SARS... a catalyst for Golf

If you can remember back to 2003 the SARS epidemic started to spread from Hong Kong. For me, this was my first chance to come to Asia. I took advantage of the cheap airfares, knowing they would have it under control. And, now, here I am in Asia living and working.

SARS was a airborne epidemic that spread throughout many large cities in Asia. One of the cities affected was Beijing. Over the past two years living in Beijing, I have heard on numerous occasions that people starting playing golf when SARS hit. It is a really interesting phenomenon. The reason many people started playing golf is because people wanted to be outdoors. During that time, if you were indoors, you may catch the virus if someone sneezed or coughed. So, many people wanted to get outside and away from others. There you have it, a pretty large group of the Beijing golfers started playing when SARS hit.

Now, Beijing has around fifty golf clubs and over one-hundred driving ranges. The golf industry is hot here and is the second best market behind Guangdong Province in the South.