6 Top Southern China Golf Courses on PGA Tours

Golf in Asia for locals and tourists has been widespread for some time. Men's professional golf tour in Asia is part of PGA Tours, which calculates the number of players. The numbers roughly increase 25 – 30 percent each year.

Prevailing golf professionals from the past and present, such as Su Dong and Wu Ashu, are helping the popularity by placing the sport in the China spotlight. As a result, private corporate sponsorships are coming on board to invest in Asian golf courses and create perfect conditions for any golfer to participate in the game.

The options of golf courses around the Macau region seem endless. Two impressive courses are recommended by one of the more prestigious hotels in China.

Macau Golf & Country Club is only forty minutes away by car from Macau's many grand hotels. The holes are outstanding and well planned by designer Hiroshima Ikea with a narrow and undulating fairway, a memorable experience for any golfer despite one's score. There is limited access for guests, so call in advance for the tee-off time.

Caesars Golf Course is only thirty minutes by car from Macau's hotels. The course designed by T K Pen is relatively flat. The design manages to keep golfers' attention due to its diversity with dogleg rights, dogleg lefts, and straightaway holes. Included is a sound mix of short and long holes.

More golf courses add diversity to your game, yet you’ll need to drive much farther – between forty to eighty minutes from Macau. But, the drive is worth it if you want to golf even more with variety.

Designed by Colin Montgomerie, the Zhuhai Golden Gulf Golf Club course is a visually stunning 27-hole golf course. The design includes nine holes for nighttime play. The forty minutes drive from Macau is well worth it to the oasis with lush green fairways. The course is available to the public with memberships available.

Lakewood Golf Club lies at the base of South Mountain in Jingding Town of Zhuhai city. About a 30-minute drive from Macau, the two superb 18-hole golf courses designed by J. Michael Poellot make the trek worth it. The lakes and plants everywhere bring golfers to the natural world. The club gained several awards, including U.S. Gold Digest's "Ten Best Golf Courses in China." Membership is required, but you might ask your hotel's concierge to check for availability.

The Agile Golf & Country Club lulls near the majestic Changjiang Reservoir. It is about 80 minutes from Macau, and the Club manages two courses designed by JMP Design Group. The northern zone is a steep and extensive course. Hills surround the southern region on one side and water in complete harmony with nature. Amazingly, each features 36-holes. The Club has proudly won the "Best Fairway Maintenance" award in eight consecutive years by China Golf and was permanently awarded the "Ten Best New Golf Courses in China."

The Dunes are located at Shenzhou Peninsula and are the only coastal golf course in Asia. The three 18-hole golf course winds around the dunes, designed by Tom Weiskopf, keeping with the peninsula's natural formation.

The course received a fair share of accolades, being was ranked in 2010 as the 3rd Best New International Course by Golf Magazine and in 2011 was named the Best Golf Course in China by Robb Report Best of the Best Award.

Laid out on Hainan's east coast, the ecological landscape, including mammoth dunes and indigenous plants against inspiring views, offers a golfer's paradise.

Golfers report the changing winds are constant and add a challenge to each tee-off. They learn to further their strategy by approaching the hole differently when playing a round of golf.

Keep in mind there are three courses – east and west courses - each hole different in approach but a challenge due to the weather changes.

I highly recommend that you book a tee time in advance on weekdays and weekends.

Visiting Macau places players within proximity of ideal golf courses. Concierges at local hotels can arrange for tee times and transportation to lush forest-lined fairways easily accessible. Once you arrive, the golfing is endless, with playful nights at the nearby casinos.