Golf was once regarded as a bourgeois pastime and it was banned for many years in China. But in recent years the game has seen a soar in popularity, as China’s new elite are gradually taking up the game in record numbers.

Statistics indicate that China’s golf lovers have reached over one million.

While behind the superficial prosperity, top golf clubs have to face the predicaments of high-pressure policies, including high tax and high water costs.

Among the over 500 golf courses in China, half are running in the red.

A high cost, including money for lawn maintenance, water and electricity charges and staff’s pay, is a major cause of the losses.

In addition, the main consuming subject of golf has extended from the “new rich” after the reform and opening up to government officials and top executives at the state-owned enterprises in recent years.

The central government has imposed over 10 bans to curb these officials spent public funds at such expensive games, which also cause a downturn of the golf market in China.

via The Boom and Bust of Golf in China.