2011 SU Update: Universiade Golfers play in Paradise

SHENZHEN – The Mission Hills Resort might be situated a good hour’s drive from the main centre of Shenzhen, but if first impressions are anything to go by, it’s more than worth making the journey for.

With an international reputation that precedes it, the luxurious expanse of rolling fairways and exquisitely manicured greens will be the sporting arena for lucky golfers from universities across the globe when they tee off today in the Universiade competition.

It might not be a word synonymous withChina, but luxury would certainly describe every square inch of this piece of golfing paradise, which has hosted more than 100 major international tournaments.

On one site in Shenzhen sits five golf courses designed by legends of the sport. Two of those – the World Cup course designed by none other than Jack Nicklaus and the Vijay course by Vijay Singh – will be played on during this week’s competition.

For the purposes of previewing the golf at the Universiade, the people at Mission Hills are only too happy to roll out the welcome mat on a Monday afternoon when we arrive after a long journey from the Futian District in the middle of Shenzhen’s CBD.

After cooling off from the hotChinasun with a nice glass of water (and yes, it has freshly cut lemon in it) we are ushered out to a golf cart to get a first-hand view of the course.

We’re under strict instructions “not to walk on the fairways” and so, feeling somewhat like schoolboys, we stay well within the confines of our cart, careful not to damage a blade of grass.

Speaking of which, it’s the middle of yet another stifling day in Shenzhen but yet the grass on this golf course appears to be made of sterner stuff. There’s green and then there’s green, and this is certainly the latter. It helps, of course, that the sprinklers seem to be permanently switched on.

With most of the Universiade competitors already off the course after morning practice rounds, we have only the thousands of dragonflies buzzing about the air to share it with.

Slowly and carefully – honoring golf etiquette despite the fact very few golfers are in sight – we make our way through the entire World Cup course.

It’s breathtakingly beautiful but also looks ridiculously hard.

Everywhere you cast your eyes, giant fairway bunkers sit pristinely waiting to swallow up your golf ball.

And then there’s the mansions. In much the same way that the bunkers line every hole, so too do giant four-story mansions. Sneaking a peak inside one through a fence, you can see chandeliers inside them bigger than many garages. Clearly, this is a world where money talks very loudly.

In order to ensure the course is looking its absolute best, Mission Hills’ officials have shut both the World Cup and Vijay courses from the start of August.

Marco Geng, deputy venue director, believes the courses will live up to their billing as two of the best in the world and admits a lot of work has gone into preparing them for the Universiade.

“We have around 1,000 people involved with putting on this tournament.

We have a lot of volunteers from universities who are helping out as well,” he says.

“For many of the golfers about to play in the Universiade, this will be their first experience of the Mission Hills andChinaas well.

“When they arrive, many have said to me – ‘wow, this is a very beautiful place’.

“We are very proud of it too.”

Amid the beauty and luxury, there is, however, a sad tinge to the start of this week’s Universiade golf tournament following the death earlier in the month of the founder of the Mission Hills Group, Dr David Chu.

Dr Chu’s family prefer to keep their affairs private and nobody was available to talk about the passing of the esteemed leader.

But as with anything in life, the show still goes on. Today that show will be golf at the Universiade. And boy what a venue to stage it …

(Source: Aaron Lawton, FISU-AIPS Young Reporter/New Zealand)