 The sublime setting of the Beijing International Golf Club attracts many international visitors each year. (Right) The Beijing Golf Club celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007. (Far Right) There's never a shortage of caddies in China! |
  A dozen or so years ago there was no problem remembering the number and location of the few golf courses in the People’s Republic of China.The yin of the two in the extreme south of the country - built to predominantly cater for golfers day tripping over from neighbouring Hong Kong - was almost balanced by the yang of the three in the north. From just one course in 1984, the total number of golf courses in China has grown to over 200 in 2008.
In the days when golf was still somewhat of a novelty, it was easy to secure high-ranking government officials to inaugurate a new course.Mr Zhao Ziyang, the then Acting Secretary-General of the Chinese Communist Party and Prime Minister officiated at ribbon cutting ceremonies for the Beijing Golf Club in 1987.
A newer course, the Beijing International Golf Club, about 45 km out of Beijing, has a superb setting accented by the heavily forested Yan Shan and Tianshou Mountains.
An illustrated feature on a selection of golf courses in Beijing can be written on assignment from 1000 to 2000 words depending upon editorial requirements. A short ‘sidebar’ or a dedicated feature can also be written on other diversions in the Chinese capital.
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