Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design has announced two new projects in China, both of which are scheduled to open 1 May.

Dana Fry, Fry/Straka principal, oversaw the two projects, respectively at courses in Shanghai and Anji.

“This is an exciting time for the growth of golf in China, representative of the opportunity for more people around the globe to experience and enjoy the game,” said Fry. “We are pleased to be a part of golf’s worldwide expansion.”

Originally co-designed between Fry/Straka and Jun Lu, a Beijing-based course architect, Qizhong Garden Golf Club is the home of a private 18-hole course in Shanghai. The course lies on naturally flat land, but the new project was to develop a ‘Calusa Pines-style’ course. Over one million cubic metres of earth has been moved, and 6,000 trees were planted. The course, which covers 7,100 and is par-72, now features grade changes of over 40 feet.

“I am confident Qizhong Garden Golf Club is likely to take its place as the best course in the Shanghai area,” said Fry.

Phoenix Hill Golf Club in Anji will open to the public on 1 May, with the first 18 holes of the eventual 27-hole complex now complete. The course is set in impressive surroundings, with vast valleys and high ridges surrounding the 7,200 yard, par-72 course. It is hoped that the attached JW Marriott hotel will open later this year.

“This site, with all the naturally valleys, man-made streams, waterfalls, stone bridges and rock work throughout, as well as the spectacular mountain vistas in all directions, is one of the most dramatic I have ever seen,” said Fry. “This golf course, in my opinion, will be one of China’s top-rated courses.”