高娓娓怎样去的美国:高尔夫风靡中国

With more and more Chinese people, including successful businessmen, chief executive officers and white-collar workers, developing a strong interest in golf, which is sometimes called a 'battle of wits and courage', the sport is becoming a prosperous industry in China. Shen Jingting reports. 

 随着越来越多的包括成功商人、CEO和白领在内的中国人对高尔夫——有时又被称为“智慧与勇气的较量”——展现出强烈的兴趣，这项运动正成为中国一个繁荣的产业。沈静婷（音译）报道。 

Golf is a "green opium", joked Li Xiaoming, a 52-year-old Beijing businessman who played the sport almost every day in the year that he was most fanatical about it. 

高尔夫是“绿色鸦片”，李晓明（音译）开玩笑说。他是一个52岁的北京商人，在他最着迷的一年里几乎每天都要打球。

Li has been hitting the links for more than 16 years. He was the champion of the Amateur Golf Tournament in China and participated in the China Open, a men's golf tournament that has been held annually in China since 1995. 

李晓明接触高尔夫已经有16年多了。他曾是中国业余高尔夫联赛的冠军并参加了中国公开赛—一项1995举办至今的男子高尔夫锦标赛。

"But I was not interested in going to golf courses at all at the very beginning because I regarded it as a game for the old," Li said. 

“但是开始的时候我对去高尔夫球场并不感兴趣，因为我认为那是个老人的运动，”李说。

However, his friend successfully persuaded him to have a try. They went to a golf course in Hainan province and, all of a sudden, Li found himself surprised and delighted by the course's beautiful natural scenery. 

但是，他的朋友成功地说服他尝试了一下。他们一起去一个海南的球场，忽然之间，他对上课时的优美的自然风光感到又惊又喜。

"I was out of breath after I played nine holes and had to sit under a tree for a rest," Li said. Golf is not only a sport that trains people's bodies, but it is also a complicated mental exercise. "The amazing thing about golf is that it's like participating in a psychological war with your rivals. It's a battle of wits and courage." 

“我打了9个洞之后累得喘不过气来，只好到树下休息。”李说。高尔夫不仅是一项锻炼人体魄的运动，也是复杂的脑力锻炼。“高尔夫最奇妙的就是你好像在和你的对手在进行一场心理对抗。这是一项智慧与勇气的较量。”

Li spends 100,000 yuan ($15,640) a year playing golf and lost 10 kilograms during the past decade. "Although I am in my 50s, I feel no difference in terms of health from when I was young," the tanned man said. 

在过去的10年里，李每年打高尔夫要花费10万元（$15,640），同时减掉了10公斤的体重。“尽管我50多了，我感到在健康状态上我和年轻时没什么差别。”这个皮肤被晒成棕色的人说道。

There are a growing number of Chinese people that have developed a strong interest in golf. In Beijing there are about 65 golf courses. The capital city has seen a trend developing as increasing numbers of people go to golf clubs for both the sport and as a social activity. 

有越来越多的中国人对高尔夫愈发显现出强烈的兴趣。在北京，有65个高尔夫球场。在这个首都城市，越来越多的人既为了运动又为了社交而参加高尔夫俱乐部已成为一种潮流。

The average price for playing 18 holes in Beijing is between 600 and 800 yuan but most golf clubs only allow their members to play. 

在北京打18个洞的平均价格在600到800元之间，但大多数高尔夫俱乐部只允许他们的会员参加。

The membership fee, usually between 100,000 yuan and 1.7 million yuan, tends to keep the general public away. 

会员费通常在10万到170万之间，意图把普通大众拒之门外。

But even at such high prices, memberships are still eagerly sought. Bayhood No 9 Golf Club, one of the most luxurious clubs in Beijing, previously charged 1.08 million yuan for membership. It is now no longer open to new members because it risks being oversubscribed. 

但是即使是如此高的价格，会员资格仍然是抢手货。北湖9号高尔夫俱乐部是北京最豪华的俱乐部之一，之前的会员费高达108万。现在已经不对新会员开放，因为担心被超额认购的风险。

"During the weekends, it is really hard to make a reservation at golf clubs that lie within the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing. Usually we drive to Langfang or Zhuozhou (in Hebei province) to find a golf course which is not that crowded," said Yang Yue, a golf enthusiast. 

“在周末，很难预定到北京五环以内的俱乐部。通常我们开车去廊坊或者涿州（位于河北省）去找不是那么拥挤的球场。”高尔夫热衷者杨越（音译）说。

Chang Zhihui, a researcher with the golf education and research center at Beijing Forestry University, estimated 600,000 people on the Chinese mainland are members of golf clubs. The figure is expected to increase by 20 percent every year. 

常志辉（音译）是北京林业大学高尔夫教育与研究中心的一名研究者，他估计在中国大陆大约有60万人是高尔夫俱乐部的会员。这一数字预期将每年增长20%。 

Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, as well as Shandong and Hainan provinces, are the top five golf destinations in China, containing about 600 golf courses in total, Chang said. 

北京、上海和广东，连同山东省和海南省是中国5大高尔夫聚集地，总共有600个高尔夫球场，常志辉说。

The venues coincide closely with the places where there are the highest number of millionaires in China. According to the 2011 Hurun Wealth Report co-released in April by Hurun Research Institute and GroupM Knowledge Center, Beijing was the area with the most multimillionaires. Guangdong province ranked second and Shanghai third. 

球场都聚集在中国百万富翁人数最多的地区附近。根据在4月份由胡润研究所和和群邑智库联合发布的2011胡润财富报告，北京是有千万富翁最多的地区。广东排名第二，上海第三。

The report said the number of Chinese multimillionaires was rising beyond people's expectations - about 960,000 people on the Chinese mainland are worth more than 10 million yuan, including 60,000 people worth 100 million yuan. 

这项报告称，中国千万富翁的数量超乎人们的预期：中国大陆有96万多人身价千万以上，其中有6万人身价过亿。

"In the past, golf players were usually successful businessmen and chief executive officers, but now, more and more white-collar workers are trying the sport," Chang added. If people have a monthly income of more than 10,000 yuan, they can afford some games and, therefore, become target clients of golf clubs, he said. 

“过去，打高尔夫的人一般是成功的商人和CEO，但现在越来越多的白领也跃跃欲试。”常志辉补充说。如果人们月收入在1万元以上，他们就能负担得起费用，而且，也会因此成为高尔夫俱乐部的目标客户，他说。

However, of China's huge population base of 1.34 billion, the number of Chinese golf players accounts for less than 0.1 percent. In some developed countries, such as the United States, the figure is 10 percent across its total population. 

然而，在中国1.4人口的巨大基数下，中国高尔夫参与者数量的比例也不到0.1%。在某些发达国家，比如说美国，这个数字占总人口的10%。

"That indicates an enormous growth potential for China's golf industry," Chang said. 

“这说明中国高尔夫产业还有很大的潜力。”常志辉说。

The strong demand has prompted rapid construction of golf courses, something that some have been critical of because they occupy valuable land resources and use a lot of water. 

巨大的需求促使高尔夫球场的高速建设，这引起了很多人的批评，因为球场要占用宝贵的土地资源并消耗大量的水。

Grass on golf courses can require as much as half a ton of water for every square meter annually. 

高尔夫球场上的每平方米草坪每年要消耗高达半吨的水。

"An 18-hole golf course, which usually occupies a total grass area of 300,000 to 400,000 sq m, could probably use 150,000 to 200,000 tons of water a year," said Han Liebao, executive deputy director of the golf education and research center at the Beijing Forestry University. 

“一个18洞的高尔夫球场，通常要占用总共30万到40万平米的草地，可能每年要用15万到20万吨的水。”北京林业大学高尔夫教育与研究中心常务副主任韩磊葆（音译）说。

In 2004, the State Council forbade the construction of new golf courses. However, the ban has been violated and hundreds of new golf courses have emerged during the past seven years. Most are euphemistically called sports or leisure clubs. 

在2004年，国务院曾禁止新高尔夫球场的建设。然而这项禁令被破坏，在过去7年有数百个高尔夫球场涌现。大多数都美其名曰运动或者休闲俱乐部。

In June this year, 11 Chinese ministries collectively ordered new checks on all golf courses to prevent illegal land use and seizures and to ensure no loss of farmland in China.

在今年6月，11部委联合责令对高尔夫球场进行检查，以防止土地非法使用并进行查封，保证中国的耕地不会减少。