Kunming · Northern hills · Robert Trent Jones Jr.
昆明阳光高尔夫球会
A pine-lined mountain course where a relatively open front nine gives way to bold elevation changes, ravine carries and one extraordinary double-green hole.
Local insight from Colin, a Yunnan-based golfer who has played this course. About the guide.
The course
Kunming Sunshine Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-72 course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. on the forested slopes north of the city, close to the Kunming–Qujing Expressway. The routing follows natural ridges and valleys, retaining pine woods, limestone outcrops and pockets of water as part of the challenge rather than treating them merely as scenery.
The front nine is relatively gentle, though the lake-side seventh and a succession of carefully positioned bunkers demand accuracy. The back nine is different: stronger elevation changes, narrow wooded corridors, ravines and awkward green sites make shot placement increasingly important. The most distinctive run is holes 14, 15 and 16, collectively nicknamed Sunshine’s “three heavy blows” in Chinese golf reporting.
From the back markers Sunshine measures 7,217 yards, while the blue markers total 6,372. Changing tees does more than shorten holes: the angle and apparent width of the fairway can change considerably, particularly at the second.
Mountain golf · Kunming
Few Kunming layouts change character as markedly between their front and back nines.
Origins and tournament heritage
Sunshine began trial operations in August 2003 and appears with a 2004 opening date in RTJ II’s official portfolio. It was already an established venue for national amateur golf by the mid-2000s, hosting stages of the CITIC Bank China Amateur Golf Tour in 2004, 2005, 2006 and again in 2010.
The 2010 interview with deputy general manager Zheng Min describes the construction around preserved karst rocks and vegetation, while the 2016 course review gives a detailed account of Sunshine’s celebrated 14th–16th-hole sequence. These records help document a course whose architectural character extends well beyond its scorecard length.
| Year | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Trial operations begin on 28 August. | 2004 report ↗ |
| 2004 | RTJ II portfolio records the course; Sunshine hosts a national amateur tour stop. | Architect ↗ |
| 2005–06 | Further CITIC Bank China Amateur Golf Tour events. | 2010 interview ↗ |
| 2010 | The national amateur series returns; club management identifies holes 14–16 as signature tests. | Archive ↗ |
| 2016 | An illustrated retrospective documents the course’s strategic diversity and local competitive heritage. | Feature ↗ |
Choose your tees
Five sets of tees are listed in secondary course records. Hole-by-hole figures could be cross-checked for Black and Blue, shown in the full table. Distances are in yards.
| Hole | Par | S.I. | Black | Blue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 18 | 375 | 319 |
| 2 | 4 | 10 | 423 | 360 |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 463 | 386 |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 599 | 581 |
| 5 | 3 | 6 | 236 | 198 |
| 6 | 4 | 8 | 404 | 366 |
| 7 | 3 | 16 | 159 | 128 |
| 8 | 4 | 12 | 410 | 367 |
| 9 | 5 | 14 | 580 | 489 |
| OUT | 36 | — | 3,649 | 3,194 |
| 10 | 4 | 17 | 402 | 360 |
| 11 | 3 | 15 | 210 | 175 |
| 12 | 4 | 7 | 430 | 354 |
| 13 | 5 | 9 | 556 | 499 |
| 14 | 4 | 1 | 398 | 377 |
| 15 | 4 | 5 | 443 | 376 |
| 16 | 4 | 3 | 369 | 336 |
| 17 | 3 | 11 | 192 | 183 |
| 18 | 5 | 13 | 568 | 518 |
| IN | 36 | — | 3,568 | 3,178 |
| TOTAL | 72 | — | 7,217 | 6,372 |
Black and Blue hole distances reproduce the 18-hole figures in GolfTraxx and Golf007 historical scorecard records. Gold, White and Red totals come from a separate course database; individual yardages for those tees are not yet independently verified. Use the current club scorecard for play. View the source scorecard ↗
Inside the round
From the water-framed seventh to the tight 14–16 sequence, a ravine carry at 17 and a lakeside par-5 finale.
The seventh drops from an elevated tee to a green framed by lake water. A bunker on the left completes the defence of this spectacular one-shot hole. At 159 yards from the black markers, distance control matters more than power: the water shapes almost every sensible target line.
Sunshine’s number-one stroke-index hole climbs sharply from tee to green. The winding, narrow fairway leaves a demanding uphill approach to a raised putting surface, with a deep bunker left and thick rough on the right. Even from the shorter blue tees, a well-earned four feels like a victory.
From an elevated tee, the fifteenth falls into a fairway that can look scarcely wider than a road. Mature trees, rough, exposed rock and bunkers squeeze the landing area; the approach is not straightforward either, with sand waiting behind the green. Keeping the drive under control takes priority over maximum distance.
The sixteenth is Sunshine’s defining architectural puzzle: a par 4 with two alternative fairways and two distinct greens, divided by a deep ravine. The shorter left route offers a bold line through woodland and broken ground; the right is more conventional but heavily bunkered. The approach must also account for two pines and the different contours of the front and back greens.
The seventeenth is a par 3 fired across a wooded ravine. The green appears between the trees, but the wind can pull the ball left toward a bunker. From 192 yards on the black tees, selecting enough club to clear the gap without charging long makes this a genuine late-round test.
The round closes with a long par 5 running beside the lake on the left, finishing back toward Sunshine’s clubhouse. At 568 yards from the back markers, it invites the bigger hitter to consider a two-shot attack, but the water and contours demand a clear plan. It is an appropriately theatrical return to the clubhouse.
Robert Trent Jones II · 2010 club-management interview · 2016 Sohu course review · Hole-by-hole scorecard · Golf007 firsthand review.
Plan the journey
Sunshine sits in the northern hills of Kunming, off the Kunming–Qujing Expressway around kilometre six, near the Kunming Wild Animal Park and Golden Temple area. Arrange return transport around the tee time; journey time depends on your starting point and local traffic.
Included with your round: access to the clubhouse showers, hot pool, sauna and steam room, plus free use of the short-game practice area and a separate practice putting green at the clubhouse. The clubhouse also serves meals.
Available at extra cost: the driving range for warming up before your round. Meal charges and any other optional services should be confirmed separately.
Kunming’s highland climate is generally comfortable for golf, but altitude increases sun exposure and mountain afternoons can be changeable. In the wetter May–October season, carry a waterproof layer. Check tee selection and discuss ravine carries with your caddie.
Visitors can enquire about single rounds, private transfers and club hire. Ask for an itemised quote covering green fee, shared cart, caddie service, water and any additional cart charges. Tips are paid separately.
云南省昆明市北部昆曲高速公路6公里处
Telephone listed in public club directories: +86 871 6828 8999.
Map links search by club name, not an unverified coordinate. Confirm the exact clubhouse entrance with your driver or booking contact.
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