by Gordon Dalgleish on January 15, 2010
Ancient Town Golf Club, Lijang
The utterly amazing transformation of this remarkable country includes the introduction of equally remarkable golf. More than 250 courses have opened in the past twenty years, two-thirds of them in the last ten, many created by the game’s leading architects and players who have been given astounding resources to make a statement. Golf is a symbol here – to the upper class individuals who play and to the nation as a whole – that they have arrived. The Chinese remain fiercely connected to their culture but they are determined to join the 21st century club and you are more than welcome to be their guest.
by Gordon Dalgleish on January 6, 2010
I first travelled to China in 1995 and played golf just north of Hong Kong. At that time I believe there were 8 – 10 courses in the country. The following article is quite remarkable. I witnessed 5 courses (90 holes) under construction at Mission Hills at the same time 7 years ago…a sight you will rarely see anywhere in the world….except China. The Chinese are attracted by scale and size, and golf complexes are no different. Mission Hills is a sight to see…and this new development in Hainan apparently will top that!
by Gordon Dalgleish on November 9, 2009
The recent announcement of golf returning to the Olympics in 2016 has let to my speculation regarding the significance of this decision to the golf industry. The following article is interesting in this regard. Personally I think it will have the greatest impact in the like of China where government sanctioned (Olympic) sport is managed at a completely different level than non-Olympic activity. Quite simply the Olympics legitimizes the sport in their eyes.
