Lakeview - Kunming - China

Xishan Mountain forms an imposing backdrop to the course at the Lakeview Golf Hotel in Kunming, where Nick Faldo completed the layout in 2005. Hugging the shores of the beautiful Dianchi Lake, the 18 holes have been set out in total harmony with their surroundings.

The following edited extract is taken from The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses book:

“Lakeview is the jewel in the crown of Nick Faldo’s Chinese design portfolio and is a masterfully strategic challenge, set in the shadow of Sleeping Beauty Mountain. His bunkers immediately grab attention – there are over eighty of these glaringly white monsters on the course – and are the most obvious feature on what is a long layout.

But it is in mastering the subtleties of Faldo’s green complexes where good golfers will really make their mark. Kunming enjoys excellent bent grass greens, whose condition, allied to dramatic use of water, ensure that this is a course that will live long in the memory. For that alone, Lakeview will always be up there among China’s top courses.”