Liu Minxia

FIRST started in Shekou some 18 years ago, the Oilmen’s Green Jacket Golf Tournament event continues to grow popular.

When oil company employee Victor Philips, an expat from Trinidad, started it in 1990, most players were from the oil industry.

Today, the tournament, contested on the last Friday of every month in Shenzhen or a nearby area, attracts managers of hotels and logistic companies and even Chinese players who like the light-hearted approach to the game.

The last tournament, held March 28, was won by Aaron Ye, a Chinese Canadian who runs a financial company.

“The tournament has become more and more popular in the past six months and people from different industries joined it,” said Daniel Pippin, an American player. “We have more Chinese players now than before as golf gains popularity in China.”

Many players see it as a good way to get out of the office.

“It’s good to meet people in different industries somewhere out of the office,” said Colin Martin, an Australian businessman in Shenzhen.

Each month the event is sponsored by a different company. It is always well-attended with an average turnout of 24 to 30 players, according to Kevin Thacker, the current organizer of the tournament.

Shekou and its surrounding area have many world-class golf courses, including Noble Merchant, Green Bay, Tycoon, Shenzhen Airport, Xili, Sand River, Jiulong Hills and Century Seaview. The Green Jacket gives its participants and their friends access to a different golf courses, some of which are members-only clubs, Thacker said.

The nine-hole tournament is followed by a brief presentation ceremony where certificates are given to the winners.