Being a golf trainer in China: The life of an artist?

Abstract

This article investigates the earnings of Chinese golf trainers. Through a combination of ethnographic observations, interviews and a quantitative survey analysis, it depicts the social structure of the economy of golf training in China, showing that golf trainers’ playing abilities and fame, rather than any certificate of competence (e.g. diploma or professional certification), determine their earnings. At the same time, we underline many common characteristics between the artists’ labour market and the golf trainers’ labour market, such as the importance of fame and a winner-takes-all logic.