Mission Hills Dongguan, China.
golfscape takes a look inside
the world’s largest golf resort,
Mission Hills. Discover how
founder Dr. David Chu brought
golf to China with a vision,
determination, and goodwill.
“His mission was to bring China to the world and
the world to China.” – Tenniel Chu, Group Vice-
Chairman, Mission Hills.
The story so far…
Founded in 1992 by Dr. David Chu, Mission Hills is the
largest golfing resort in the world featuring a total of
396 holes accredited by the Guinness World Records.
Altogether, there are 12 courses at Mission Hills Shenzhen
and another 10 courses at the group’s Haikou complex
on Hainan Island. Mission Hills Group has expanded its
business across the cities of Dongguan, Shenzhen, and
Haikou and invested a total of 40 billion RMB in Mainland
China.
Founder, Dr. David Chu is a Hong Kong native who was
inspired to buy a piece of land in Shenzhen after visiting
a golf course in Toronto in the late 1980s. After this,
Chu approached golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus, to design
his first course which then went on to host the World
Cup in 1995. In 2008, Chu secured a position in the top
10 figureheads worldwide in Golf Inc’s list of the ‘Most
Powerful People in Golf.’
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Destination Golf .TRAVEL
‘It is probably no exaggeration to say Chu is the man most
responsible for China’s golf boom.” – Golf Inc.
Visionary Founder, David Chu sadly passed away at the age
of 61 in 2011 after a long battle with cancer. ”My father is a
pioneer,” said Chu’s son Ken. “He believed that golf would
flouris h in China … it was his vision that has made Mission
Hills what it is today.”
David Chu’s sons, Ken who is now Group Chairman and
CEO, and Tenniel Chu who is now Group Vice Chairman,
have now taken over at Head Office at the Mission Hills
Group. The brothers are continuing their late father’s
mission to promote golf in the mainland and to support
the next generation of sports personalities in the country.
“I thought golf was a retirement sport, but it’s not until I
came back to assist my father, then I realized that golf is
a business language, it is a social networking tool.” – Ken
Chu, Group Chairman and CEO, Mission Hills.
Did you know that Mission Hills Shenzhen is the
world’s only club featuring designers from five
continents?
Due to the fact that its 12 signature courses are designed by
golf legends from around the globe including Jack Nicklaus,
Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam – to
name a few! Mission Hills Shenzhen has hosted over 100
major international tournaments and in 1995 held China’s
first world renown golf championship, the 41st World Cup
of Golf. The tournament was also broadcasted across the
country making it a first in China’s history.
Established in 2011, Mission Hills Haikou is located in the
capital of southern China’s Hainan Island. The course is the
result of a government-led initiative to make the tropical
island of Hainan the sports capital of Asia.