Golf club ban for Chinese Communist Party members
88million members will be affected
88million members will be on the end of the latest party discipline rules.
Golf club ban for Chinese Communist Party members
Members of the Chinese Communist Party have been banned from joining golf clubs as part of an increase in party discipline.
Around 88million members will be unable to join clubs after the party moved to stop members from "using membership cards for gyms, clubs, golf clubs or various other types of consumer cards, or entering private clubs", according to the BBC.
It is believed that the move is designed to stamp down on corruption, with illegal activity thought to take place at golf clubs.
China has a chequered history with the game, with 66 illegally built courses shut down in the country in March.
In 2004, there was a ban on the building of courses, but it's not clear whether the ban was enforced fully or not.
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
It was also thought that golf was damaging the country's ecosystems, according to environmentalists.
A golf equipment store owner told Reuters : "This year, things are even more dismal. With our regular revenues we can no longer make ends meet.
"In other countries golf is more about the sport, here it's about the social interaction. If a company boss can't play with a government official, there's little point in him spending his money."
China does not have a representative in the top 150 of the Official Golf World Rankings, with Wu Ashun the highest-ranked player at no. 171.
Liang Wen-chong, who competed in this year's Open Championship at the Old Course, is the second highest player in the rankings at no. 187.
During the regular European Tour season there are two back-to-back events in China, the Shenzhen International and the Volvo China Open. China also hosts two of the tour's Final Series events, the WGC-HSBC Champions event and the BMW Masters.
RELATED: European Tour grant Rory McIlroy special exemption for Final Series