First Golf Course in China for Art Hills’ Design Group


Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest & Associates announced at the 2004 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America now underway in San Diego that it will be designing the firm’s first course in China. The announcement was made by Arthur Hills and Brian Yoder, senior architect and partner at the design firm, John Mai, principal partner with the Xin Dong Yang Group, and Mike Huang, the general manager of the as-yet unbuilt course.

The 27-hole course will be called Pine Creek Golf Club. It will be built as part of a 600-acre golf residential community for the Mai Family and the Xin Dong Yang Group, Inc., a diversified international company based in Shanghai, China. Design will commence immediately with construction to begin in early May.

"We are extremely excited to be working with the Arthur Hills organization. They are undisputedly one the top golf course architecture firms in the world today," stated Mai. "Our plan is to create a one-of-a-kind real estate development in Shanghai and, in working with Arthur Hills, we are very confident that we will achieve this goal" Mai added.

For Hills and his firm, the Mai family partnership is an exciting foray into a market undergoing a golf course development boom. "We have been very interested in the Chinese market for some time and appreciate the tremendous growth cycle that China is currently experiencing. Our goal was to find the right client and the right project to showcase our strategic golf course design philosophy in China. In working with the Mai family and their commitment to excellence, we have begun to achieve those goals and are thrilled to be involved in this extraordinary project," said Hills.

The firm is in the process of establishing a permanent office in China to service this project and others in the future. Yoder added, "Mr. Mai has provided us with a blank canvas and an unlimited palette to build the best golf course in Shanghai. I have no doubt we will achieve this objective."

Founded in 1967 in Taiwan, the Xin Dong Yang Group is one of the leading Chinese gourmet food companies. Among the company's interests are a chain of 80-plus restaurants in China as well as numerous stores and real estate holdings in China and the U.S.

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest and Associates has designed more than 180 new courses in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and renovated more than 120 courses including renowned clubs like Oakmont, Inverness and Oakland Hills. For more information about the firm, visit www.ArthurHills.com.