The area 25km south of Haikou, Hainan’s capital city, was a barren piece of land. Volcanic rocks, spewed from eruptions that happened several centuries ago, were strewn haphazardly all over the entire landscape. It was infertile and only a sparse handful of people lived there. Enter 25 million cubic metres of dirt, over 8000 pieces of construction machinery along with many hours of meticulous labour and in that, lies the birth of Mission Hills Resort Hainan.

Before the construction of this massive 10-course complex, nobody gave the land much of a consideration. When completed, Mission Hills Resort Hainan would rise almost literally from out of nothing, much like the golf boom in China’s smallest province. One could argue that this development coincided with the emergence of China’s upper-middle class, which came about as a result of China’s growing influence in the global economy. Golf is pretty much regarded as an elitist sport in China and successful individuals will certainly want to be associated with it. The announcementof golf as an Olympic event probably fuelled interest in the sport-mad country as well.

If anything, the number of golf courses built over the last 20 years is a clear indication that the game has arrived in Hainan in a big way. In 1992, there was only one – the Hainan Tai Da Golf Club. Fast forward to 2010, you have prestigious establishments like West Coast Golf Club, Meilan Golf Club and Meishi Mayflower Golf Club in Haikou, each with their designer golf courses and grand clubhouses, and that’s not including the handful of top-end resort layouts in Sanya in the south. Including the 10 courses that Mission Hills Hainan will be opening in phases over 2010, Hainan Island will have more than 30 up-and-running courses before the start of next year. Some observers even predict that up to a hundred courses will be built in the near future. There must be something magical about Hainan.

“The weather is simply excellent,” explained Dr. Ken Chu, Vice Chairman, Mission Hills Group, on why he chose to build a resort in Hainan after visiting many locations around the region. “There’s little pollution, it’s usually sunny and the temperature seldom goes below 18 degrees. You can play golf in Hainan the whole year round.”

In addition to the climate, Hainan is generally flat with plenty of fertile land that is ideal for golf courses. With that in mind, one will probably wonder why Mission Hills decided to build a resort on a bed of lava rocks, and a grand 10-course complex at that. Furthermore, massive logistical arrangements had to be made in order to bring soil in, so that the golf courses can be shaped.

“The lava rocks made the land unsuitable for farming. So, there was minimal infringement with local farmers,” he said. This may prove to be a smart business move, considering the landintensive nature of golf developments. With fewer land disputes, building and development work can be expedited. Ken also used the lava rocks as a marketing bullet point.

“As you can see, we have used the lava rocks as decorative building materials for our hotel and clubhouse. We used them to create columns, grind them down to create buggy paths and give them away as gifts for our guests. They are also a key feature of our 10 golf courses. The rock formations make you feel like you are playing on the moon!”

Indeed, the flagship Black Stone Course at Mission Hills Hainan is really quite unique, with the black lava rocks interposing with the existing trees, lakes and wetlands. The course has a “prehistoric” ambience and you half expect a Stegosaurus to appear out of nowhere to feed on the fairways. As Dr Chu mentioned, it is probably as close as it gets to playing on the moon.

In the magnificent Black Stone Course, designers Schmidt-Curley did an excellent job of creating something that is worthy of hosting world-class events. Off the championship tees, the professional or scratch golfer will have to shape their drives onto ideal landing areas that are well guarded by strategically-positioned natural and man-made hazards. Expectedly, the undulated greens are extremely wellprotected with sand bunkers. Rough is inexistent so your misplaced shot will just roll helplessly into trouble.

This course should give players coming for the Mission Hills Star Trophy and Omega Mission Hills World Cup 2011, confirmed events on Mission Hill Hainan’s calendar, plenty to think about. The Mission Hills Star Trophy is a new pro-am event that will have Hugh Grant, Matthew McConaughey and China’s multiple Olympic gold medalwinning gymnast Li Ning in attendance. The events will surely attract plenty of global eyeballs to Hainan, offering yet another chance for the island to market itself.

The massive scale of the Hainan project provides the capacity to create courses of various difficulty and settings. The Stone Ruins Course, Mission Hill Hainan’s second course that is opened, has a rustic ambience with whimsical features.

“The Stone Ruins Course is reminiscent of golf courses 100 years ago,” said Dr Chu. “We kept the landscape as natural as possible and added in some quirky features found on early courses. They include grass mounds shaped like Hershey’s Kisses in the middle of the sand bunker and square-shaped bunkers.”

If the Blackstone Course has a difficulty rating of 10, then the Stone Ruins Course is probably a three. Its wide fairways and significantly lesser amount of hazards make it a perfect course for those looking to play “resort golf ”. Dr Chu promised that the remaining eight courses will each have their distinct characteristic. Other facilities at the golf club include an all-grass driving range, a short game practice area, a clubhouse cafe and pro-shops with a comprehensive range of equipment.

The resort’s accommodations, like the golf courses, are first class. The rooms range from the 50 sq m Deluxe Room to the 350 sq m Presidential Suite Duplex. Luxurious fittings and bronze accents create an classy feel. F&B options are aplenty, with a range of genres to suit the international palate. Judging from the ongoing construction work, more features will be added to Mission Hills Hainan in time to come.

“After we have launched all 10 courses, we have plans for a mega spa, hot springs and village town centres. Ultimately, we are creating a self-sufficient resort. From a community perspective, we are also looking into developing junior golf in China. There will be much more to come from Mission Hills.” concluded Dr Chu.

As an organisation, the ambition of Mission Hills matches the Chinese government’s plans for Hainan Island to a tee. Being a Special Economic Zone, the island presents a favourable climate for foreign and mainland investors. The authorities put in businessfriendly taxation policies, easy accessibility to land rentals and Visa exemptions for many nationalities. In January 2010, plans were officially announced to turn Hainan into a top international tourism destination by 2020. With that, you can expect grand resorts with the standards of Mission Hills Hainan to be developed all over the island. Case in point: the US$408 million seven-star Haikou Millennium Hotel has been planned and it is due to be completed in 2015. Its gaming industry will also be opened, giving casinos in Singapore and Macau a run for their money.

Developments on Hainan may have affected the lives of the natives. However, the government’s aggressive economic policies will probably elevate the island from its agricultural backwaters. Specific to golf, the potential is really huge - if a mere 5% of the Chinese population plays golf, Hainan will have a potential market of 65,000,000. Aside from that, visitors from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore will also be flying in. In any case, evident from the launch of mega projects like Mission Hills Hainan, the prognosis for the golf industry in Hainan is looking very positive.