How did the Chinese game of chuiwan resemble golf?

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Tiger Woods follows through on his golf swing after teeing off, standing in tall grass with spectators watching in the background at St Andrews Golf Links. — golf American golfer Tiger Woods competing at the British Open (Open Championship) at St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 2005.

The Chinese game of chuiwan is often cited by historians as a potential ancestor to modern golf. It resembles golf in its fundamental mechanics, as it was described as a game in which participants hit a ball with a stick while walking.1

While some theories suggest that chuiwan may have been introduced to Europe by traders during the Middle Ages, there is no definitive evidence to confirm it as the progenitor of the sport. In fact, many historians find the theory that golf evolved directly from chuiwan—or other early stick-and-ball games like the Roman paganica—to be unconvincing. Most evidence suggests that golf likely emerged as a distinct, skill-based evolution of various medieval games around the 15th century.1