Sanya City, Hainan Island, China: Yalong Bay Golf Club, one of China’s best-known and most prolific tournament venues, has joined the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF).

Into its third decade, the Robert Trent Jones Jnr-designed course has gained extensive international exposure as host to events on the European Tour, Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour.

Located on the sun-kissed southern Chinese island of Hainan, the par-72 course is shaped like a dragon’s claw and offers a variety of uplifting environments.

“The course is hemmed in by adjacent green hills and beautiful Yalong Bay, all combining to form a stunning landscape. Dotted with almost 100 bunkers and streaked with a winding river, it’s a memorable golfing getaway,” said Deborah Jiang, the club’s General Manager.

Further underlining Yalong Bay’s appeal as one of the region’s foremost destinations is the fact that Ritz-Carlton, St Regis, Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton and MGM are among the international hotel brands with properties in close proximity.

As well as having won a host of awards since its inauguration in 2000, Yalong Bay has earned a reputation for its sustainability efforts, highlighted by the club’s operations and management services achieving the ISO9001 Quality Management System Certificate.

Shane Templeton, Senior Club Consultant at Yalong Bay, said: “We look forward to being part of the Asian Golf Industry Federation’s network and to participating in forthcoming turfgrass and club management events.”

In addition to the golf course, the China Everbright Group-owned Yalong Bay experience for guests includes a state-of-the-art driving range and indoor golf simulator along with a fitness centre and swimming pool, which was the location for the swimsuit competition in the Miss World pageant in 2007.

Yalong Bay is also the first club in the Asian region to host an Australian PGA Academy.

Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Yalong Bay Golf Club is established as one of China’s premier golfing venues. We’re pleased to welcome the club to the Federation as a Facility Member.”