I agree that golf is not an inexpensive sport to take up. Yeah, you can start playing with some crappy clubs and balls you find around the course, but it's hard to improve your game unless you have the right equipment. And if you don't improve, you're not going to win or do well, and you're not going to want to play. It's not just the equipment either. Belonging to a club is pretty expensive for a lot of people, especially if you want to play on a good course.
I also think there will be a big decline in the sport once the baby boomers have run the course (no pun intended) but that'll be awhile in the future. You just don't see the crowds of young people like you do at basketball or hockey games.
Even if the Asian market opens up, I would imagine they will develop their own tournaments and may not mainstream into the American golf tour. After all, that just adds an element of major travel expense into the equation. Having such a huge population also suggests to me that there would be no need for players there to play anywhere else than their home area in terms of audience, etc. Just my 2 cents worth.