Joel Beall writes in Golf Digest:
Given the school’s location, the move may raise an eyebrow. Communist China has held an adversarial relationship with golf; just last fall, the country banned party members from joining clubs.
This icy rapport stems from the party’s view of golf as an elitist sport. By teaching children the game at an early age, the school is hoping change its perception, making golf a game of the people.
“There are definitely alternate realities when it comes to golf in China,” Dan Washburn, an expert on golf in China, told Golf Digest. “In one, you have the Chinese government shutting down golf courses and punishing Communist Party officials for playing golf. In the other, you have that very same government funneling huge sums of money into its Olympic golf program and welcoming lucrative international golf tournaments into the country with open arms.
“I guess golf in Chinese schools occupies that second reality. You just never know which one you are going to read about from one day to the next. “