There's a debate at Peking University that's not just academic - it's sporting. The city's prestigious university recently announced that it would build a golf driving range on a scenic campus spot. The area, on the northeastern shore of Weiming Lake, is where students often go for walks and the occasional smooch. Some students and parents complained, saying a university is an institution for acquiring knowledge, not teeing off. Others said it was a waste of land for an elitist, bourgeois sport. If the grounds were to be used for athletics, they argued, it should be for a game everyone could play - and afford. University officials countered that it was just a small range - 90 metres by 40 metres - on unoccupied land. Besides, it would be used for a university course on golf. For now, it seems that the university will go ahead with its plan. But it isn't the only place in Beijing that has caught golf fever. Some private schools are teaching golf, and the number of courses and ranges is growing - if not in the city centre, then at least close enough for a day trip. For those who have never tried the sport, lessons are advertised in newspapers. In a communist country where inexpensive sports such as badminton are popular, golf doesn't seem a sure bet to take off. But in a city having a relatively new love affair with prosperity, it gives the wealthy a chance to show off. On a recent evening at the Beijing Chaoyang Kosaido Golf Club, BMWs and Mercedes sped up to the front gate. Owners dropped off their clubs for valets to take to the driving range. In the lobby, members perused a shop selling golf paraphernalia, while others sat smoking and reading the Beijing Evening News. One member is Geoffrey Wang Jie, a computer specialist. He took up golf at the suggestion of colleagues, and likes the fact that it's a 'social sport and good for exercise'. He also mentioned the great food in the clubhouse. The sport is gaining speed not just as recreation. Players Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wenchong came to fame in 2003 when they entered professional tournaments. Last year, the great Tiger Woods hit golf balls over the Huangpu River in Shanghai before a professional tournament. Mainland golf fans have gone from the thousands, a decade ago, to more than 1 million today, according to press reports. Signs of this enthusiasm are present in stores near the Sanlitun Yashow Clothing Market, where clubs, balls and accessories are sold in small shops next to clothing and jewellery sellers. Golf beginner Mr Wang attributes the rise of the sport to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003. 'The government forced us to take vacations,' he says. 'So we went to learn golf.' That's one way to beat a national pandemic.
