Ta Shee Golf & Country Club / 大溪高爾夫俱樂部

Yardage

           East Course      Central Course     West Course              Total                     Par

Red      2,892               2,724                   2,576                        5,300 to 5,616       72.00

White   3,453               3,200                   2,956                        6,156 to 6,653        72.00

Blue     3,750               3,400                   3,143                        6,543 to 7,150        72.00

Up until the turn of the century, on any given afternoon at Ta Shi Resort in Taiwan, chances are quite good you’d bump into former Taiwan President, Lee Teng Hui and his small entourage during your round. If you happen to be familiar with other Taiwan celebrities and luminaries, past and present, you might also find some of them hacking their way around the course too. This is because the Ta Shi resort boasts some of the most expensive real estate in Taiwan, and you have to be rich and/or famous to be able to afford to live there. Naturally, that also makes it a magnet for other high-flyers not owning real estate on the resort. But besides the snob and celebrity appeal factors, there are other good reasons why Ta Shee is Taiwan’s premier golf resort, host to a number of international tournaments. The course, which boasts 27 holes, has been superbly designed to appeal to the aesthetic as well as offer some surprising challenges. Moreover, after going through several rough patches in terms of course maintenance (due to the former owners going bankrupt and the course being taken over by creditors), the course has recently been nursed back to health and restored to its former glory. 

As for the lay-out, there are plenty of surprises for the first-time player at Ta Shi. There are several holes that require strategic placing to avoid water hazards. The 386-yard par 4 7th on the East course is one of them. From the men’s (club or white) tee, a 250-yard drive will put you squarely in the drink. However, laying up too short will leave you a little too much water to negotiate comfortably. The lake is a good hundred yards long and the green, a rather small and narrow one at that, is beautifully placed right at the water’s edge. It’s also guarded by bunkers at the back, making the second shot truly challenging, no matter how well your tee shot ends up. The 173-yard par 3 2nd is also a beautiful challenge. With water at the front and on the left and bunkers almost everywhere else, landing (and staying) on the lightning fast surface of the green in one is a great achievement.  

The Center (sic) course’s 396-yard par 4 4th is another hole that requires tactical play. The fairway narrows to just 15 yards wide at 250 yards from the tee. Slice to the right of this target and you’ll find your ball dropping off a sheer cliff to the man-made lake 20 metres below while landing left of the fairway may require doing battle with a tree, not to mention having to negotiate bunkers guarding the green on all sides for your second. 

A round at Ta Shee doesn’t come cheap, but in terms of quality and aesthetic appeal, it one of the best rounds of golf Taiwan has to offer.