Taiwan Golf & Country Club

Golf has been played in Taiwan for just over a century now, originating during the Japanese occupation of the country at the start of the 20th century. It was then largely sustained by US military troops stationed in Taiwan after World War II, who nurtured the game right up until their departure in 1979.

The course at Taiwan Golf and Country Club has been called the “Cradle of the Golfers” because the game started here back in 1914 and it’s also where many of the top Taiwanese amateur and professional players have since honed their golfing skills.

Located in the seaside district of Tamsui, in the northwest corner of Taiwan, the course lies in the rolling foothills of the Tatun Mountains, close to where the Tamsui River empties into the Taiwan Strait.

This venerable old track started out as a very rudimentary 3-hole affair before additional holes were gradually brought into play, eventually allowing Japanese designer Shiro Akaboshi to set out a full 18-hole course in 1929 – the same year the architect co-designed Kasumigaseki East.

The Taiwan Masters – inaugurated in 1987 and one of the most prominent events on the Asian Tour – has been held many times at Tamsui, as the course is commonly called. A popular competition layout, it’s a tight and exacting course which has stood the test of time rather well.