Dongguan Harbour Plaza Golf Club

Developed by a company associated with Mr. Li Ka-shing, said to be Asia’s wealthiest man, the exclusive Harbour Plaza Golf Club(东莞海逸高尔夫球会) is a 27-hole complex that occupies an attractive stretch of countryside south of Dongguan. Wedged between the vast Hwang Gang Lake and a series of hills and lychee plantations, the three nine hole loops were all designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior in association with his lead designer at the time Don Knott.

As one would expect from a course of this vintage, there are plenty of water hazards and lots of internal shaping at Harbour Plaza, but also a number of really fine golf holes. Oddly those down closest to the natural lake are among the least impressive, as it’s really the broad internal ground contours as much as the manufactured lakes and playing corridors that mark this as a quality golf experience. Across the entire 27 holes just a handful underwhelm, and these could all be easily fixed with some remedial design work or a little tree thinning.

Of the three nines here, two are arranged in anti-clockwise loops out and back from the clubhouse while the middle nine runs clockwise along the eastern perimeter. All three are very solid, but the opening nine stands out for the sheer scale of the terrain and the variety and quality of its green settings. As mentioned, the holes nearest the lake are ineffective but the golf on either side of the 4th and 5th is of the highest quality. Set atop a nice, natural spur the opening green sets the tone for the fun ahead and is a difficult target to get an accurate gauge of distance on. The same is true of the fiercely angled 3rd hole, a true Redan shaped par three leaning aggressively to the left and partly hidden beyond a pair of deep bunkers.

Chinese Name:广东东莞海逸高尔夫球会 (27洞)
Chinese Address:广东省东莞市厚街镇大迳管理区
Tel:0769-85818080