Chu family still devoted to spreading golf

Ken Chu has a tough act to follow after taking over the Mission Hills empire from his late father, David Chu Shu-ho. One of the most powerful men in the game at the time of his death in August last year, Chu senior became known as "the father of Chinese golf" after turning a patch of wasteland in rural Shenzhen into the world's biggest golf complex.

That vision was seen as madness, not least by his sons. But 20 years later, the Mission Hills resort encompasses 12 golf courses, 50 tennis courses, apartments and villas, a five-star hotel and convention centre, all sprawling across 40 square kilometres in Shenzhen and Dongguan.

The brand has expanded into Hainan with a similarly huge development, while the courses host major events such as the Omega Mission Hills World Cup and the WGC-HSBC Champions, which finishes today.

Ken Chu and his brother, Tenniel, are now charged with looking after the brand but the sporting and leisure landscape on the mainland has changed as drastically as Hainan's when 11 million cubic metres of volcanic rock and dirt were moved to create Mission Hills Haikou.

Ken Chu, the chairman and CEO, insists he will continue his father's commitment to developing golf, but admitted diversification was necessary. "We will continue to host many international tournaments," says Chu.

"One thing my father has done is grass-roots training for junior golfers and I will continue to work with all the junior series we conduct on a monthly basis.