My family flew into Xi'an to be with me for the last two stops of my trip, and I went yesterday with my dad and brother to the Yajian International Golf Club, which is around one hour outside Xi'an. It is one of only two golf clubs in Xi'an, which I later learned from one of the employees who I spoke with after the round is because the terrain is so rough and the soil is not very good, making it hard to build and maintain a course. So it wasn't surprising then that the fairway was pretty shaggy and wasn't the type of grass typically used on a fairway, the rough was patchy and the greens had pretty large spots of dirt and inconsistent grass. The setting of the course, though, was picturesque - set against a beautiful mountain range - and the design was challenging and interesting (the course was deigned by Peter Thomson, who I had never heard of before coming to China but designed some of the most prestigious courses in China). The weather in Xi'an hasn't been as hot as other cities in China and it was a bit cooler since we were close to the mountains. My ball-striking was really good, I hit most greens in regulation and only had one hole where I carded worse than a bogey, but the inconsistency of the greens really threw me off. I didn't get any lag putts close and usually left myself around a 5-6 footer for my second putt, whether it was for par or bogey. I ended up with an 84, but felt I could have easily shot in the 70s the way I was hitting the ball if I was better on the greens.
The first hole, a 462-yard par 4
Number two, a 566-yard par 5 with a severe dogleg left
The approach to number two
Number three, a 158-yard par 3
Number five, a 357-yard par 4
My dad and brother on the tee box at number six, a 156-yard par 3 (not from the white tees though)
Number eight, a 307-yard par 4
The approach to number ten, a 380-yard par 4
Number twelve, a 409-yard par 4
The approach to number sixteen, a 343-yard par 4
Number seventeen, a 179-yard par 3
The approach to number 18, a 550-yard par 5
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