Course Review: The Hong King Golf Club & Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate

With the meaningful part of the US PGA Tour's season over, focus firmly shifts to the European Tour and the run-up to the Dubai World Championship. The last tournament of a four week Far East swing brings the defending champion and world number one Rory McIlroy plus a host of other stars to the 54th playing of Hong Kong's longest-running sporting event, the UBS Hong Kong Open Golf Championship.

Tournament host is one of golf's oldest and most prestigious venues, the Hong Kong Golf Club. The Royal Hong Kong Golf Club was founded in 1889 with golf sharing facilities with other activities at Happy Valley. Later, a dedicated nine-hole course opened for play in Deep Water Bay in 1898 and that layout is still in use today.

Due to expanding membership the 18-hole Old Course was opened in Fanling in the New Territories, 45km from downtown Hong Kong in 1911, and 20 years later the New Course was added. Further expansion brought the Eden Course in 1970 and then Royal was removed from the club's name in 1996 shortly before the People's Republic of China regained sovereignty over the colony.

An important stretch of events for South African golf kicks off with the SA Open Championship, hosted this year at Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate to showcase this exciting Jack Nicklaus signature design that is barely three years old.

Serengeti's 27 holes comprise the rugged grassland and dune scape 18-hole championship layout that tips its cap to golf's links heritage, and the 9-hole Whistling Thorn course that incorporates a number of classic design features. The Masai Mara tournament course boasts cool season grasses that ensure a lush green playing surface throughout the year.

The round begins with two gentle par 4's, the second a short dogleg that is driveable for longer hitters. A 620m par 5 follows with a lake fronting the green and classic risk and reward elements. The signature hole is the unique and picturesque 8th, a challenging 527m par 5 with a water hazard running down the entire right side, and the fairway sloping left to right. Going for the island green in two is tempting but fraught with danger. A memorable finishing stretch brings an intimidating par 5, a deceptive but driveable par 4, and the toughest hole on the course – a 443m par 4 with water in play from tee to green.

This great Nicklaus layout is set to follow his other five and debut high on the SA's Top 100 list when it qualifies for inclusion next year.