Phoenix Rises in Hainan

Asian Golf Monthly
March 2008

By Al Campbell

An interesting project has broken ground in China’s southernmost Hainan Island in what is shaping up to be a battle of the designers among four prominent American course architects.

The Phoenix Valley club, located in Dian’an, about 30 minutes outside Haikou, features the ‘East Course’ designed by architects Gary Linn and Don Knott (left), and the ‘West Course’ created by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry.

Linn said the design teams had basically been given carte blanch to create what they wanted by the club’s low key owner, a Beijing property developer.

For Linn and partner Knott, both of whom worked for Robert Trent Jones II for more than 20 years, the project is the first under their own names in Asia. Under their famed ex-boss they were involved in numerous high-profile projects, most notably Taiwan’s Sunrise Golf & Country Club and the Lake Course at Spring City in Kunming, China.

Phoenix Valley’s challenging, parkland style East Course (par-72, 7,209 yards) traverses through a proposed residential development. It will have a tropical theme throughout with coconut palms that are native to the ‘Hawaii of China’.

Said Linn: “In terms of style, as part of our work with Hurdzan-Fry to differentiate the two courses, we are developing rather bold, artistic bunkering with descending ‘noses’ and sweeping faces that will be the prime visual aspect of the East Course, along with their strategic placement.”

“The land is gently rolling that has been in various forms of agricultural production. The soils are sandy loams, which are excellent for golf. There are not a lot of natural site features outside a few groves of trees that will remain.”

“It will mostly be man-made to create interest, drama, strategy and to incorporate the residential development. An extensive tree planting and ornamental groundcovers/ shrubs program will add color, texture and contrast.”