If you’ve chased the perfect round, you’ve imagined a land where volcanic drama meets beachside calm, where fairways wind through ancient lava flows, and where every hole seems to tell a story. Hainan Island—often hailed as the “Hawaii of China”—delivers that story in bold, unforgettable chapters. This is a place where championship pedigree meets tropical escape, where world-class courses across the island tempt you to play and chase your personal best. Here’s your bucket-list guide to five standout layouts that define Hainan—and five signature holes that will stay with you long after you’ve left the island.

1. Sandbelt Trails (Mission Hills Haikou) (inspiration: Melbourne’s Sandbelt) — No. 1 on the list, a course that feels like a bold invitation to creativity.

Why it belongs here: Sandbelt Trails captures the essence of traditional, strategy-first golf with generous fairways and boldly sculpted bunkers that demand smart thinking. It’s the kind of course that rewards your plan as much as your swing, where subtle slopes and edge-of-the-green awareness matter just as much as power.

Signature hole: The par-4 7th. A wide approach opens with a forgiving tee shot, but the run-up to the green is a chessboard of risk-reward features: a perched, front-left bunker guarding a shallow plan, heavy mounding on the right, and a green that tilts away. You’ll feel the game slow down as you choose your line, then let your short game decide your score.

What to love: The feeling of a climate-tested classic, with wide, confident fairways, strategic bunkers, and a rhythm that invites creative shot-making. It’s a course that makes you think—and that’s a big part of the mission.

2. Lava Fields (Mission Hills Haikou) — A visually dramatic masterpiece where black rock meets emerald fairways.

Why it belongs here: If you’re chasing dramatic scenery that becomes part of the challenge, Lava Fields is your stage. The course winds through lava-carved ridges, black volcanic rock popping against lush greens, and greenside textures that test your touch. It’s a course that looks like a painting and plays like a course designer’s bold statement.

Signature hole: The par-3 3rd, perched above a ribbon of lava rock with a green tucked into a natural bowl. The wind off the coast changes everything, making club choice feel like a negotiation with the environment. One bold tee shot, one precise iron, and a moment to absorb the surreal backdrop.

What to love: The contrast—black rock against green, natural barriers that are also artistic features, and a sense that every hole is a new, epic photo moment. It’s golf at its spectacular best.

3. The Vintage (Mission Hills Haikou) — A stroll back to golf’s classic era with natural contours and traditional bunkering.

Why it belongs here: The Vintage is a charming homage to golf’s early architecture, where patience, course management, and a gentle, classic swing produce the best rounds. The fairways curl around mature lines, and the greens are generous in shape but cunning in speed.

Signature hole: The par-4 9th. A sunlit, receptive fairway leads to a green framed by old-world contouring. The subtle slope from back to front and a handful of intelligently placed bunkers create a test of nerve and a chance to reflect on the course’s timeless design.

What to love: The nostalgia factor, the feel of a “golf as it used to be” experience, and the way the course rewards thoughtful, repeatable shots over brute force.

4. Dunes East Course (Shenzhou Peninsula) — A coastal gem with rolling dunes, ocean breezes, and a natural rhythm.

Why it belongs here: The East Course offers one of the finest seaside golfing experiences on Hainan. The dunes shape every hole, the sea breeze adds a variable you can chase or respect, and the layout invites long, confident drives and precise approaches.

Signature hole: The par-5 5th. A sweeping dune-lined fairway demands a fearless tee shot, followed by a long, strategic approach to a green that sits near the shoreline. Wind direction shifts the balance of risk and reward, making this a standout moment where the course’s personality shines.

5. The Dunes West Course (Shenzhou Peninsula): The Finale with a Coastline Curtain Call

As the grand finale of your Hainan voyage, Dunes West invites you to close the trip with a crescendo of greenside drama, lake sparkle, and wind-kissed thrills. This course threads its way along the island’s coast, where sapphire water flirts with salt-scented air and each tee shot carries a whisper of the waves. Lakes glisten like liquid mirrors, fairways bend and breathe with the rhythm of the dune ridges, and, most importantly, every hole wears its own personality—a perfect mic drop to a week of unforgettable golf.

Signature hole: The 18th, “Coastline’s Embrace” Par 4. This is the hole you’ll tell stories about long after you’ve left Hainan. A bold drive over a shallow dune sea sets the stage, with fairway bunkers threading a measured path toward a two-tier green that sits at the edge of the coastline. The left side of the green runs toward a small inlet, while the right slopes away toward a pair of natural lava ridges that guard the outer perimeter.

What to love:  Lakes glisten like liquid mirrors, fairways bend and breathe with the rhythm of the dune ridges, and, most importantly, every hole wears its own personality—a perfect mic drop to a week of unforgettable golf.

The question remains, which one will be your favourite? There’s only one way to settle it—tee it up at Mission Hills and play them for yourself. >>Book our China tour this October and find out<<. Limited spots available.

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