In the rough: members of prestigious Wentworth golf club come out swinging against new Chinese owners
Uproar at the birthplace of Ryder Cup as Beijing developer culls membership and jacks up fees
Treachery, a clash of civilisations and civil disobedience might be the last things you'd expect to encounter at a prestigious English golf club.
But all three are happening at Wentworth - the birthplace of the Ryder Cup - where members are in open revolt over the "immoral changes" proposed by the club's new Chinese owners.
Beijing-based land-development behemoth Reignwood Investment is slashing membership from 4,000 to 800, charging a one-off joining fee of £100,000 (HK$1.175 million) and more than doubling annual membership rates to £16,000.
The changes were announced to members via an email, sparking angry protests that "threaten UK-Sino relations" - and which have even seen the intervention of British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
"The Chinese owners want to rip the heart from our community by kicking out most of the members and turning a national institution into an enclave for the mega-rich," said Nigel Moss, a member for 28 years.
"They have shown a lack of understanding of golfing and British cultures, and are acting immorally, if not illegally."
Existing members - many of whom live on the exclusive leafy estate near London - have also been warned that even if they accept the changes and can afford the new fees, they will still have to pass a selection process to make the cut.