Shanghai: Silport has been honored as one of three mainland China golf clubs profiled in the new hardback book “The Finest Golf Courses of Asia & Australiasia.”

Written by Hong Kong-based author James Spence, Silport is one of 68 courses profiled in the glossy 296-page coffee table book. The club is in good company as the Greg Norman Course at the famed Mission Hills club in Guangdong Province and the Robert Trent Jones II-designed Lake Course at Spring City Golf & Lake Resort in Yunnan Province are the only other mainland clubs profiled in a tome that is heavy on clubs in Australia and Japan.

In his review of Silport, Spence, author of the “Asia Top 50 Golf Clubs” report, writes that designer Bob J. Martin has “made full use of the abundant waterworks already in existence in this semi-rural area.”

“Water circulates around almost every fairway even if it is not always brought into play. The trees that line the fairways have some growing to do before they attain maturity, but you already begin to sense how the course’s surrounds will appear in 10 to 20 years.

“The green fairways, stone sculptures, weeping willows and long lakes bring forth a classical Chinese aesthetic.”

Spence calls the five consecutive par fours on the West nine the “best run of holes” on the course. “The sequence of fours begins at the testing 468-yard third, and although the holes that follow are not quite as long, your score relative to par on this stretch is likely to be a microcosm of the whole round.”

The author has particularly high praise for the West Course, calling it the most picturesque of Silport’s three layouts. He writes that the club was far enough away from the city itself “to be an area of competitive repose.”

“Beyond the course lies some older housing, some fish ponds, the remnants of old kilns, and plenty of water. Most of its utility is in providing a natural demarcation between the holes – it’s a very wild shot that gets wet on this course.”

For a full transcription of Silport’s review in “The Finest Golf Courses of Asia & Australasia,” visit the website www.thefirstshotpress.com.