Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau (East)

The three public courses on the uninhabited island of Kau Sai Chau were created with funds from the Hong Kong Jockey Club and they were developed with the intention of meeting the ever-growing demand for golf in the area.

The Gary Player-designed North and South layouts were first to open in 1995 and, for over a decade, these two courses more or less satisfied the golfing needs of pay-and-play golfers in Hong Kong.

Eventually, with demand outstripping supply, a new East layout was unveiled in 2008. Within three years, this 54-hole facility had welcomed its two millionth customer, as the three tracks operate at an astonishing 80% of capacity, catering for 160,000 rounds annually.

The following article has been reproduced with kind permission from the Nelson & Haworth firm of architects:

“The East Course at Kau Sai Chau is one of the very few public courses in the world that enjoys ocean views off every hole. Situated on an island off the popular Hong Kong village hangout of Sai Kung, the course is the most recent addition to the public golf facility of Kau Sai Chau, a facility owned and operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The site for the golf course occupies a very dramatic, steep and rocky site that overlooks - and at times juts into - the waters of the South China Sea. The design and construction of this golf course was one of the most technically demanding projects that Nelson & Haworth has been involved with.

Key challenges beyond the island location included construction in rock, severe terrain, limited water supply, stringent environmental constraints and conditions, retention of an existing and operating golf course.

The many challenges were addressed and solved as they arose, and sometimes involved some unconventional solutions including a drainage system designed by the consulting engineer Ove Arup that prevents water discharge into the ocean and returns all storm water to irrigation lakes for re-use.

Despite its somewhat severe location, construction of the course involved moving only about 800,000 cubic metres although most of this was rock and had to be moved without damaging retained native areas.

The length of the golf course was limited due to the site constraints and although relatively short by modern standards the course difficulty varies widely depending upon the ocean breezes – and it is often very windy!”