Yung Han

Established by the Japan-based Taiwanese businessman Chu Yung-han, the course at Yung Han Golf Club is a tribute to the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, one of the owner’s favourite golfing layouts.

Yung-han appointed Shunsuke Kato, founder of the Japan Golf Association, to design the eighteen holes in a style resembling the famous links at the Home of Golf and he laid out what’s been described as a “whimsically creative and utterly challenging course”.

Although the course is located around two kilometres from the coast, sea breezes from the Taiwan Strait can cause all sorts of problems when the wind gets up, forcing players to adopt typical Scottish links golf tactics by keeping the ball as close to the ground as possible.

Beginning and ending with a par five hole, the course is configured as two returning nines, each of which finishes on a large double green that sits behind a lake in front of the clubhouse – links purists may well shudder at such a prospect but it’s highly entertaining nonetheless.

Good scoring here depends on posting a decent number for the longer front nine before the back nine then presents a few birdie opportunities, especially at the short par four 11th and the 128-yard 17th, which is the last par three hole on the card.