Dozens of illegal golf courses closed

The authorities have shut down more than 60 golf courses since last summer as part of a renewed campaign against the destruction of land and water resources, according to China's top economic planning authority.

The National Development and Reform Commission said on its website on Monday that the crackdown on illegal golf courses has achieved positive results since July with the efforts of the State Council and governments at all levels.

The commission also published a list of 66 golf courses built in contravention of rules designed to protect arable land and save water, including three in Beijing, six in Guangdong province and four in the Inner Mongolia autonomous regions.

It added that all governments have now banned the building of golf courses, and reclamation work on existing ones to restore the land's original condition has been an initial success.

A nationwide ban on golf course construction took effect in 2011. The government has long maintained regulatory authority over the industry, but forceful moves were not undertaken until last year, when a number of authorities, including the economic planning body, announced a crackdown and issued a timeline for cleanup.

Inspections of courses that were required to close were supposed to be complete by the end of 2014. Work related to those that require rectification and withdrawal of illegally appropriated land is to be complete by June 30 this year.

Zhang Fengrong, professor at China Agriculture University, confirmed that the effects of several previous efforts aimed at the industry were not good because of weak enforcement, but the list shows that conditions have been changing under the latest rules.

Golf course builders or operators must restore their illegally appropriated land to its original condition under the rules.

"I hoped the implementation can be pushed forward effectively," Zhang said.

Since the announcement, inspections have started into golf courses and clubs that have boomed and become big business across the country in recent years.

About 1 million people play gold regularly, with participation rising by about 10 percent annually, according to a 2013 white paper issued by Chaoxiang Group, a professional golf management company.

There were 639 accredited golf courses in the country as of 2013, up from the 432 registered in 2009, the white paper said.

The renewed crackdown is aimed at protecting shrinking land and water resources in the country, which has one-fifth of the world's population but only 7 percent of its water. The effort was also designed to identify and shut down courses that generate water pollution through the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides to grow grass, the authorities said.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn