Game on

The historic Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling is a local and global jewel on the sporting map. It's also, contrary to popular belief, the city's most publicly used golf course. China Daily Lifestyle Premium tees up with club vice-captain William Doo Jr

"We need facilities for local development that perpetuate the international image of the city. We are the only club that could host the Hong Kong Open. Where else can you hold 50,000 spectators?"

—William Doo Jr

Last November, British golfer Aaron Rai won his first European Tour title at the 60th Hong Kong Open, held at Fanling's Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC). With his win, the 23-year-old Rai may well have set off something of a global evolution – he is of Indian descent and, along with a group of newly emerging Indian players that includes Rookie of the Year Shubhankar Sharma, may be a catalyst for greater golf awareness and accessibility on the Indian subcontinent.

At a time when increasing participation in the sport is the primary concern of all bodies running the game, the HKGC's contribution is hugely significant. While raising awareness is not a term that sits symbiotically with a game many associate with elitism, expense and male domination, the HKGC has taken huge steps in encouraging more Hong Kong citizens of all ages to discover the pulling power of golf.

The HKGC has much to boast about. There's the heritage of the club, which celebrates its 130th anniversary this year; its European Tour rank points-winning Opens for men (who have included Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose) and, since 2015, women; and an ecosystem whose flora and fauna through conservation efforts comprise rare species and historic trees that naturalist David Attenborough could spend an entire BBC series documenting. And then there's the club's community outreach efforts and charitable work – it holds more than 200 events per year on behalf of the Community Chest and related concerns.