Hot on the heels of the HSBC Champions golf tournament, the Asia Golf Show has arrived in Shanghai's Exhibition Center.

The two-day event, which opened yesterday offers a platform for business people from the golf industry, as well as private enthusiasts, to get to grips with the latest developments in Asian golf.

"Everything in China develops rapidly, as does golf," said Michiel Kruse, co-organizer of the Asia Golf Show.

Visitors to China 20 years ago had few further aims than climbing the Great Wall, nowadays many head straight for the country's pristine fairways and well kept greens.

The emergence of golf as a popular sport in China has been little short of meteoric, attracting devotees from all layers of society, but many have connected the growing numbers of people playing the game with the continuing rise in incomes.

"Prosperity in China is rising, therefore the number of wealthy people builds up quickly. These people like to be associated with golf, since after all, it is a sport in which networking and the enhancing of business relations is just as important as the game itself," Kruse added.

Nevertheless, he reckons the sport will eventually become more accessible to the broader public. "As soon as people recognize the value of the sport next to its business aspect, such as its healthiness and its appeal to every age group, it will become more of a people's sport, as it already is in New Zealand and Britain."

Business developer for San Diego-based Full Swing Golf, which has several offices throughout Asia, Jiri Cermak, also sees a bright future for the sport in China.

Cermak considers Chinese golfers to be "just beginners," compared to the more sophisticated players in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia, but from a business point of view presence in the country makes perfect sense.

"Golf here is growing as a sport, while it stagnates in the saturated United StatesChina has a huge potential for growth," he said.

Anyone who is anyone in the industry was present at the Asia Golf Show, hosted by Shanghai for the first time this year.

With stands ranging from Philips lighting to the Millionaire Fair, golf magazines were also prominent exhibitors, their presence a clear sign of the sports increasing popularity.

"Right now there are about 10,000 national magazines on golf," said Stella Gu of Golf Digest. "Ten years ago there were none."

(China Daily November 15, 2006)