Course B at Stoneforest International CC is called Masters Resort.
It was designed by the team behind most of the Mission Hills courses at Shenzhen and Haikou- Schmidt & Curley, and opened for play in 2011.
Stoneforest has 3 quality courses, and a grand plan which incorporates a clubhouse for the public access courses( A & B ), and another for the members private course ( C ).
The plan also includes an international standard hotel.
When we visited the fairly elaborate two storey driving range also served as clubhouse.
Whereas Course A ( Yufeng Ridge ) covers some dramatic Stoneforest terrain, with significant elevation change, Course B ( Masters Resort ) travels through some quieter territory, particularly in the front seven holes.
This lower lying land is a nice contrast to the rockscapes encountered on Yufeng Ridge, with a higher density of vegetation giving the course a softer look.
We played in early October and these holes were enlivened by the masses of wild flowers in the rough.
I liked the short par 4 First hole- a drive and pitch from an elevated tee.
It was an ideal starter with no great pressure on the tee shot. However the green is tucked in behind a nest of bunkers, and care was needed to hit the dance floor with sand wedge in hand.
It was a nice birdie opportunity to get the round started.
The second was a dogleg par 4 which required a short iron approach, and was another pretty hole which helped ease us further into our round.
Hole 5 was a downhill par 3 which was also a delight to play.
The tenth hole is the signature hole at Masters Resort.
It is a par 5 uphill, and measures 618 yards off the back tees.
We played it at 580 yards off the blue tees, and it required solid hits with driver, 3 wood and 3 wood again to get near the green as the hole is severely uphill.
But it looks a treat!
Another hole I liked was the short par 4 thirteenth, but then I like short par fours!
In relatively bland low lying land the hole was all about an accurate short iron in to a green which wrapped around a nest of bunkers in front, and was nicely framed by a cluster of trees immediately behind.
Hole 18 was a nice risk and reward reachable par 5, with a green set in the rocks not to dissimilar to the feel of Yufeng Ridge.
Overall Masters Resort is a quality course which is very playable, and offers a nice variety of short and longer holes, and a mix of really tough holes with some that are pretty easy.
It is however not a patch on its sister course Yufeng Ridge...
In fact the family resemblance is a little hard to pick!
Peter Wood
The Travelling Golfer
October 2014
Tours
Masters Resort is one of the courses played on The Travelling Golfer's Spring City & Stoneforest Tours.
Other courses played on the tour include:
Course A at Stoneforest
The Lake course at Spring City
The Mountain course at Spring City
Yunling GC
Sunshine GC
