Headlines last week left readers with little doubt about the state of golf in China:

• “Golf banned for China’s Party members” (CNN)
• “Communist party commands its 88 million members to abstain from playing golf” (Guardian sub-heading)
• “To fight corruption, China officially bans golf for party cadres” (Washington Post)
• “China just banned 88 million people joining golf clubs” (USA Today)
• “Communist Party bans club membership” (BBC)
• “China tees off against golf, gluttony in anti-graft drive” (Reuters)
• “Stocks, Sex and Golf: China’s Ruling Party Targets Temptations” (Bloomberg)

Pretty clear, right? Well, actually, no. As this article from shougolf.com points out [in Chinese], it turns out that the Washington Post and the BBC (its two main targets) and others jumped the gun somewhat on their “China bans golf/golf club memberships” headlines.

Continue reading Did China really ban golf or not? →