Where do the Chinese go?

[Matthew Mollica]

When they travel to play golf in other countries - where do Chinese golfers visit?

Do they head straight to Pebble? St. Andrews? The Sandbelt? Somewhere else?

And are their travelling golfer numbers significant?

And does any of this information have any bearing on the type of courses built in China in future?

MM

[Mark_F]

When they travel to play golf in other countries - where do Chinese golfers visit?

Do they head straight to Pebble? St. Andrews? The Sandbelt? Somewhere else?

And are their travelling golfer numbers significant?

And does any of this information have any bearing on the type of courses built in China in future?

MM

They go to Capital, Matt, so you would sure as shit hope it doesn't have any bearing on what courses are being built.

Although I am obviously saying that from my ivory tower.

[Michael Goldstein]

Matt,

Quite a few are going down to RM in a couple of weeks.  Hopefully the course will have an impact on these guys and subsequent courses built here.

I don't know statistics but I'd be surprised if traveling numbers are significant and I've heard that visas can be difficult for the USA.

[Anthony Gray]

  Where in China?

 

[michael damico]

We had a Chinese client come to the states along with his entourage, including the most prestigious sports writer of Southern China, just 2 months ago. They embarked on a 14 day, 12 course trip which (I know I will forget a couple, but here...) included:

Mission Hills (CA)
Wynn Course
Paiute
Plum Creek
Crooked Stick
Brickyard Crossing
Pete Dye Club
watched day 1 of the Greenbriar
TPC Sawgrass
Pebble
Spyglass

9 of the 12 courses were specified by the client (and entourage) as 'must see's' for them.

I am told that many of the golfers in China do not necessarily take kindly to the Korean and Taiwanese guests who predominantly visit and play golf in China

From my (limited) experiences with the Chinese clients, I am surprised with what they want from a designer: water, 'signature' holes and 7,000 + yds. This starts to get under my skin because (as a general comment) it seems they want things that were en vogue for the late 80s, early 90s. There is a blank canvas over there and there is the overwhelming opportunity to usher in golf with a new sense of what we have learned from our 'mistakes', but it is not (generally) wanted by those with the means of funding/initiating courses over there. I can't wait for the C&C course to open and for Doak to finally break ground over there. The Chinese love a name brand, hopefully with their success, C&C and Renaissance will change a couple minds of the possibilities that are out there.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Chinese tourists dumped 1.85 billion into California's economy last year. (CNN)

China will overtake Japan as the world's second-biggest tourism market by 2013. Sixty-six million Chinese will travel overseas this year -- a 15% increase over 2010 -- and that number is expected to reach 100 million by 2020, according to the World Tourism Organization. (AdAge
  
560,000 Chinese tourists visited Malaysia last year.

306,000 tourists visited New York from China and Hong Kong last year, up from just 59,000 in 2002. (Crain's)
The typical Chinese tourist stays an average of 11.3 nights in the city, and spends some $3,297 per visit.  (New York Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Chinese travelers spent 650 million euros (937.8 million U.S. dollars) on duty-free shopping in France in 2010, accounting for 22 percent of the total of such spending by foreigners in France. (Global Blue Group)

More than a quarter of Chinese outbound tourists (26.85 percent) say shopping takes up the largest share of their expenditure.(CTA)

The USA signed China's "Approved Destination Status" that allows for direct tourism to our country.

[Michael Goldstein]

Jim, thanks for the numbers they are very interesting.  Contextually, according to various people (unconfirmed) there are only 1m golfers in China so whilst many have the resources, golfers would still a tiny % of the outbound tourist market.

Michael, heard about the trip (but interested about who the writer is now).  That company is supposedly very busy.  Like many firms, I've never heard them talk with passion about a single golf hole.  The golf industry is simply a way of making money.   

[michael damico]

Michael, heard about the trip (but interested about who the writer is now).  That company is supposedly very busy.  Like many firms, I've never heard them talk with passion about a single golf hole.  The golf industry is simply a way of making money.   

Michael,

I'll work on getting his name and pronouncing it correctly. He didn't speak much english, but enjoyed our barbecue. I agree with the comments made of that company. It's a shame that it is that way with so many companies in the industry.

[Wade Whitehead]

I played with two Chinese gentlemen a few months back.  They visited TPC Sawgrass, Bay Hill, Ballyhack, Kinloch, and Robert Trent Jones on five consecutive days.

WW

[Matt Day]

Perth gets three direct flights a week to and from Guangzhou in November, interested to see if this brings in any golf tourism.

[Tim Gavrich]

I feel like I have seen tourist-golfers from everywhere during the times I've spent here in the Myrtle Beach area, but I really cannot recall seeing many golfers from China, if any.  Which makes plenty of sense, given how much closer California is.  Nonetheless, I'm sometimes surprised at how many continental Europeans choose to come here instead of warm-weather places that are closer to them and have fairly plentiful golf.  Not that it's a bad thing at all; just interesting to me.

[Anthony Butler]

Chinese tourists dumped 1.85 billion into California's economy last year. (CNN)

China will overtake Japan as the world's second-biggest tourism market by 2013. Sixty-six million Chinese will travel overseas this year -- a 15% increase over 2010 -- and that number is expected to reach 100 million by 2020, according to the World Tourism Organization. (AdAge
  
560,000 Chinese tourists visited Malaysia last year.

306,000 tourists visited New York from China and Hong Kong last year, up from just 59,000 in 2002. (Crain's)
The typical Chinese tourist stays an average of 11.3 nights in the city, and spends some $3,297 per visit.  (New York Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Chinese travelers spent 650 million euros (937.8 million U.S. dollars) on duty-free shopping in France in 2010, accounting for 22 percent of the total of such spending by foreigners in France. (Global Blue Group)

More than a quarter of Chinese outbound tourists (26.85 percent) say shopping takes up the largest share of their expenditure.(CTA)

The USA signed China's "Approved Destination Status" that allows for direct tourism to our country.

Having spent the last 4 weeks in Seoul, Korea, I can vouch for the fact that shopping is a large component of Chinese tourist activities. One of the weeks I was over there coincided with a holiday in China. On top of the fact it made it almost impossible to get a hotel, I was practically knocked over by Louis Vuitton-bag wielding Chinese housewives the one time I ventured into the Shinsegue Mall in Seoul. All you need is a tiny percentage of people in China to decide on something and it represents a sea of humanity to the rest of the world.

One thing that did stand out for me in terms of golf and Korea... there's a couple of million people interested in the sport (never seen so much golf on TV or so many retail establishments selling golf equipment) but only a few courses to play on. Maybe that explains why when you visit the driving range, everyone hitting a bucket of balls is dressed like they're starting a once in a lifetime round at Shinnecock, instead of the usual shorts and flip-flops you encounter at a range in the US.

I even managed to pick up a pair of Lynx Golf (!) trousers that, according to my wife, make me look like an Korean pimp.

Should be perfect for my next round at The Country Club in April.

[Anthony Gray]

  I had a chinese patient yesterday. His brother in law goes to Hainan Island. He said something about taking a cable car to this place that is full of monkeys.

  Anthony

[Bill_McBride]

I even managed to pick up a pair of Lynx Golf (!) trousers that, according to my wife, make me look like an Korean pimp.

Should be perfect for my next round at The Country Club in April.

Please ask your wife to take a photo!