More than 50 golf courses will be constructed over a three-year period in Shanghai and surrounding areas, Shanghai Morning Post learned at the first Shanghai International Golf Expo.

Insiders said the exhibition is the first step towards upgrading the golf industry in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta.

Construction of a golf course demands massive investment, with the average course costing at least 300 million yuan (US$36.25) and involving expenses including real estate, landscaping and constructing facilities such as the clubhouse and changing rooms.

According to the paper, sites for the courses have already been chosen and construction has even begun in some cases.

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