Llewellyn thinks money may actually work against the goal.

"Rich people's kids don't become champions, their life is too easy. Tough people become champions," says Llewellyn. He may have been talking about his own student, Liang.

The 35-year-old golfer is a bona fide champion, the only Chinese in the world golf ranking's top 100. He is expected to compete in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics and many aspiring champions look up to him.

"His parent didn't know anything about golf. In the village they are farmers, so they actually didn't put any pressure on Liang," the golfer's manager Jacky Peng says.

"He had some talent, but most important, he worked very hard," says Peng.

Of course, rags to riches stories are not always the case.

Experts say the future of golf in China depends on junior programs. Peng Tong / For China Daily

Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old wunderkind currently wowing the golfing world spends three months a year training in California. When he is China he can be found putting in the hours at the exclusive Troon Golf Academy at Lion Lake Country Club in Guangdong.

He also obviously has remarkable personal drive and talent.

Llewellyn says a true champion, whether they have the best training in the world or a second-hand set of clubs and a lot of time, has something special, an added determination which cannot be taught.

"You get parents who, when their kids are 3 or 4 years old, are pushing them into this. There is no space to form the initiative or imagination required," says Llewellyn.

"Most kids don't become champions."

Chang from Tianma thinks the promise of golf in China lies in its accessibility to the masses.

"The challenges will be how to lower the standard to make it more affordable to others."

The future seems bright. The Olympics are just around the corner and Guan's win has inspired many.

"Golf is definitely growing up," Chang says.