Lion Lake (Moon)

Situated less than an hour’s drive from Guangzhou, Southern China’s largest city, the Lion Lake Country Club is the first upscale resort to be established in the Pearl River Delta region of the country by the Yijiehongtai Development Company.

The Moon course debuted in 2009 and it’s the first of two 18-hole Rick Jacobson courses scheduled to open at Lion Lake – Moonlight is the name of the second course at Lion Lake Country Club. Water is a dominant theme throughout the resort and it perfectly complements the rugged Danxia sandstone landscape in this part of the world.

Thanks to John Winters of Jacobson Golf Course Design for the following article:

"The project site is located in a region known as the #1 recreational area within the “pearl triangle” of southern China. The developer clearly articulated the goal of creating a premier golf course community that offers residents and guests an uncompromised lifestyle experience.

The project team evaluated the existing natural features of the land. The proximity to a large regional river provided the opportunity for connectivity through a system of water features that became the unifying element of the Master Plan.

The inherent physical features of the site directed the planning approach from which the golf course, resort hotel, yacht club, hot spring spa, residential and commercial development were exquisitely interwoven into a Comprehensive Plan.

The golf course is the recreational focal point of the Master Plan and therefore the developer required a “world class” golf experience. The “core” golf course efficiently utilizes the land around and through the rock landforms (considered undevelopable for real estate) to create a strategic golf course.

A conscious decision was made to utilize a significant portion of the budget on blasting techniques that were used to expose and accentuate vertical “red rock” ledges that provide a memorable visual aesthetic. Several rock formations were preserved as an expression of sensitivity towards the Chinese theory of Feng Shui – harmony within natural elements.

Approximately fifty acres of constructed lakes and streams provide an amenity linkage to the real estate development and generated excavation material to “cap” additional rock formations for the creation of golf holes.

Native grasses and shrub pines create a landscape palette that blends with the rugged natural surrounds."