Written by The number of golf courses in China has likely trebled to more than 500 since 2004 as the sport’s popularity has surged, state media said Sunday, despite a ban on new construction to protect farmland. A Xinhua news agency report quoted varying estimates that put the number of courses as high as nearly 600 — with possibly more still uncounted — compared with just 170 in 2004.
Only 10 of them received proper approvals and business licences, after the Ministry of Land and Resources imposed a ban on new golf courses in 2004 to safeguard dwindling farmland and conserve water in the drought-prone country. The report quoted real estate experts saying course developers frequently mask their projects by leaving the word “golf” out of their developments’ names.
Local officials often turn a blind eye to the flouting of the rules, knowing that such projects will raise property prices. Land sales are a key source of government revenue in many areas. Despite its failure so far to produce a top-class golfer, China has seen an explosion in the popularity of amateur golf since its first course was built in 1984.