Shanghai Golf King Golf Club

During my second to last day I played golf with a local, Xian Da Qian, who I was put into contact with through a friend in Shanghai. The friend told me that Xian would take care of the tee time, and I said no problem. About an hour later I got an e-mail that we were teeing off the next day at 7:00 AM, and that I should meet Mr. Xian at the clubhouse at 6:30 AM. I arrived at Golf King, which is alternatively Ying Tao Golf Club in Chinese, a little tired. We played that early as a way to get out of the heat (it was still very hot, but nowhere near as hot as the other rounds I played) and so that Mr. Xian could get to work after the round. I asked Xian how long he had been playing golf for, and he told me he had only been playing for three years. He then asked me how long I had been playing for, I told him nine years, and he was completely blown away. He had a pretty nice, smooth, and fundamentally sound swing. He had touch around the greens that I haven't seen from anyone here yet, and plotted his way around the course like someone who played for way more than three years.

A few pictures from the course:

The third hole, a 208-yard par 3

The approach to the fourth hole, a 536-yard par 5

The fifth hole, a 164-yard par 3

The tee shot on the sixth hole, a 438-yard par 4 (the green can be seen off to the left)

The approach to the par 4, 410-yard ninth hole

These lights dot the course, allowing golfers to play at night

The driving range. All of the targets float in the water.

With Mr. Xian after our round

I had never been to a course that had lamps that allow golfers to play at night, although I have heard of courses with them. I had also never been to a floating driving range. When I said this to the caddies, and mentioned that America generally does not have these things, they were extremely proud of their course. Mr. Xian shot a 46 on the front nine, playing strict rules of golf, which was pretty impressive for a person who only has three years of experience. I was playing from the tips and he wanted to do the same, but he usually doesn't play from these tees, which made his score more impressive to me. Mr. Xian was a great playing partner, and he smiled from ear to ear when I complimented him on a nice shot. He pulled his own camera out of his bag and asked for a picture with me, so I think he had a good time too.