Kong Zhaochen moves toward the white golf ball that is lying on the ground. First, he corrects his stance and then swings his golf club with power and pace to send the ball flying.

But instead of slipping the club into his golf bag and walking down the fairway, Kong doesn’t move－and doesn’t take his eyes off the screen in front of him.

Quite simply, this is no ordinary game of golf with expansive, green fairways and manicured lawns. In fact, Kong is playing at the CEG indoor golf simulation center in Beijing’s northeast area of Wangjing.

During the past few years, indoor simulation golf has turned into a major industry trend, appealing to China’s craze for preppy sports. While there are no official figures for the number of golf simulation centers in the country, the industry is growing rapidly.

“Although our club has been open for 10 years, indoor golf only started to become really popular two years ago,” Kong, a marketing manager at the CEG, said. “And it is because more young people are becoming interested in the sport.”

A glance at the golf industry in China shows it is booming with the country’s middle class splashing out money on leisure activities.

“The golf sector here was valued at about 6.5 billion yuan ($1.04 billion) in 2013, and it has been experiencing roughly a 10 percent growth rate year-on-year since then,” Matthieu David-Experton, an analyst at Daxue Consulting, which offers services to international companies in China, said.

The sport here is even starting to catch up on traditional markets in the United States and Europe. According to the research company Markets Report China, the country has between 920,000 to 1.1 million golfers. And the sport is expected to grow now that golf has become an Olympic event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Although indoor golf is relatively new, it is becoming a convenient way to play the game in urban areas.

Jeremy Huo, who works in the financial services industry in Beijing, caught onto the craze even though he has been playing on golf courses since 2000.

“Indoor facilities cannot really replace the real game,” he said. “But they provide an alternative to golfers in northern China in the winter as golf courses close for almost four months here. And they don’t have limited time slots like golf courses.”

Simulation technology has also rapidly improved in the past few years, and now screen images and sensing systems can almost imitate the real thing.

During a virtual game, the player needs to hit the ball at a screen that imitates the appearance of a real-life golf course. The screen is connected to a computer with sensors and motion tracking devices to calculate the golfer’s shot.

After the ball hits the screen, the information collected by sensors is analyzed for speed, angle, distance and trajectory. The golfer can even choose between different wind velocities and weather conditions to make it mirror real life.

“Although there are controversies about simulator technologies, advocates believe that the best tracking technologies are now sophisticated enough to replicate indoors the full range of game situations,” a report, entitled Golf 2020 Vision, published by the global banking group HSBC Holdings Plc, revealed.

Software for simulator technology is developing rapidly and this will help indoor golf expand in the years ahead. Already the Beijing-based company DigitGolf has become the first Chinese firm to create a software system, competing with products from South Korea and the US.

DigitGolf has only been in business for eight years, but now employs 50 staff and sells about 300 systems a year. On average, the price for a golf simulator is $15,000, including delivery, installation fees and a software training.

The company has reported average annual revenue growth of 50 percent in the last three years, without revealing detailed figures. This year’s sales are expected to reflect modest growth because of the negative impact that the government’s austerity campaign is having on the sport.

“The government’s crackdown on golf has meant that fewer officials are playing the sport now,” Li Zhongzheng, general manager at DigitGolf, said.

“Before, a lot of our customers were State-owned companies that bought packages for their employees. But as the government introduced stricter measures to promote austerity, we have seen a decline in sales in that segment.”

Ironically, the company will still be able to post solid numbers this year after the government decided to introduce indoor golf technology into schools and universities across China as part of a new sports program.

“A growing number of parents are also investing in golf lessons as they believe it could improve their children’s future careers by giving them a sense of Western traditions,” David-Experton, of Daxue Consulting, said.

This will also help indoor golf expand and drive profit in the sector. “In Beijing, we estimate that there are between 20 and 30 indoor golf simulation centers, where people can play a version of the game,” Li, of DigitGolf, said. “But this year we calculate the number will sharply rise to 100, and that will help us grow further.”

Part of the reason indoor golf is on the rise is because it is regarded as a status symbol in China and a good way to build business contacts.

“Indoor golf is seen by a lot of business people as a good communication platform,” Kong, who plays at CEG indoor golf simulation center, said. “They bring clients or business partners to discuss deals and have a good time. It is a relaxing environment where they can play and have a drink.”

The virtual sport has also escaped the controversies that have surrounded the outdoor game. To many, golf is considered a rich man’s sport and a waste of natural resources, such as water which is sprinkled on the fairways and greens.

For golfers, indoor clubs can also be cheaper. The CEG indoor center offers a life-membership option of 30,000 yuan. But prices are as low as 150 yuan per hour to non-members and 100 yuan per hour to those with life time membership.

At the Golfhub club in the Aegean mall in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, a wide range of luxury rooms are on offer, equipped with European-style furniture. Prices start at 300 yuan per hour. Naturally, that is considerably cheaper than playing on an outside golf course. The average price per person for an 18-hole round is about $100.

“In South Korea, virtual golf is so popular because the land available for the sport is scarce and the amount of people interested in playing it is really high,” Zhang Guozhong, the Beijing-based manager of South Korean simulator golf company Bravo Golf, said.

“In China, people are becoming increasingly concerned about the limited land and water resources available. So indoor golf is a good alternative for environmentally concerned people.”

Zhang’s firm has been selling indoor golf systems in China for six years and was the first South Korean company to move into the market here. Bravo Golf sells between five and eight systems per month. “We are seeing demand increase from schools and universities that use it as a training tool. And this is going to keep our sales up,” Zhang said.

Indoor centers

GolfHub

Prices range: From 300 yuan ($48.4) per hour for the smallest room to 980 yuan for the largest one. No limit on the players per room.

Address: Aegean Mall, 12 Qisheng Zhongjie, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

Opening times: 10 am-10 pm daily.

Alpha Wing

Alpha Wing contains four virtual golf simulators rented out by the hour.

Price range: 80 yuan for a single player from Monday to Friday; 100 yuan from Saturday to Sunday.

150 yuan for a group of four from Monday to Friday; 180 yuan from Saturday to Sunday.

Address: Lucky Street, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

Opening times: 4 pm-2 am daily.

Star City Screen Golf

Prices range: From 80 yuan to 120 yuan per person/hour.

Address: Wangjing Xiyuansanqu building 326 East side, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

Opening times: 9 am-1 pm daily.

Yuan Rui Da Indoor Screen Golf Club

Price range: From 100 yuan to 160 yuan per person/hour.

Address: Yuquanshan Wan’andongluxi Waguoyuan 18, Haidian district, Beijing.

Opening times: 8:30 am-9 pm daily.