Sheshan Golf Club

Sheshan Golf Club (simplified Chinese: 佘山高尔夫俱乐部; traditional Chinese: 佘山高爾夫俱樂部; pinyin: Shéshān gāo'ěrfū jùlèbù) is a private golf club in Shanghai, China. Designed by Robin Nelson and Neil Haworth (Nelson & Haworth), the 18-hole golf course has a par of 72 and spans almost 7,200 yards (6,583 meters). The club hosted 14 of the 15 annual WGC-HSBC Champions from 2005 to 2019. Sheshan was named the second and third best golf course in China by Golf Digest in 2024 and 2022, respectively. It was also recognized as the 2020–2021 Platinum Club of Asia-Pacific and gained five-star private club status. The course is known for its challenging layout, featuring water hazards, tree-lined fairways, and elevation changes. Overview Sheshan Golf Club, which opened in 2004, is a golf facility spanning approximately 360 acres. The course is about 45 minutes from downtown Shanghai. The course landscape is characterized by over 60,000 trees, including Yulan Magnolia, ornamental Osmanthus, and a 1,000-year-old Ginkgo. The architects modeled the course after the Donald Ross design at Oak Hill, incorporating "downhill tee shots and approach shots to elevated greens."The club is known for its exclusivity; as of July 2010, the initiation fee was reported to be $240,000. Sheshan served as the host site for the HSBC Champions from 2005 through 2019, with the exception of 2012, when the event was held at Mission Hills Golf Club in Guangdong. The tournament gained World Golf Championship (WGC) status in 2009. In 2013, the WGC-HSBC Champions became an official European Tour and PGA Tour event with a purse of US$8.5 million, the highest in East Asia at the time. Notable participants have included Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, and Lee Westwood. The course is recognized globally for its high level of difficulty. In October 2019, Golf Week listed three of Sheshan's holes among the 15 most difficult on the 2018-19 PGA Tour. According to tour data, the par-4 ninth hole was the most difficult on the schedule, and the course also featured the most difficult par 3 and par 5 on the Tour. In January 2021, Golf Magazine ranked Sheshan eighth on its list of the world's most difficult courses, noting that it "has some brutally difficult golf holes," including a demanding par-5 that requires three shots to reach the green for most professional golfers. WGC-HSBC Champions The WGC-HSBC Champions is a professional golf tournament held annually in China. It is sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours (Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, and Sunshine Tour) and the China Golf Association. Inaugurated in 2005, the tournament features a purse of US$8.5 million, the largest in the Asia-Pacific region. Initially established as the HSBC Champions, the event was designated as a World Golf Championships tournament in 2009. In 2013, it became an official PGA Tour event and was integrated into the FedEx Cup schedule. Traditionally played in November, it served as the fourth and final tournament on the WGC calendar, alongside the WGC Mexico Championship, WGC Match Play, and the WGC St. Jude Invitational. The field is composed of top-ranked players from the six major international tours and the China Golf Association. Qualification is extended to leading money winners from the sanctioning tours, and winners of major championships and the other World Golf Championships tournaments. The WGC-HSBC Champions was cancelled for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the tournament remained under contract with the PGA Tour as of 2023, it has not been contested since its initial cancellation in 2020. Awards and recognition Since 2005, the Sheshan Golf Club has received industry awards, including recognition from Golf Digest, Asia Golf Monthly, and others. References External links Official website