From Screens to Greens

When people think of great cities in China, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are not usually at the top of the list. These southern-China megacities are hot, crowded, and lack the cultural weight of places like Shanghai and Beijing. But these cities and the surrounding area offer a combination that few other places can match: dozens of world-class golf courses, warm weather year-round, and a big group of expats looking to try them all and have a great time doing it.

It all started back in 2020, deep in the dark heart of the COVID era, with a small group of expats in Shenzhen who tried virtual screen golf out of sheer boredom. Even though they’d never played before, they were instantly hooked. After a few rounds, they started wondering—can we actually play real golf here? And so they set out to make it happen, taking friends, friends of friends, coworkers, and random stragglers along for the ride. The name? The Chubbs Peterson Invitational, in honor of the Happy Gilmore character played by Carl Weathers (RIP). The mission? Bring together a group of people each month to laugh, compete, and maybe even hit a good golf shot or two.