John Huggan says "the business of golf that is booming in China rather than the game itself."

But what's really going on behind the Great Wall? Does the much-vaunted golf boom in China really exist? Or is the egalitarian game so beloved of we Scots doomed to be a mere plaything for a rich elite made up mostly of foreign-born temporary residents and tourists?

In the short to mid term at least, it would appear that the depressing answer is the latter. During a two-week, first-time visit to China, this correspondent saw little evidence that the average citizen has any idea that golf even exists, never mind feels any pressing inclination to give the game a try.