Along with the Pete Dye Course, the par three Zhang Liang-Wei course was the last of the 12 courses to open at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen. This layout is part of the main Shenzhen property, and only open to select property owners and special club members. That’s a shame; for this is precisely the sort of short course that China needs to build more of in order to encourage beginners into our game.

The Zhang layout is a really solid, par three test that features a number of really cool replica holes – such as the Biarritz, Redan and Punchbowl. Each is well conceived, nicely built and works not just because it’s a replica, but also because the shot required is fun to hit. Across this course the quality of the shaping and green complexes is terrific, save for overdone areas like the multi-volcano 18^th green site.

We’re fans of the Zhang Liang-Wei course at Mission Hills, and believe there should be more high-quality short courses like this across China.