Authorities shut down 66 mainland golf courses

Regulators shuttered 66 golf courses on Monday in what the National Development and Reform Commission called enforcement of laws to limit water usage and conserve arable land, Reuters reported. The 2004 law cited by the commission had only been enforced once before when authorities ordered the demolition of five courses last year on similar grounds. Three of the latest courses to be closed were in Beijing, with the rest spread around the country–including in Hainan, which is meant to be exempt from the ban.