Golf Inc. Heralds Role as Catalyst of China’s Golf Boom
(SHENZHEN, China) – Mission Hills Golf Club – the world’s largest collection of premier golf courses with 12 layouts designed by many of the greatest golfers and golf course architects from five continents – announces Dr. David Chu, Chairman, Mission Hills Group, has been ranked # 9 on Golf Inc.’s list of the “Most Powerful People in Golf” in its October 2008 issue.
Chu, founder of Mission Hills and instrumental consultant for Beijing’s successful bid to host the 2008 Summer Games, moved up seven spots from his 2007 debut at # 16 and is the highest-ranked non-American. This is the largest one-year jump since Golf Inc. began the rankings and comes in only the second year leadership positions outside the United States have been included. About Chu’s influence on the game, worldwide, Golf Inc. editors state:
“It is probably no exaggeration to say that Chu, head of the world’s largest golf facility at Mission Hills in Shenzhen, China, is the man most responsible for China’s golf boom. In addition to the 12 courses, residential and resort amenities at Mission Hills, Chu spearheaded the agreement to hold the Omega Mission Hills World Cup tournament at the facility for the next 12 years.”
Dr. Chu joins fellow golf luminaries such as Jack Nicklaus (# 1), Tiger Woods (# 4) and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (# 6) in the Top 10.
“This award is strong evidence our efforts to grow golf in China are on the right track,” says Chu. “We’re spreading the game through a multi-faceted approach. This includes bringing professional tournaments to Mission Hills, supporting a host of junior golf initiatives, inviting golf greats for clinics, and employing the most respected swing instructors. It’s all part of a broader long-range plan to make golf the premier sport not only in China, but throughout the world.”
A Hong Kong native, Chu was one of the first entrepreneurs to invest in mainland China in the late 1970s. After building a corrugated paper conglomerate, he founded Mission Hills in 1992 as a place where the nascent Chinese golf movement could gain a foothold. A scant 16 years later, Mission Hills’ 12 courses make it the world’s largest golf club and a powerful player on the global golf scene.
Chu has an honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Toronto and serves as the Vice-Chairman of the China Football Association, China Tennis Association and China Volleyball Association. A firm believer in cross-cultural education programs for academic advancement, he has generously supported many institutions of higher learning in mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas. Chu is an Advisory Committee Member of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a Board Member of Upper Canada College in Canada and an Honorary Advisor for the Asia Region of the University of Toronto. To make up for the absence of physical science education and music development in mainland China, Chu provides funding to support physical science faculty and international musical tour exchanges.
Earlier this year, Chu established “Dr. David Chu’s Care Fund for Orphans” in response to the Sichuan earthquake. Chu and Mission Hills raised more than $3 million for victims of the tragedy. Over the last decade, Mission Hills has contributed to those in need following the February 2008 blizzards in southern China, the 2006 and 2005 floods in southern China, the 2003 SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, and more.
About Mission Hills Golf Club
Stretching across the lush, rolling hills of Shenzhen and Dongguan in southern China, Mission Hills is China’s highest rated golf club, and the largest golf club in the world according to the Guinness World RecordsTM. The property is home to 12 resort and championship courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh, David Leadbetter, David Duval, Jumbo Ozaki and Zhang Lian Wei.
Mission Hills is a full-service, luxury resort, featuring four clubhouses, four spas, two five-star hotels, three golf academies (including schools from world renowned instructors David Leadbetter and Cindy Reid), 51 tennis courts and numerous fine dining establishments serving cuisine from around the world. It has hosted more than 50 international tournaments, including the 1995 World Cup of Golf and the Tiger Woods China Challenge in 2001. The Olazabal Course will host the Omega Mission Hills World Cup through 2018.
Mission Hills’ recent awards and accolades include:
* IAGTO Golf Resort of the Year (Rest of World category)
* Best Golf Resort in Asia – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Pete Dye Course named the “Best New Course in Asia” – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Olazabal Course ranked the number two course in China – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Dr. David Chu, Chairman of Mission Hills Group, named one of the “Most Powerful People in Golf” – Golf Inc. (2007)
* Dr. Kenneth Chu, Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Group, named one of golf’s “Most Admired Operators” – Golf Inc. (2008)
* World Cup Course named one of the 10 “most significant and influential courses” of last 20 years – LINKS Magazine (2008)
* Olazabal Course ranked the number one resort course in Asia – Golfing Magazine (2008)
Getting There: Mission Hills Golf Club is a short drive north of Hong Kong International Airport, www.hongkongairport.com. Flights on most major airlines from most major cities are available into Hong Kong. From the airport, Mission Hills transports golfers in luxury shuttles across the border to the resort hotel.
For more information about Mission Hills Golf Club, visit www.missionhillsgroup.com, email info@missionhillsgroup.com, or call (852) 2122 1616 (Hong Kong) — (86 755) 2802 0888 (Shenzhen) — (86 769) 8728 8888 (Dongguan).
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
