China Golf Boom?

John Huggan says "the business of golf that is booming in China rather than the game itself."

But what's really going on behind the Great Wall? Does the much-vaunted golf boom in China really exist? Or is the egalitarian game so beloved of we Scots doomed to be a mere plaything for a rich elite made up mostly of foreign-born temporary residents and tourists?

In the short to mid term at least, it would appear that the depressing answer is the latter. During a two-week, first-time visit to China, this correspondent saw little evidence that the average citizen has any idea that golf even exists, never mind feels any pressing inclination to give the game a try.

Comments

[Matt]

As someone who lives and golfs in China (Beijing), I can say that Huggan is mostly spot on. And sometimes the state of golf here can be a little depressing for someone who grew up in the more egalitarian golfing environment of Australia. But let's be honest -- China, and the Chinese government, have more pressing problems to deal with before they turn their minds to making golf a game of the people