Less than an hour west of the bustling metropolis that is Shenzhen lies a small coastal outpost known as Dameisha, a Chinese Anaheim of sorts with a large Sea World style theme park and a giant resort, residential estate known as the Overseas Chinese Town East (OCT East). OCT East not only boasts 36 holes of golf, but three of its own theme parks – Tea Valley, Knight Valley and Wind Valley, where the two golf courses reside. The Wind Valley Private course overlooks its amusement park, and features nice views across Mirs Bay toward the Dapeng Peninsula. It was designed by the Nelson Haworth Company, and is about the most outrageous layout we’ve seen, doing the impossible and making Yunnan’s Pure Scene seem a model for good taste and restraint.

The problems at Wind Valley start and finish with the piece of ground made available for the Nelson Haworth golf holes. The site is heavily forested and heavily sloped and probably shouldn’t have been converted into golf unless more of the attractive valleys could have been blasted and artificially exposed, which we would certainly not endorse.

This is extreme golf to the max, with a series of holes essentially connected by cart paths and either built across or along the edges of very steep hills or through skinny valleys. At times it appears you are merely driving from one outlook to the next, with the occasional green carpet presented to hit golf balls across. In terms of the routing, nothing flows at all here. Golfers don’t get a chance for any real rhythm as you are constantly dropping obscenely from tee to green or driving back up a hillside or hitting to anorexic landing areas. The scale is dizzying.

The views from the highest point on the property, the par three 6^th tee at an elevation of 450m, are undeniably beautiful, and showcase the entire Wind Valley area and its seaside development. There is no way a golf hole should have been built there, however, for there is neither a satisfactory way to get to the tee, nor to connect to the next hole. It can only be done via cross-country cart driving. The plunging par five 7^th coming off the high point is a ridiculous hole.

The entire Wind Valley development is like a poor mans version of Disneyland, with thrill rides and fantasy inspired architectural homes throughout the estate. The golf course itself is very Mickey Mouse as well. It’s so extreme that the average Chinese golfer would be unable to play here, while the average Westerner wouldn’t want to.