Tim Marcin writes in the International Business Times:
“The question has always been: Will Olympic success in golf equal a golf boom in China?” said Dan Washburn, author of “The Forbidden Game: Golf and the Chinese Dream.” “It was and remains a down time for the golf industry in China, but at the same time as all of these crackdowns, China did start funneling a lot of money — an unprecedented amount of money — into its Olympic golf program.”
It makes sense that China’s focus on medal counts could help grow the game, Washburn said. But Beijing could turn against the sport at any time.
“A lot of very smart people have been made to look very dumb by trying to predict what’s going to happen in China,” Washburn said.