Shanghai Links Golf Club

Shanghai Links Golf Club occupies a distinctive site in Pudong, the modern financial and development district east of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in the mid-1990s during China's golf expansion, the course was built on reclaimed land and marshland typical of the Yangtze River Delta region. The flat, low-lying terrain presented design challenges common to coastal Chinese developments, and Nicklaus responded with substantial earthmoving to create elevation change, strategic mounding, and definition across the property. The routing incorporates water features throughout, with lakes and wetland areas coming into play on multiple holes. Bunkers are positioned to frame landing areas and guard greens in the target-golf style characteristic of Nicklaus designs from this era. The layout emphasizes shot values and course management rather than relying on natural landforms, and the open, manufactured character reflects both the site constraints and the design conventions of international golf development in China during the 1990s. Shanghai Links served as an early championship venue in China's developing tournament calendar and helped establish Pudong as a destination for golf within the Shanghai metropolitan area. The club operates as a private facility and has been part of the city's golf infrastructure as the sport grew in popularity among business and expatriate communities. The course remains one of the more established layouts in a region where golf development has been subject to regulatory changes and evolving government policy toward the sport.