Gambling takes away simple joys of golf

It is as pervasive a practice on Chinese courses as it is in the West, Bai Ping writes.

While it could be a decade before a Chinese golf pro breaks into the top ranks of the game, many amateurs may have already shot the major leagues in another competition - gambling.

On courses in Beijing, players are sometimes exasperated by meticulous Japanese or Koreans who painstakingly study the lie, practice swings or line up the putts. But more often, local gamblers are the main culprits behind agonizingly slow play. They can easily stretch a round to six hours.