With the return of spring just around the corner, many of Shanghai’s golfers are itching to hit the links. Fortunately for them, the city is blessed with more courses than most people realize. Shanghai Daily has selected some of the city’s best golf attractions. Within a one-hour drive from downtown, one can easily reach a wide selection of top-quality courses suited for players of every skill level.

Shanghai International Golf and Country Club

Experience first-class golfing with a nod toward tradition

Founded back in 1990, the Shanghai International Golf and Country Club is home to the city’s first international 18-hole 72-par golf course. With a course designed by architect Robert Trent Jones Jr, the club is located on the shores of Dianshan Lake. The course offers a distinctive mix of charming scenery and demanding holes. Its thrilling water obstacles and competitive fairways have led many to call it one of the toughest courses in the country. As Trent Jones proudly announced “it has the capability to challenge even the best players in the game.”

Overlooking the course is a clubhouse built in 19th century British colonial style. It provides golfers with numerous comforts after an intense day on the links, including a coffee bar, a restaurant, a reading room, billiard tables and a sauna. While members are playing, their families can also enjoy the club’s tennis courts, an indoor swimming pool and mahjong rooms at discounted rates.

Address: 961 Yingzhu Rd, Qingpu District

Tel: 5972-8111

Website: www.shanghaicountryclub.com/ (available in Chinese, English and Japanese)

Transport: 30 minutes’ drive from downtown, round trip transportation provided

Yardage: 7,025

Par: 72

Lessons: professional coaches for on demand lessons

Five Oceans Golf Training Club

Shape up your swing in the heart of the city

For those looking to unwind, whacking a bucketful of balls at the Five Oceans Golf Training Club offers a pleasant form of release right in the heart of Shanghai.

While not a course, the club runs two easy-to-reach locations — on Jiangsu Road and Yanping Road respectively — and is mostly frequented by golfers looking to polish their fundamentals. The club boasts a driving range complete with targets as well as swing-analyzing simulators and even a miniature putting green. Professional teachers are also on staff to help novices and aces alike, while a golf-themed bar allows patrons to kick back and watch PGA competitions. The club now has some 300 members, although non-members — including those with children — are welcome. Club staff say it is best to come in the mornings to avoid the crowds.

Address: 1-5/F, 58 Yanping Rd, near Xinzha Rd

Tel: 6271-1059

Address: 2-563 Jiangsu Rd, near Lixi Rd

Tel: 5239-2886

Website: www.fiveocean-golf.cn (Chinese only)

Lessons: available for any standards, reservation in advance, little English spoken

Equipment: rental available

Prices: 80 yuan/hour on workdays; 100 yuan/hour on weekends

Peak hour: 4pm-9pm

Facilities: small golf shop, bar

Sheshan International Golf Club

Play in the footsteps of great golf champions

Recognized as one the finest golf courses in China, the Sheshan International Golf Club has won numerous accolades, and was even named the best golf course in Asia by the Asian Golf Association in 2008.

It’s little wonder then that this club has hosted so many international tournaments, including the HSBC Championship, one of the world’s top golf events. As a note to fans, it is the only place in China where Tiger Woods has taken part in an official competition. It is also the first premier private golf club in Shanghai, which makes it highly exclusive.

In many ways, the Sheshan International Golf Club captures the spirit of modern Shanghai in its ability to blend Chinese tradition with international sensibilities. Its creation called for the moving of 2 million square meters of earth and sand to modify its flat structure, and its undulating terrain now differentiates it from most courses in Shanghai. Set near Sheshan Hill, the club’s location provides golfers with stunning vistas and forested hillsides.

Gorgeous French and Spanish-style villas also add an international touch.

Address: Lane 288, Linmengxin Rd, Sheshan National Holiday Resort

Tel: 5779-8088

website: www.sheshangolf.com (available in Chinese and English)

Yardage: 7,199

Par: 72

Signature holes: No. 16th and 17th, called the “terrifying valley” for their ability to make even the most skilled golfers quake.

Visitors policy: private membership

Shanghai Sun Island Resort Golf Club

Get away from the city and swing in an eco-friendly setting

Located on a 1.6-square-kilometer island in the Liuhe River in Zhujiajiao Town, the Shanghai Sun Island Resort Golf Club provides a green and peaceful refuge for golfers and their families. What make this club, Shanghai’s second oldest, truly unique is its beautifully designed grounds as well as its sustainable practices, which include using organic compose and allowing grass to brown during winter months despite most golfers’ preference for pristine green.

Of course, none of this makes the course any less challenging. Designed by the Nelson, Wright & Haworth Architects Group, the course stretches a total of 6,800 yards and includes 22 lakes, most of which are located right next to each of its 18 holes.

Most of the club’s members are business owners and professionals who come regularly. For visitors looking to get away from Shanghai for a couple of days though, those staying at the attached Mahota Town resort can access the course. The resort features 453 villas and facilities such as a health and wellness club, a horse-riding center and a go-kart track. Golf seminars and forums are also regularly arranged for guests.

Address: 2588 Shentai Rd, Qingpu District

Tel: 6186-9696

Website: www.sunislandgolf.com (available in Chinese and English)

Yardage: 6,800

Number of holes: 18

Signature hole: No. 5 with its resting area and small pagoda

Lessons: available for any standard; reservation only; course open to Sun Island Resort guests

Equipment: rental available

Facilities: Golf Pro Shop, restaurants, Love & Laugh Center, KTV, meeting rooms, wellness center, wave pool, yacht club, horse riding club, go-kart track, and more