News

Why golf course membership is now banned in China

Published

11 years ago

Oct 23, 2015

Just in time for the PGA Tour’s annual trip to China for the WGC-HSBC Champions in November, the country’s ruling Communist party officially banned all 88 million of its members from “obtaining, holding or using membership cards for gyms, clubs, golf clubs, or various other types of consumer cards, or entering private clubs,” per a BBC report.

What’s going on here?

Well, to start, China’s relationship with the ball-and-club game is famously complicated. The People’s Republic, where construction of new golf courses has been outlawed since 2004, has seen more courses built since 2004 of than any other country.

And it seems while some hold a less-than-favorable opinion of the game in Western countries, the stance is even more extreme among some in China, most notably those in President Jinping’s government.

From a Reuters report:

“The new rules are a blow to China’s nascent market for golf, which is often seen as providing an opportunity for officials to make shady deals and an extravagance for government employees who should be serving the people.

“In other countries golf is more about the sport, here it’s about the social interaction. If a company boss can’t play with a government official, there’s little point in him spending his money,” said the owner of a golf equipment store in Shanghai.”

Dan Washburn, Chief Content Officer at the Asia Society and author of The Forbidden Game: Golf and the Chinese Dream, writing for CNN Money in April after the closure of 66 “illegal” golf courses (10 percent of the tracks in the country) suggested the ruling party is serious about enforcing the “long-ignored” ban on golf construction.

Following the closures, a party official found himself under investigation for participating in a company golf event.

As Washburn wrote in April:

“China has long had a complicated relationship with golf. Mao Zedong banned it, denouncing golf as the “sport for millionaires.” Even after China opened up and golf re-emerged in the mid-1980s, largely as a way to attract foreign investment, the sport was saddled with serious image problems. It’s not hard to see why.

“Beijing would say new construction is banned, while at the same time local governments would line their pockets with the proceeds from the boom. There didn’t seem to be too many rules in all of this, but one was especially important: When building a golf course in China, don’t call it a golf course.”

And while crackdowns, of some variety, seem to be routine in the country, the scale and publicity of this effort are hard to ignore.

According to Washburn, “There were crackdowns. But most were regional and temporary. And at the end of the year, you could always count on two things: a dramatic increase in the number of golf courses in China, and rumors that the Chinese government was about to legitimize and regulate the industry.”

Whether this recent decision marks a sea change or is mere posturing remains to be seen, but it’s certain the global golf market—from the fledgling PGA Tour China, to equipment companies, to architects design firms—will be watching closely.

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Ben Alberstadt

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

9 Comments

glassjaw

Oct 27, 2015 at 8:09 pm

The title of this article is very misleading. You say “Why golf course membership is now banned in China”. This sentence is false and is misleading as most of your readers will not catch the truth in the article about who is banned from membership. Golf membership is not banned in China. It is banned for employees of the Chinese Government or “officers” as Chinese call them. I understand that China has 88 million officers but that is still only a fraction of the population.

Also, as many of your readers know corruption is a way of life in China. Especially for Government workers. Often times it isn’t outright immoral, it has been built into the system. Many of their salaries are incredibly low since getting money from other sources is just part of the game. They are working to change the corruption and one of the ways is by banning travel to Macao and confiscating their Passports so they can’t take their money outside of the country. However this really doesn’t effect most of population, for most of the population golf membership is in fact, not banned.

Reply Report comment
Ronald Montesano

Oct 25, 2015 at 12:21 am

http://www.golfwrx.com/292033/book-review-the-forbidden-game-golf-and-the-chinese-dream/

RM

Reply Report comment
E.Kirk

Oct 23, 2015 at 4:22 pm

Hey, don’t equate communism with corruption, though it is true corruption exist in the goverment.

One would put forth that lobbying is corruption too.

Reply Report comment
Nolanski

Oct 23, 2015 at 3:58 pm

I know we Americans have our issues but man I’m glad I was born in the United State of America.

Reply Report comment
Cheapy

Oct 23, 2015 at 1:51 pm

Lets not forget, it’s a COMMUNIST country, after all, and as long as the officials can turn their eyes away with pay offs, that’s just how it is. Lets just admit to corruption at the highest level; how do you think we get to have them make everything for us so cheaply?

Reply Report comment
- Rich
  
  Oct 23, 2015 at 5:45 pm
  
  Communism is not exclusive to corruption and just because it’s a communist country doesn’t mean it’s corrupt. I live in Australia and corruption is everywhere at every level of government and this is a bloody awesome place to live. Corruption comes with power and/or power comes from corruption. Political persuasion has no influence. It happens everywhere.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Rwj
  
  Oct 23, 2015 at 9:07 pm
  
  Corruption thrives in the U.S. Saying communism is 100% bad is like saying Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. Most Americans believe the things they see on TV or hear in middle school, very little actual evidence to educate themselves. Communism’s downfall is the same as “democracy,” the people claiming to be professionals at it
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Tom
    
    Oct 24, 2015 at 11:19 am
    
    Or read on the internet…because if it’s on the internet it’s gotta be true…lol (this coming from an American, non the less)
    
    Reply Report comment
- Andy
  
  Oct 23, 2015 at 11:14 pm
  
  Rich and Rwj
  
  Both stellar points. Great to read. Measured.
  
  Andy, Melb AUS
  
  Reply Report comment

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Published

2 days ago

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