1. QUOTE from:
    Dan Washburn: Olympics makes China major player in golf
    View quote in context »
    Jack Nicklaus, who has designed or is in the process of designing some 35 courses in China, has been even bolder with his predictions. "With the numbers in China and the way they approach their sport ... I would not be surprised to see five of the world's top 10 are Chinese in the next 20 years. They plan to build 1,400 public courses in the next five years now [that] it has become an Olympic sport, so they will go after it and learn. For me that is fantastic because it grows the game on a worldwide basis." On Saturday, China Golf Association Vice President Wang Liwei told ESPN.com that it may be too soon to make such grand projections since it's still unclear how or when the central government will alter some of its golf-related policies. Full Article at ESPN
    With the numbers in China and the way they approach their sport ... I would not be surprised to see five of the world's top 10 are Chinese in the next 20 years. They plan to build 1,400 public courses in the next five years now [that] it has become an Olympic sport, so they will go after it and learn. For me that is fantastic because it grows the game on a worldwide basis.
    Jack Nicklaus – Jack Nicklaus SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
All quotes from:
Dan Washburn: Olympics makes China major player in golf
  1. I think there will be huge changes, but right now it is impossible to say what they will be or when they will happen ... It needs time. The golf-related laws, regulations and policies will not just come out immediately after golf gets to the Olympics. It must have a development period. It needs investig...
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  2. Currently even with the existing number of golf courses being planned, there is insufficient qualified people managing from all levels of operation ... And this will be very dangerous to the development of golf in China because you don't get good quality projects. It will damage the industry as a whole.
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  3. That's bull---t ... Do you think the Chinese government is going to use public money to build public courses? I understand how they work here. I have been in China long enough. The government will throw in money for the golf programs for the juniors. We know China: They won't build public courses. It's ...
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  4. It is still an elitist sport, and for over 25 years it has been discouraged ... Right now, the government doesn't know how to respond because they still have to worry about the general public. Their power base is the general public.
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  5. For the first time I start to really have the feeling of being an athlete
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  6. Now, everybody will try to knock on the door. Everybody wants to build a golf course. But they will do it with more guts. If I am a government official, I will say, 'Ah, this is an Olympic sport now. We have to give a green light, instead of doing it under the table.' They need to start regulating this,...
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  7. It's 2009 now, and according to the growth and development of athletes, 10 years will definitely be enough time for talents to arrive ... By then we will have the goal of not only participating but also possibly winning a gold medal. We will definitely not give up.
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  8. Because I am not in charge of the land policy and when those laws and regulations will change, I don't know ... Asking me to estimate the number is impossible.
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago
  9. China has done the same thing in pretty much every other sport, except for golf ... It will be interesting to see what happens if they make a push toward that, and if they do, then there's no question they will become a powerhouse in golf, with the populous and with the amount of golf courses that are b...
    SOURCE: ESPN 3 weeks ago

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