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Next stop: Shanghai in August

As the Omega China Tour takes a two month break to avoid the worst of the summer, the players know the heat will still be on when play resumes with the Shanghai Leg at the end of August.

After two legs of high winds and high scores in Zhuhai and Shandong, the tour remains committed to setting the courses up to mirror the tough conditions of the Asian and European PGA Tours and the Shanghai Leg will be just as difficult.

"If we want to improve the player's skill levels, this is a journey that we must take," agreed Anthony Goh, the general manager of host venue the Grand Shanghai Golf & Holiday Resort.

Goh promised that the next leg will be prepared to the same specifications, which means punishing rough and greens running at around 11 on the stimp meter.

" Every course's grass type and the condition of the grass are different, but our course will be according to the demands of the tournament officials in conjunction with our green keeper. We will get our course up to the same standard."

In common with the Tour's policy, Goh attended the Shandong Leg for a fact-finding mission. His course has been recognised with a variety of awards for everything from the character of its fairways, the natural environment, the distinctiveness of its finishing hole and for being among the best courses in China, but it is a relative novice when it comes to staging professional tournaments.

" We haven't had a lot of experience with large scale competitions," Goh admitted, adding that watching the way the Tiger Beach Golf Links handled staging their leg helped greatly.

"It is the first time we have seen this type of tournament in the mainland. We have come here hoping our preparations can, because of seeing this event, run smoothly. We admire that they were able to manage a competition of this scale. We have a fairly large clubhouse, and our roads are a lot more convenient. The reason Tiger Beach managed this competition so well was because of the great personnel. They are very neat and well organised. We are happily surprised and greatly admire them."

Although new to staging major tournaments, by Chinese standards the Grand Shanghai course is a grizzled veteran, having been open for 10 years. Most of the original site was paddy fields standing only 15cm above the high-water level of the famous Yancheng lakes. The rolling contours all came from the digging of the channels and lagoons around the course. Designed by the Golfplan partnership of Ronald Fream and David Dale, the course features one of the most memorable finishes of any course in the People's Republic: a 534-yard par 5 with an island green that deservedly has its own permanent grandstand.

" We are an old golf course, opening 18 holes to the public in 1996, so being experienced in that way, we still have a lot of patience," said Goh, adding that they can only benefit from the experience of hosting the Omega China Tour.

"Holding more high level competitions helps the growth of golf in China. China is growing at such a fast pace, so Chinese players will undergo great improvement. To improve we need to hold competitions. We hope we can progress by holding high level competitions."

June 19, 2006