From November 5–8, 2009, Sheshan International Golf Club, located in Shanghai, China, will host the World Golf Championships—HSBC Champions. A Nelson & Haworth design, the 18-hole course has a total length of 7149 yards and is set within the Shanghai Sheshan National Tourist & Holiday Zone. ASGCA recently sat down with architect Neil Haworth, ASGCA to discuss the upcoming tournament and the course.

Hole 3, Par 3, 200 yds.

ASGCA: Thank you so much for joining us today, Neil. We are excited to hear more about the upcoming HSBC Champions tournament and its host site, your Sheshan International Golf Club.

Neil Haworth: Well, thank you for having me. We really are excited to talk about the tournament and the course. Actually, just this past summer, the HSBC Champions became the fourth stroke-play event to be included in the World Golf Championships. The addition is the first in China for the WGC, and I am excited that players will get a chance to visit the country—and play the course!

ASGCA: Your firm has designed numerous courses in China. Is there a design concept you stick to when building courses outside of North America?

Neil Haworth: We do like to combine the game of golf with the traditional cultures of the course’s location. This concept worked especially well in Shanghai, as it has a status of blending tradition and modernity. At Sheshan specifically, we made one of the main features of the site two 1000-year old gingko trees. They are situated behind hole 4, and really help in keeping the country’s unique culture prominent in the course’s design. We used over 10,000 trees total in the course’s design, making it one of the most forested golf courses in the Shanghai region.

ASGCA: And these trees separate each hole, so players on adjacent fairways cannot see each other. Can you tell us about the site’s other main feature?

Neil Haworth: I would love to. Two of the course’s holes, 16 and 17, play around a dramatic and intimidating 50-meter-deep rock quarry. Golfers get an awe-inspiring view while still having to make a great golf shot. And actually, the original master plan by the land planner had only one hole on the quarry, the second. We reversed the course and fit two holes in around the quarry, and they have become the signature holes of the club, and perhaps also of the whole Shanghai region.

ASGCA: What an amazing feature to showcase in a course! Neil, you also did quite a bit of construction in building the course, is that correct?

Neil Haworth: Yes, you are correct.The course was built on flat land, so we had to get creative to give the course added visual appeal. It now offers a unique golfing environment of deep valleys and rolling hills. In fact, Sheshan is one the most hilly courses in the Shanghai region.

Hole 16, Par 4, 288 yds.

ASGCA: And what did you choose to do in terms of grass choices and water use?

Neil Haworth: We utilized a Penn A1 bent grass on the greens and Seashore Paspulum on the fairways, tees, and rough areas. The fairways and roughs will be overseeded with Rye grass for the tournament. I would also like to commend Mr. Meng, the superintendent, for doing such a great job at the course. He has been on the project since construction started, and it is important to note that a local Chinese is able to prepare the course to such high international standards. For water, many of the holes play along the existing canal, or around one of the manmade lakes or scenic landscaped streams. We used water to enhance the course’s aesthetic beauty, as well as to aid irrigation. All of the site’s lakes are connected, which allows water to constantly flow.

ASGCA: Donald Ross’s Oak Hill was the inspiration for this design, with downhill tee shots and approach shots to elevated greens. You’ve even included elevation changes of over 12 meters on several holes. Can you speak a bit more about the motivation and ideas behind the course’s design?

Neil Haworth: Sure. At the same time as we were designing Sheshan we were building a course in Rochester NY and I was able to play Oak Hill several times. What impressed me about the course were the variety of the par 4’s and the way Donald Ross laid out the course with many of the holes playing from elevated tees down to the landing area and then back up to the greens. The holes set up very naturally so we tried through earthworks to achieve the same concept. I think we did ok because so many of the top players comment how the course sets up well visually from the tees.

ASGCA: One more question: What are your favorite holes of the course?

Neil Haworth: I like the short par 4’s (holes 3, 7, and 16), as well as the par 3 (hole 4). During previous tournaments, players hit lots of doubles and birdies on them. Plus, holes 7 and 16 especially make for great spectator viewing.

ASGCA: Neil, thank you so much for talking with us today. We are certainly looking forward to the HSBC Champions.

Neil Haworth: You and me both. It should be an exciting event.