|
|
|
| An ‘”S” shaped neat par 5. The
tee-shot is downhill and water come into play for the second shot. The landing
area of the second shot is narrow and there is water in front of the green. |
|
| |
|
The shortest par 3 in the course.
It plays slightly downhill with a wide, but not deep, green. The front and back
of the green are guarded by bunkers. There was a pond on the left of the green
and when the pin position is on the left, the pond will come into play. |
|
|
| |
|
A dogleg to right, the longest
par 5 in the world. Playing downhill from the tee, you can have a clear view of
the entire hole. It features 13 sand bunkers in line with the 13 peaks of Jade
Dragon Snow Mountain. The white bunkers coupled with the view of the mountain
create a unique beauty. The left side of the fairway faces water for the second
and the third shots |
| |
| |
| A
dogleg to the left, a slightly uphill par 4. The pretty white bunkers are strategically
and beautifully placed on this hole, too. The green slopes from the back to the
front and has decent undulations. |
|
|
|
| |
A
very difficult par 3 over the water. There is water in front and on the left side
of the green, so you tend to hit toward to the right of the green. However, there
still is a large bunker facing the left side of the green, waiting for your poor
shot
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
A dogleg to the left, a slightly
downhill par 4. It plays slightly downhill; nevertheless it is very rare to have
such long par 4 as 530-yard distance. You hit toward Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
for the second shot |
|
| |
|
A downhill par 3. The green is long
in width and the bunkers in front of the green are in play. |
|
|
| |
|
A dynamic downhill par 4. The
tee is the highest on the course, 3100 meters (10,170 ft.). There are trees at
the back of the green and hitting over the green should be avoided, so the club
selection for the approach shot is crucial here. |
| |
| |
| A
s harply uphill par 5. The third shot needs to fly not only over a valley but
also over high trees in front of the green, so a high ball is required. |
| |
|
|
| |
| It takes one hour by air from
Kuming to Lijiang and another one hour by car from the Lijiang Airport. Sited
at an altitude of 3000 meters (10,000 ft.), the air is very thin, so oxygen masks
are provided in the golf carts. This golf course, 3100 meters (10,170 ft.), is
the second highest in the world. The highest in the world is La Paz GC, Bolivia
at the dizzying height of 3300 meters (10,800 ft.). The third to the fifth golf
courses are all in Colorado, U.S.A. that are around 2900 meters (9,500 ft.). A
golf course of the height of 4700 meters (14.335 ft.) in Peru used to be the No.1
in the world but due to its nose-bleeding altitude, it has now been abandoned.
The caddies are from a leading local minority, Naxi, who have lived in Lijiang
for generations and they all wear local folk costumes.
|
| |
| |
| |
| The 13 peaks of snow-covered and fog-enlaced mountain
resemble a jade dragon lying in the clouds, hence, the name Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
One of my acquaintances who played this course in March said that they teed
off in a little power snow and then the sun came in daytime, which got him slightly
sweaty even in a short-sleeved shirt. He was able to experience 4 seasons during
the play. When I played, of course there was no snow because it was May. But the
temperature differed greatly from sunshine to shade.
Lijiang is considered
to be a pearl on the high plateau of Northwestern Yunnan Province, and is regarded
as the world of “Shangri-La” (in Tibetan: a wonderful place like paradise) which
people yearn to visit. Owing to its special characteristics of ethnic Culture,
urban layout and historical authenticity, Lijiang Ancient City was listed as a
World Cultural Heritage City by UNESCO in 1997. |
| |
|
|
.jpg)
1st Par 5 681 yards (2)