China loves golf
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by Dana Nichols in Around the world, Courses, Rumors and Myths, Vacation
It seems a little out of the ordinary that golf is expanding in a country where literally 0% of the population plays, China. And up until the mid-1980s golf was banned by the Chinese communists for being “too bourgeois.”
To this day the construction of new courses is still technically illegal there is a local saying that everything is possible.
Even though China’s moratorium on golf course construction some expect hundreds to thousands of courses are expected to open over the next several years.
The heart of China’s golf boom is the tropical island province of Hainan where not long ago was a lawless place with an economy built largely on smuggling, prostitution, and unchecked property speculation.
Now the giant city of Beijing is determined to transform Hainan into a tourist paradise, with golf expected to play a very important role. Some people are even joking that Hainan is now a “special golf development zone” where mainland restrictions don’t apply.
Somewhere between 100 and 300 courses are expected to be built but the most secret and mysterious project from Hong Kong’s Mission Hills Group will be the world’s largest golf resort with 22 courses covering an area nearly 1.5 times the size of Manhattan.
The Mission Hills development is in fact so secretive it had to be given a code name and is known as Project 791.
The Chinese central government says by 2020 Hainan will be a “top international tourism destination” but the prospect of another decade of furious growth has some islanders concerned for its already fragile ecology and centuries-old ways of rural life.
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You are right to highlight the development of golf in China, although the number of golfers playing there may surprise you. I have travelled extensively in China and I know that there are over 1 million Chinese golfers – and the number is rising rapidly. Given their enormous population, the actual % of Chinese playing golf is very small but the number of members of Golf Clubs is many times more than this figure, as membership of a Golf Club in China is deemed to elevate their status in business circles – much more so than in the West. I think the Mission Hills expansion is just the tip of the iceberg. I have played in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing and the standard of course is very high, as is their customer service level. Look forward to hearing of more news about China when you have any! Alasdair Busby, St Andrews, Scotland