Chinese mega-resort Mission Hills has opened the world’s largest putting course.

Designed by architects Schmidt-Curley, who have been responsible for most of the resort’s golf facilities, the putting course takes up more than 17 acres and is punctuated by rugged bunkering, humps and hollows.

Unlike most putting courses that are effectively oversized putting greens or bear a close resemblance to miniature golf, the Mission Hills course traverses the rolling countryside, snaking around bunkers, mounds and landscaping. The putting surface is a six-acre ribbon of platinum paspalum turf. The course does not have a prescribed routing, so players are free to jump on and off, as with a standard practice green.

“There is nothing on the planet that comes close to the course's size, appearance or playing alternatives,” said Brian Curley. “The possibilities are limitless. It can play as a putting course requiring negotiation of hazards and putts of 100 feet or more. Or, players can sharpen their chipping and pitching, incorporating lofted ball flights over the myriad bunkers and swales turning the facility into more of a short-game course. Regular use of the course will cultivate shot-making creativity that's sure to shave off handicap strokes.”