Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung Golf Club or Cheng Ching Lake Golf Club is located on the north western shore of Chencing Lake and it was the first golf club to be established in southern Taiwan, dating back to 1961.

Since its expansion to 18 holes in the early 1970s, Kaohsiung has proudly hosted a number of important events, including the Republic of China Open in 1976 and the Professional Golf Championship of the Republic of China in 1983. “Clear Lake”, as the club is also known, has played host to the Kaohsiung Club Open since 1977.

Measuring a testing 7,000 yards from the tips, Kaohsiung is certainly long enough to examine the best golfers, but forward tees allow comfortable play for most levels. Six par fours stretch out beyond 400 yards from the back markers, but the par four 3rd (330 yards) offers up a birdie chance.

The terrain is certainly not flat. Exciting elevation changes, numerous doglegs and a few water holes provide for a fun round. There’s even an unusual photo opportunity when the 10th hole is reached where a tall pagoda-like tower dominates the skyline.

The second oldest course in Taiwan flies quietly under the radar due to its location at the south of the island, but it’s well worth making the trip to this rather beautiful and undiscovered part of the country.