Golfing Through China: Beijing Cascades Country Golf Club

For my last day in China I went with my dad and brother to Beijing Cascades Golf Club, an Arnold Palmer designed golf course outside the fifth ring road. The weather wasn't too hot, but the typical Beijing smog made a comeback over the past few days and we couldn't see a cloud in the sky. Just like Bayhood, huge electrical towers ran through the course which was also an eyesore, but the course was nice and seemed more natural than Bayhood or some of the other courses I've played in China. The course is part of a nature preserve, so it's nice and open on the course, but I couldn't help feeling a bit claustrophobic with all of the apartment complexes either just completed or under construction around the course, as well as all of the villas that were under construction beside the course.

I didn't play how I would have liked to play for my final round in China. I was spraying the ball off the tee, not hitting good iron shots and my putting was off. Unfortunately this course put cup-savers in all of the holes which I hate, so I rimmed out a few of putts that would have dropped if the holes were just lined with dirt instead. I tried to put it together for one last hole and give myself a good look at birdie or at least a par to cap off my trip, but ended up hitting a poor approach into the eighteenth green. I hit a pretty nice chip to about six feet and took a long look at the par putt, thought I had it, but saw that also rim out of the hole. A pretty disappointing end to the trip given the way I played today, but I can't complain.

I fly back to New York early tomorrow afternoon and will do one last wrap-up post. I don't know when I'll be back in China, and at the beginning of the trip six weeks traveling mostly alone seemed like it would be a long time, but it went by pretty quickly and I feel like I could definitely do another six weeks seeing other parts of China and playing courses in more remote parts of the country.