Sheshan International Golf Club

Overview: Sheshan International Golf Club is a championship parkland course in the wooded hills of Songjiang District, west of central Shanghai. Nelson Haworth shaped the layout around mature-looking woodland, rolling ground and a dramatic former quarry. The course’s identity comes from contrast: tree-lined holes provide a sense of enclosure, while the quarry holes open into a much larger and more exposed space. Water, rock faces, changes in elevation and carefully positioned greens create a round that rewards both accurate placement and the ability to adapt to different visual scales. It is polished enough for elite competition, yet the site’s irregular landforms keep the course from feeling manufactured.

History: The club opened in 2004 and quickly became one of China’s most visible tournament venues. Nelson and Haworth designed the course with substantial earthmoving and extensive tree planting, integrating the site’s former quarry into the closing part of the routing. Sheshan then became the long-term home of the WGC-HSBC Champions, bringing leading international fields to Shanghai and giving the course a prominent place in the development of Chinese professional golf. The tournament history is an important part of the profile, but the course remains defined by the underlying terrain and the way the holes move between forest and quarry.

Did You Know? The 16th and 17th play around a quarry reported to be about 50 metres deep. The void was not hidden or filled; it became one of the course’s most recognisable features and gives the closing holes a scale that is unusual for a parkland course.