Kau Sai Chau Golf Club - East Course
One of the world's best public courses
The East Course at Kau Sai Chau is one of the very few public courses in the world that enjoys ocean views off every hole.
Situated on an island off the popular Hong Kong village hangout of Sai Kung, the course is the most recent addition to the public golf facility of Kau Sai Chau, a facility owned and operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The site for the golf course occupies a very dramatic, steep and rocky site that overlooks and at times juts into the waters of the South China Sea.
The design and construction of this golf course was one of the most technically demanding projects that N&H has been involved with. Key challenges beyond the island location included:
- Construction in rock
- Severe terrain
- Limited water supply
- Severe environmental constraints and condition
- Retention of an existing and operating golf course
The many challenges were addressed and solved as they arose, and sometimes involved some unconventional solutions including a drainage system designed by the consulting engineer’s Ove Arup that prevents water discharge into the ocean and returns all stormwater to irrigation lakes for re-use. Limited water supply was a key problem and solutions to both increase supply included the construction of a desalination plant.
Despite its somewhat severe location, construction of the course involved moving only about 800,000m3 although most of this was rock and had to be moved without damaging retained native areas.
The length of the golf course was limited due to the site constraints and although relatively short by modern standards the course difficulty varies widely depending upon the ocean breezes – and it is often very windy!
Construction Credits:
Shapers - Gary Read, Peter Wardell
Construction Superintendant (N&H) - Mick Carey
Construction Superintendant (Contractor) - Tom Radetic
Main Contractor - China Harbour Engineering & Construction