Golf champion makers in China

Friis' grand plans are helped by his association with Kel Llewellyn, a straight-talking Australian who is best-known as coach to China's No 1 player Liang Wenchong. He also knows a thing or two about developing golf in a country new to the sport.

Llewellyn is something of a golfing legend in Asia, having worked in India, Bhutan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia setting up junior programs. He is passionate in his belief that to become a strong golfing nation, you need a strong junior program.

China's No 1 golfer Liang Wenchong is expected to compete in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics. Paul Lakatos / Agence France-Presse

"I think if golf wants to progress more quickly, it needs competition between the provinces. Our plan - Andy and mine - is to start this," says Llewellyn. "You need to have a lot of competition, this is how it's done."

Friis, 30, and Llewellyn, 72, are both wary, however, of the single-mindedness in which some wealthy Chinese families are pursuing their golfing dream.

"We find kids are starting as young as 3 or 5, or 6 and 7. They'll get wrist problems and back problems, especially if the technique is not taught properly," says Llewellyn.

Most of the youngsters pursuing golf at a high level in China are from wealthy families who can afford tuition at private academies. Many top young Chinese golfers are enrolled in elite sports colleges in North America or Australia while others are in local academies attached to exclusive country clubs.

"Golf is still considered a rich people's game," says Chang Kai, deputy general manager of Tianma Golf Academy located near Shanghai. The academy trains teenagers in golf, but works with Shanghai Xiwai International School to ensure the young athletes also receive an education.

"We saw a lot of juniors who dropped out of school for their sports, dreaming of becoming top professionals, but they do not know how tough it is in the pro field," says Chang.

Chang believes the government push to have more youths play golf will lead to more good players, but now the parents of his students at Tianma see golf as an investment for the future.

"Going to a US college with a Division I golf scholarship is their goal," Chang says.

How do you build a champion? That is the question being asked by parents who are spending thousands of dollars hiring the best coaches and sending their children to the best sports schools.