinese tourist visa for mainland visits. Hong Kong operates under a different entry system and most Western passport holders can enter visa-free for 14–30 days. The visa-free 144-hour transit policy also applies in several Chinese cities including Shanghai and Beijing, which can work for short golf stopovers. Confirm current visa requirements before booking as policies change frequently.
Currency and payment: Cash (RMB) and WeChat Pay dominate in mainland China. International credit cards are accepted at major resort hotels but not reliably elsewhere. It is worth setting up WeChat Pay or Alipay before arrival; your golf travel specialist should handle course green fee payments as part of the package to avoid on-the-day friction.
Equipment: All major courses in China offer club rental and locker facilities. Travelling with your own bag is straightforward via Hong Kong. Within the mainland, domestic flights can charge for oversized bags; Mission Hills and Spring City both offer club storage for multi-day guests.
Best time to visit China for golf
The answer depends entirely on which hub you are targeting:
Shenzhen and Guangdong: October through April is the prime window. Temperatures are mild (15–24°C), humidity is low, and rainfall is minimal. May through September brings heat, humidity, and occasional typhoons — playable but not enjoyable.
Hainan: November through March is peak season. The island sits at the same latitude as Cancún; winters are warm and dry, summers are hot and typhoon-exposed.
Kunming: Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–October) are optimal. The city's high altitude keeps it cooler than the surrounding subtropics. Summer brings reliable afternoon rain; courses are still playable but afternoons can be disrupted. Winter is cool and dry — the Lake Course particularly stunning in the clear light.