Golf has had a rough history in China. But now the Communist Party has officially lifted the ban and declared the sport legal in the country again.

"Since it is only a sport, there is no right and wrong about playing golf," the newspaper for China's anti-corruption agency declared.

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In 2015, the government banned all public officials and party members from playing golf in a drive to curb corruption. The ban, however, did not affect just a handful of public officials, but a staggering 88 million players.

In an update of the Communist Party's discipline rules last year, members were cautioned to abstain from "obtaining, holding or using membership cards for gyms, clubs, golf clubs, or various other types of consumer cards, or entering private clubs."

Prohibiting the playing of golf is just one of the many interventions the government stipulated in its renewed anti-corruption drive in 2012. Golf clubs had allegedly gained the reputation for being the place where officials usually meet to do shady transactions.

"The golf course is gradually changing into a muddy field where they trade money for power," a state-run newspaper wrote in 2015.

Dubbing golf as "an arena for corruption," academic for Communist party cadres Su Wei was quoted saying "Golf can satisfy some official's vanity, corrupting their lifestyle, which can lead to damage to the Party's image and the erosion of official's ability to serve."

This was not the first time golf had been banned in the country, during the mid-20th century. Chairman Mao Zedong also outlawed the "sport for millionaires." But it regained its popularity between the 1980s and 1990s.

For now, officials are allowed to play golf as long as "they pay out of their own pockets," China Daily reported.

Tagsgolf, golf course, anti-corruption law, President Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong, Sports