Yung Han Golf Club is a beautiful hillside course with a wide-open feel, located only 2.5 kilometers from the sea. While the setting feels inviting due to the lack of trees, the constant strong ocean winds make it a very demanding test. The prevailing wind consistently blows toward Taoyuan Airport, but its strength changes from day to day, forcing players to adjust their strategies. In certain seasons, the winds can be as fierce as a typhoon, creating an entirely different challenge.

The layout is highly strategic, mixing wide and narrow fairways with well-placed bunkers and seven holes featuring water. Each hole is separated by a combination of hills, woods, rough, ponds, and mounding, giving parts of the course a links-like character. The greens are hard and fast, covered with korai (zoysia) grass, and when the down-grain lines up with the following wind, it becomes extremely difficult to stop the ball on the putting surface.

Several holes stand out for their character. The 2nd, a double dogleg par 4, rewards those brave enough to challenge the left side. The 5th, a tough par 4 usually played into the wind, demands precision with water right and OB left. The 6th, a par 5, combines width with well-placed hazards, including a long bunker and water cutting into the fairway. The 9th shares a dramatic green with the 18th and offers stunning views from the fairway. The 15th, a par 3, drops nearly 20 meters downhill, while the 17th, though only 128 yards, is notorious for balls running through the green into bunkers with the wind at your back. The finishing 18th is a memorable par 5 with a winding fairway, a demanding approach over water, and a massive shared green stretching 90 yards across.

Overall, Yung Han Golf Club blends scenic openness with the relentless challenge of the ocean wind, producing a course that is both strategic and enjoyable. With its variety of holes and constantly shifting conditions, it is one of Taiwan’s most distinctive private clubs.

(The club is about 18 minutes east of Taoyuan Airport and 45 minutes west of central Taipei. It was founded by the renowned investor and writer Yung Han Chiu, after whom the course is named.)