2007 China Tour Shanghai Leg - About the Grand Shanghai course

Situated in the heart of Kunming Dianchi national tourism and vacation zone, Lakeview Golf Club nestles along the shores of Dianchi Lake and beneath a moutainous area of stunning natural beauty.

Lakeview Golf Club is only 8 km from downtown Kunming and 16 km from Kunming airport marking it the perfect location to enjoy golf in the 'City of spring' , with its year long refreshingly cool temperatures allied with a constant gentle breeze, Is surely is the perfect climate for golf.

With strategically placed bunkers, rolling fairways, golf and contoured greens the Lakeview golf course is a design masterpiece that will both test and offer enjoyment to golfers of all abilities bringing them back time after time.

Befitting a course designed by a master, Lakeview has been built and constructed the highest standards. Care and attention has been give to very detail, with very contour painstakingly shaped to meet Faldo's discerning eye. The golf course features immaculately maintained bent grass, greens, tees and fairways, give Lakeview the ultimate in playing surfaces. With the very best in drainage and irrigation systems the Lakeview layout is truly an all-weather course.

The Lakeview golf course has been designed by one of the master of world golf-Nick Faldo. As a Champion golfer who has won 6 majors Nick was the king of golf from the late 80'sto the mid 90's.he is know for his precision ball striking, deadly accuracy and the pursuit of the excellence.

Based on his wealth experience and and knowledge of the game and its course. Nick Faldo demonstrated his talent and strength for golf design from the beginning. In 1996 he established Nick Faldo design company, his design philosophy is based on his playing philosophy. His golf course designs are essentially very strategic in nature; he always likes to combine creativity and originality with an adherence to classical design principles. It is Nick`s strong belief that golf course should look as natural as possible. And whilst they should challenge and inspire golfers to play their best, they should always be playable, fair and enjoyable.

Faldo Design is highly selective in the projects it undertakes-driven, by 'quality' rather than 'quantity'.

Hole-by-hole guide

Hole	Yards	Metres	Par

1	427	390	4
2	409	374	4
3	501	458	5
4	442	404	4
5	232	212	3
6	651	595	5
7	422	386	4
8	157	143	3
9	415	379	4
OUT	3656	3341	36
			
10	449	410	4
11	147	134	3
12	576	526	5
13	472	431	4
14	422	386	4
15	195	178	3
16	423	387	4
17	336	307	4
18	546	499	5
IN	3566	3259	36
			
Total	7222	6600	72

The golf course at Kunming Lakeview is designed to be a true championship course that is challenging for top golfers, including rofessionals, but that is also playable for golfers of all levels. Tee locations, green orientations, and locations of hazards are all designed to add strategy and interest to the course. The golf course has excellent variety and balance, as well as having adequate overall length in response to Kunming's relatively high elevation.

The course is designed to be cost-effective to build and maintain in excellent condition. Faldo Design wants Kunming Lakeview to be a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable golf experience. Accordingly, the course has outstanding visibility; all hazards (bunkers, water) will be visible from the tee and/or the landing areas so that strategic decisions can be made by each golfer. Nick likes to see plenty of sand in his bunkers and his greens generally have a good bit of movement, adding to the strategic importance of the approach shots. The course has substantial beauty as well, including distant views of mountains and Lake Dianchi.

The golf course is intended also to be the central open and green space amenity for the surrounding residential community. Careful attention has been given to the relationship between housing and golf course, in order to maximize safety and view potential. In all cases, housing is separated from the golf course by water that will provide view enhancement, additional safety, and needed drainage for golf and housing. The water buffer will ensure that residents will not wander onto the golf course in harm's way.

Hole #1 - Par 4 - 383 meters (from the back tees) - The opening hole is a slight dogleg left of medium length. It is a straightforward warm-up hole with no real surprises. There is water on the second shot, but it is well removed from the green.

Hole #2 - Par 4 - 370 meters - The tee shot on the second hole has water on the right side and a large 'waste' bunker on the left side, past the turning point. A long drive on this short hole will have to be very straight. It may be better to lay up short of the bunker leaving a slightly longer approach to the tightly bunkered green.

Hole #3 - Par 5 - 487 meters - The third and fourth holes have a shared fairway with an island of bunkers in the landing areas for both holes. The third is a straight, reachable par 5 for the best golfers, but the bunkering is tight at the green adding risk to the long approach.

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 411 meters - This is the first of four long par-4's on the golf course, and this one will play into the normal prevailing wind. The shared fairway with #3 gives some room for error, but the green is well bunkered, making a four here a very good score.

Hole #5 - Par 3 - 212 meters - The course continues to toughen at the 5th hole, a long par three, although it will normally play down wind. There is water on the right side of the hole, but it is somewhat removed from the green, which is open in front for a run-up tee shot.

Hole #6 - Par 5 - 576 meters - The longest hole on the course is a slight double-dogleg par 5 that should be unreachable in two for all but the very longest hitting professional golfers. There is water down the entire right side of the hole, and it comes directly into play on the second shot. Great care will need to be taken in deciding and executing each golfers' best approach to the green.

Hole #7 - Par 4 - 420 meters - The long seventh has water on the right side of the hole, with the green sitting right at the water's edge. Most players would be well advised to play a safe second shot here to avoid the water, and be satisfied with a pitch-shot to the green and a chance for a par.

Hole #8 - Par 3 - 141 meters - The stretch of long, difficult holes is relaxed here at the 8th hole, a relatively short par three, but there is water in front of and to the left of the green, so golfers still need to pay close attention to club selection and execution.

Hole #9 - Par 4 - 382 meters - The front nine ends with a sharp dogleg par 4 playing through some of the site's best existing trees. The clubhouse is in full view from the tee with the distant mountains in the background. The clubhouse pond guards the green closely on the right side.

Hole #10 - Par 4 - 414 meters - The back nine starts with a stout par 4 dogleg to the right. There is water on the left past the turning point and guarding the green, but it is not too close. The bigger issue is the pair of bunkers that guard the front of the green, making the approach shot angle very important.

Hole #11 - Par 3 - 137 meters - The shortest hole on the course has a green very closely guarded by water along its entire right side. The hole plays into the prevailing breeze so keeping the shot down with a short club is the real challenge.

Hole #12 - Par 5 - 528 meters - The long 12th hole bends gently to the right along a creek that runs the length of the hole and guards the green. Golfers mustn't get too greedy with their second shots here as the three guarding bunkers on the left side will offer difficult escapes.

Hole #13 - Par 4 - 430 meters - The longest par four on the course, thankfully plays downwind, so it should be reachable for most golfers. There is water near the green on the right side and behind the green, however, so care must be taken to avoid overly aggressive play.

Hole #14 - Par 4 - 387 meters - Golfers turn back into the breeze at the 14th hole, with water all along the left side of the hole. The green is closely guarded by the pond.

Hole #15 - Par 3 - 182 meters - This is a good medium length par three with water on the left of the green. The tee shot should have lake views and will have the distant mountains in the background.

Hole #16 - Par 4 - 390 meters - The 16th hole plays around and through the best existing trees on the site. The hole bends gently to the right and the green is oriented back to the left, setting up a strong strategic and beautiful hole, with the mountain backdrop.

Hole #17 - Par 4 - 310 meters - The 17th hole offers an excellent gambling situation for longer hitters. The green can be reached straightaway over the large pond, but it is a very risky shot. The safer play is short and to the left, leaving a short iron approach to the well-guarded green.

Hole #18 - Par 5 - 503 meters - The golf course finishes with another gambling hole, a reachable par five, with a green closely guarded by the clubhouse pond. The hole bends gently to the left setting up a tempting but challenging second shot.

August 21, 2007

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