pdf - Asia Pacific Golf Group Newsletters

Transcription

ISSUE 180
SPECIAL FEATURE
20 Talent Watch – Lock In On Danny Masrin!

20

SEPTEMBER 2015
34
In our search for young talent and the next prospect
most likely to make it on the world stage, we came
across an impressive young player from Indonesia.
He is 22 year old Danny Masrin who will be graduating from his college in North America in December
and he is already preparing to get his card to play on
the Asian Tour starting in 2016.
The golf industry has started a new romance in Asia and
this time, the heart throb of the industry is Vietnam. There
is a major push towards the development of new golf
courses in this once war-torn nation and leading the thrust
is the BRG Group, a multi-faceted Vietnamese conglomerate led by the dynamic lady entrepreneur Madame
Nguyen Thi Nga who is said to be the wealthiest businesswoman in Vietnam. Her newest golf project is the Nicklaus
Design Legend Hill Golf Resort in Hanoi. Asian Golf was
invited to visit the course and to get an insight on what
Madame Nga has planned for the future of golf in Vietnam..
In an unprecedented move, the Asia Pacific Golf
Group (APGG), the longest established specialist
golf media house in the region and the owner of
the prestigious Asian Golf Awards has installed a
permanent showcase to recognise the Continent’s
best over the years. The permanent showcase will
take the form of the Asian Golf Awards Museum and
it will be a virtual site in cyberspace.
28 Version 3.0 – Growing
From Strength To Strength

The world’s oldest golf company, Wilson Staff, after
flying under the radar for quite a while, is raising its
profile and displaying some exciting developments
in new product innovations. Most importantly, the
one-time great is showing that it has also regained
its ability to make money and be profitable. The
company has definitely re-invented itself, a process
that Asian Golf refers to as “Version 3.0”. Check out
this report to see how Wilson Staff is re-booting
itself.
24

56
EQUIPMENT FOCUS
48 Callaway’s Big Bomber Blitzkrieg!
Over a period of 15 months, Callaway Golf has
introduced something like eight drivers – five
of them bearing the “Big Bertha” branding.
The latest to hit the market are the Great Big
Bertha and the Big Bertha Alpha 16 driver. We
have not received the products yet but based
on preliminary information, looks like Callaway
expects to do well with these new big sticks.
52 Miura’s Out With Its Newest Putter
Miura Golf has debuted the KM 008 putter that
signifies a new chapter for the next generation of “the very best blade putter” made of a
forged, milled mild steel. Designed by master
club-maker Katsuhiro Miura, the KM 008 is an
improvement on Miura’s now retired KM 350
putter.
62 Black Hat Tips:
Pow! Knock Out!
If you are a golf fan,
I’m sure you will
make time to watch
The Presidents Cup
this year. The Presidents Cup is going
to be a great match
play event, just like
a “boxing match!” I
hope both teams
are ready to compete!
GAME-IMPROVEMENT
COVER STORY
24 Asia’s Golf Legacy Stored For Life!
34 If It Works For Mission Hills, Better Take Note!
Footgolf is growing fast. How fast? We understand that in the United States alone, footgolf
courses have surged from about 30 in 2013 to well over 300 this year. Mission Hills Group in
China has recognized its popularity and has adopted footgolf as a new business model for
the world’s largest golf resort.
40 Malaysia – A Giant In Professional Golf
The next few months will see Malaysia playing host to multi-million dollar professional golf
tournaments. October will see the return of the hugely popular PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic
which is a US$7 million tournament. Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby will play host to
the US$2 million LPGA tournament and in early 2016, Maybank will be the host to the US$3
million Maybank Malaysian Open. Welcome to the big time Malaysia!
46 Hail Jordan Spieth!
A special tribute to Jordan Spieth, the 22-year-old Texan who has assumed the pole position as golf’s world number one. In the process, he toppled Rory McIlroy from the top spot.
56 Golf Needs To Get “Cool”!
The big buzz amongst golf circles, especially those who are the power-brokers of the
game, seems to be focused on how the game can pick up a head of steam and grow.
Robert Phillion, president of Cobra PUMA Golf believes not enough is being done
– check out what one of the industry’s brightest business minds has to say.
6 Asian Golf Editorial Team 8 Shared Thoughts From Publisher 64 Next Issue
MIKE SEBASTIAN
Chief Executive Officer/Managing Editor
ANGELA RAYMOND
President
[ [email protected] ]
LAWRENCE YOUNG
Editor (New Equipment)
JIM PRUSA
International Roving Editor
[[email protected] ]
RAQUEL M. ARCEGA
Art Director & Ezine Development
SAIFUL SUFIAN
Art Director
MYRA PARAS
Accounts Executive
ALICE HO
Marketing Executive
WAYNE LWEE
Video Editor/Streaming services
Photographers
GETTY IMAGES
Contributing Professionals
IMG ACADEMY, TONY MEECHAI, CHRIS SMEAL, DAVID MILNE & LAWRIE
MONTAGUE (PRO TOUR GOLF COLLEGE), NICK RANDALL, STEVEN GIULIANO
Correspondents
ROBIN BARWICK (EUROPE), RISHI NARAIN (INDIA)
Contributing Editors
TERRY ANTON, ALAN CAMPBELL, KATHERINE ROBERTS, AAERISHNA SHAHSTHY
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SHARED THOUGHTS From The Publisher
T
he guy is the newly appointed
chief executive of the European
Tour. And guess what is one of
his most pressing aims in his
new job? One would expect that
his priorities would be focused
on the European Tour and the challenges it
faces, but this does not happen to be the case.
The man is thinking about “strengthening ties”
in Asia and by this, we reckon he is talking
about ties with the Asian Tour which has so far
had a chequered track record this year.
So, are we to interpret Keith Pelley’s (this
is the new man at the helm of the European
Tour) as a gesture of well-intentioned goodwill or are there sinister designs behind his
self-professed proclamation of help?
Let’s first of all put everything into
proper perspective. The European Tour is said
to have some 50 co-sanctioned tournaments
with the Asian Tour, most of which are events
that the former has brokered. Take away the
European assist, and there would really be
nothing of great substance to shout about as
far as the Asian Tour is concerned.
This is where this development takes on
a twist – an intriguing one at that! The European Tour’s remit should really be Europe
8
9 ASIAN GOLF
– after all that Continent is its territory. That’s
the market that the tour should develop
and not look at stretching its tentacles out
to Asia. But then again, maybe the tour has
no choice but to look for new markets to
generate much needed revenue to keep it
alive and to ensure that prize monies for its
players are both attractive and competitive.
The need to seek out new markets is
compounded by the fact that the European
Tour can’t look across the pond to the United
States of America or Canada – both these
markets are totally out of bounds! Especially
the U.S. where the PGA Tour, under the
watchful eye of commissioner Tim Finchem,
guards his muscle-bound organization like a
pit-bull! Let’s not forget that Finchem is also
on the hunt for new markets to stage PGA
Tour tournaments and he has already been
successful in Asia with events like the CIMB
Classic – a rich US$7 million dollar purse!
So, the picture now becomes clearer.
Asia is a much sought after prize for both
the European Tour and the PGA Tour and like
in days gone by, when the colonial powers
reigned supreme over many parts of this
continent, we are seeing the “colonization” of
Asia again.
Our defenses are weak, almost nonexistent and both these tours have and are
taking advantage of this weakness to just
roll in and pick up choice opportunities. This
is not healthy for the sport from an Asia perspective. The Asian Tour, which is a players’
tour, is going to be the big loser. While there
may be arguments presented that this will
have a positive effect on raising standards
for Asian professionals, we think otherwise. If
anything at all, the earning potential of Asian
professionals is literally going to be robbed
by tours that are going to hit our shores and
this is sad.
While both these tours may bring some
spectacle to Asia, it is not going to be beneficial to the majority of Asian professionals.
We’d like to suggest that Pelley keeps his focus
on Europe and work at keeping his players in
Europe rather than creating excuses for them
migrating to richer pastures in North America.
Leave Asia alone and let the Asian Tour develop and grow the professional game. We are
sure that they can do a decent job if let alone.
We hope that the Asian Tour has not slipped
into a deep slumber where they would welcome playing the role of second fiddle to the
European Tour. Who knows!
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COVER STORY An Emerging Giant
ISSUE 180
The golf industry has started a new
romance in Asia and this time, the heart
throb of the industry is Vietnam. There is
a major push towards the development
of new golf courses in this once wartorn nation and leading the thrust is the
BRG Group, a multi-faceted Vietnamese conglomerate led by the dynamic
lady entrepreneur Madame Nguyen Thi
Nga who is said to be the wealthiest
businesswoman in Vietnam. Her newest
golf project is the Nicklaus Design Legend Hill Golf Resort in Hanoi. Asian Golf
was invited to visit the course and
to get an insight on what Madame Nga has planned for
the future of golf in Vietnam.
12
13 ASIAN GOLF
SEPTEMBER 2015
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
f there is one country that dominates the “golf
golf
development buzz” in Asia, it has to be un-questionably Vietnam. Straddled along the
e
South China Sea, this ancient land was once
e
part of Imperial China for over a millennium from
rom
111BC to AD 938. It is a nation that has fought many wars
ars
and prevailed and in more recent times, it has driven out
foreign forces from Japan, France and the United States
es
of America. After the defeat of the Americans in 1975,,
ending the Vietnam War, the country was unified but
remained impoverished and politically isolated. The reform of the war-ravished country started in 1986 when
en
the government initiated a series of economic and
political reforms and by 2000, modern Vietnam with
a population in excess of 90 million, had established
d
diplomatic relations with all nations. Since 2000,
Vietnam’s economic growth rate has been among the
he
highest in the world, and, in 2011, it had the highestt
global growth generators index among 11 major
economies. Its successful economic reforms resulted
ed
in its joining the World Trade Organisation in 2007
and with 2015 almost over, Vietnam is trending towards a growth rate in excess of 6 percent which iss
about the highest in Asia.
W
ith the growth of golf
tanking in China,
once the darling of
the golf industry and
with the rest of Asia
not really showing
any signs of dramatic growth in golf development, Vietnam seems poised to be the
industry’s new heart throb.
Golf course development in Vietnam is
experiencing a “eureka moment” with a sudden burst of new golf courses already in play,
currently in development or being planned
for launch. All of a sudden, virtually every out
of work architect, builder and golf consultant has been awoken from a deep slumber,
caused by the lack of jobs and many are
reported to be heading back to Asia with
their focus firmly fixed on Vietnam.
It’s the new happy hunting ground
14
15 ASIAN GOLF
lf industry and quite rightly so
for the golf
because quite a number of new golf course
projects are reported to have been approved throughout Vietnam.
Leading the thrust in golf course development is the BRG Group, a multi-faceted
Vietnamese conglomerate led by a dynamic
lady entrepreneur who is said to be the
wealthiest businesswoman in Vietnam.
Those who know this “iron lady” speak very
kindly about her and are very complimentary to her seemingly boundless vigour and
spirit. “She is perhaps the most compassionate entrepreneur one can expect to
meet and her enthusiasm for all business
opportunities, especially golf is incredible,”
commented one of her senior managers.
Meet the visionary Madame Nguyen Thi
Nga, chairman of the BRG Group and chairman of SEABank and Intimex with extensive
interests in banking, real estate resort
rtss an
and
d
resorts
retail and with a payroll exceeding more
than 7,000 employees.
In 2014, she was recognised by the
Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner of ASIAN
GOLF with the prestigious Asia Pacific Woman Golf Entrepreneur of The Year Award. The
owner of the award winning Kings’ Island
Golf Resort in Hanoi and the BRG Ruby Tree
Golf Resort in the port city of Hai Phong,
Madame Nga has now officially opened her
newest golf development, the Legend Hill
Golf Resort.
The new golf course, located just 30
minutes away from the capital city of Hanoi,
has been built on a historic site known as
Soc Son District made famous throughout
Vietnam by Saint Giong, renown as one of
the “four Vietnamese religious immortals”.
As a mark of respect to this legendary hero,
th new golf course has been appropriately
tthe
na
named after the Vietnamese legend.
At the official opening ceremony on August 9 which was attended by high ranking
political and government officials, Madame
Nga said, “The launch of this new golf
course is the realization of a vision to offer
golfers a unique and a world class facility
and I am proud to declare that the original
vision has been realized and in many ways,
it has exceeded all of our expectations.”
The Legend Hills Golf Resort will go
down the annals of golf history as Asia’s first
“twin-green” golf course that offers golfers an
opportunity to play 36-holes on an 18-hole
configuration. With the opening of this course,
the BRG Group is now positioned as Vietnam’s
premier golf course owner and operator.
The launch of the Legend Hills Golf
Resort also marks a very significant part-
The Legend Hills Golf Resort will
go down the annals of golf history
as Asia’s first “twin-green” golf course that
offers golfers an opportunity to play
36-holes on an 18-hole configuration.”
nership between the BRG Group and the
Nicklaus Design Group, led by the world’s
greatest golfer, Jack Nicklaus, arguably the
biggest and most dynamic golf business
in the world. This partnership will see both
organisations working together to help
develop new golf courses, golf resorts and
golf academies throughout Vietnam.
The Legend Hills Golf Resort is Nicklaus
Design’s first major golf course in Vietnam
and commenting on this show-case development, Paul Stringer, president of Nicklaus
Companies for the Asia Pacific region said
“Legend Hills is very special and unique in
that it has been designed to offer a variety
of strategic hole combinations that can
be played in one 18-hole round.” He went
on to add, “We have created two separate
green complexes playing from one primary
landing zone on each hole and from our
ISSUE 180
perspective the twin greens add interest,
challenge, and a unique design feature to
the golf course.” According to Stringer, the
Legend Hill Golf course has water, strategically placed bunkers, and is a beautiful
environment in which to play golf.
The launch of this new golf course also
heralds a “strategic alliance” between the
BRG Group and Nicklaus Design that will
see the development of business initiatives
that will go well beyond golf course design.
It will cover a wide range of other golfrelated business opportunities that will be
focused on developing Vietnam into a truly
world-class venue for quality golf and to
also help develop the country into a major
force in international golf.
“Working with Nicklaus Design we will
seek out suitable locations throughout
Vietnam to develop into spectacular golf
courses, hotels and resorts and golf academies to help develop and grow the game
of golf in Vietnam,” revealed Madame Nga.
One of the key focus areas of this stra-
16
17 ASIAN GOLF
tegic partnership will be the development
of junior golfers. The ambitious programme
is called the BRG VietGolf U16. Commenting
on VietGolf U16 Mark Andrew Reeves, BRG’s
Director of Golf Development said, “In short
BRG plans to take Vietnamese children aged
8-15 (U16) from all walks of life and introduce
them to golf. BRG will start with on-range
sessions at BRG Doson Seaside Ruby Tree in
the Hai Phong area and BRG Kings’ Island in
Hanoi in July and August 2015 respectively.”
These programmes will be coordinated and
managed by PGA certified experts.
The BRG VietGolf U16 programme has
three major goals which are:

To produce a Vietnam amateur
champion by 2018;

To produce Vietnamese children
good enough to represent Vietnam
in the 19th Asia Games; and

To produce a Vietnamese player
good enough to compete on a major
tour (Asian, European, US) by 2025.
As a big investor and a serious stakeholder in golf, the BRG Group has elected
to make a long term investment in the
youth of Vietnam. “We want to attract
young people in Vietnam to the game of
golf, especially those who would not normally have a chance of playing the game
and by so doing, it is our hope that we will
be able to discover and develop exciting
young talent under the VietGolf U16 programme,” explained Madame Nga.
Considering that Vietnam is a sprawling nation with a large population, BRG
VietGolf U16 is not daunted by the task
at hand. According to Reeves, “We will
start with ‘into school’ visits and ‘schools
to golf course’ visits from September 2015
with support from local authorities and
gradually grow the programme through
free weekend morning on-range tuition
which will lead to proficiency and course
testing.”
“Eventually children will be able to
play free of green fees at BRG’s Doson
Our immediate plan is to make contact with and introduce golf to at
least 5,000 children living and attending
schools in the Hai Phong area adjacent to
BRG Doson Seaside Ruby Tree by end December 2015 and with a similar numeric
goal for children in Hanoi surrounding
BRG Kings’ Island Resort.”
Seaside Ruby Tree Club at off peak times
and on school holidays and it is hoped that
as BRG acquires more golf courses in different regions of Vietnam, we will extend the
programme,” he added.
Speaking for the Nicklaus Design
Group, Stringer said, “The Nicklaus Compa-
nies support will kick in when we start the
Nicklaus Academy in Thang Loi, Hanoi no
later than March 2016. This involvement
will grow in 2016 – 2018 as we continue
to open three additional Jack Nicklaus
Academies of Golf throughout Vietnam in
the coming four years.”
SEPTEMBER 2015
Sharing her vision for the BRG VietGolf U16 programme, Madame Nga said,
“Our immediate plan is to make contact
with and introduce golf to at least 5,000
children living and attending schools in
the Hai Phong area adjacent to BRG Doson
Seaside Ruby Tree by end December
2015 and with a similar numeric goal for
children in Hanoi surrounding BRG Kings’
Island Resort.”
Given the BRG Group’s current investment in golf development and its projected development plans, two things are
for certain – golf is on an upward trend in
Vietnam and the BRG Group is going to be
at the forefront of the projected growth of
the game.
While we are tempted to refer to this
surge in development as being something
similar to what happened in China over
the last number of years, it is hoped that
the pace will be controlled and is both
sustained and sustainable in Vietnam.
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SPECIAL FEATURE Rising Stars
ISSUE 180
In the short-term
I am planning to
compete in Asia. However the ultimate goal is
to move beyond the
Asian Tour and onto the
European or PGA tour
one day.” – Danny Masrin
Every once in a while, a young golfer emerges in Asia who holds out promise as being the total package. We’ve seen this with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, India’s
Anirban Lahiri, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and lately, Malaysia’s rising young gun,
Gavin Green. These are players who share one thing in common – they possess a
truck-load of talent and skill that’s been good enough to take them onto the world
stage. Matsuyama, Aphibarnrat and Lahiri have already made it on the international
WYVMLZZPVUHSJPYJ\P[HUK^LÄYTSÌLSPL]L[OH[NP]LU.YLLU»Z<:JVSSLNL[YHJRYLcord, he is destined for big things in the near future.
I
n our search for young talent and
the next prospect most likely to
make it on the world stage, we
came across an impressive young
player from Indonesia. He will be
graduating from his college in
North America in December and he is
already preparing to get his card to play on
the Asian Tour starting in 2016.
20
21 ASIAN GOLF
“If I do not get my card in my first
attempt I will play on the Asian Development Tour for the first year,” said 22 year
old Danny Masrin. This youngster is not
just a talented player – he’s got brains and
he uses it well to strategise his future. We
have to differentiate Danny from most of
the others that we run into because he is
one young man who has already devel-
oped a pathway and it does not start and
stop with the Asian Tour. He has his sights
set on the big game which is to make it
all the way to play on his dream tour – the
PGA Tour, the tour for the big boys of
professional golf! “In the short-term I am
planning to compete in Asia. However the
ultimate goal is to move beyond the Asian
Tour and onto the European or PGA tour
SEPTEMBER 2015
SPECIAL FEATURE Rising Stars
one day,” is Danny’s vision of the future.
The young Indonesian started playing
golf seriously when he entered the American college system which he describes
as being “very competitive.” “I think that
college golf is a great platform for juniors to
go through as you build networks, friendships and experience that you cannot learn
anywhere else.” He explained that the U.S.
college golf season normally runs through
fall and winter and as he put it, “we don’t
exactly play in the “easiest” conditions.” “We
play in a lot of cold, windy weather, especially when you go to school in the Midwest
and I think that the competition and the
weather conditions have both made me a
better player,” he said.
Having played competitively both
in Asia and in America as a junior player,
Danny feels that there are a lot of differences that a player will experience playing
in both regions. By his reckoning, one area
of the game that is of utmost important in
America is the attention paid to the mental
aspects of golf. “During the last two years
of my college career I started to focus on
the mental side of the game because while
ISSUE 180
I can hit the ball as well as any of the players on tour, but where I differ from them
is the way they handle themselves on the
course,” Danny explained. “The more I have
looked into the mental side of the game
the more intrigued by it I have become,” he
exclaimed.
To prove his point, Danny shared a
piece of advice that he received from a
sports psychologist who presented him
with this poser: “When you hit a bad shot
into a bunker and you walk up and see that
it’s plugged what is your first thought?”
Danny said he responded with a shrug and
retorted, “It’s an automatic bogey …..it’s a
terrible lie, and I am so unlucky.”
The psychologist thought otherwise
and questioned if it was really a bad lie and
explained that under most circumstances,
a player will perceive the worst and when
this happens, everything starts to crumble.
“What I learned from this observation is that
as golfers we need to focus on controlling what we can control and one of those
things that we can control is how we react
to shots and how we perceive shots,” Danny
pointed out.
From that one example of how a poor
mental attitude can affect a golfer’s game,
Danny has become very adept at hanging
mentally tough against on-course adversities. Speaking with tremendous confidence,
he said, “Now when I see my ball plugged in
a bunker I say it’s not a bad lie …. I can get
up and down and I am able to address the
shot with a positive attitude where I give
myself hope.” Before this radical transformation, Danny would have given up hope
and in despair marked up his card with a
bogey. “The mental side of the game is what
separates a good player from a truly great
player,” is how he evaluates the importance
of possessing a strong mental game.
Danny’s father, Jimmy Masrin, a man
obsessed with golf and a scratch player
himself, is a highly successful businessman
and has been a source of tremendous support to his development as a top junior and
college golfer. Jimmy is the man behind the
Leadbetter Academy in Indonesia, and this
is where young Danny has been coached
since 2011. “I work with Phillipe DeBuschere
(the academy’s lead coach) and have been
with him ever since. I can definitely say that
I think that college golf is a great platform for juniors
to go through as you build networks, friendships and
experience that you cannot learn anywhere else.”
22
23 ASIAN GOLF
my game has improved from the combination of a good full-time coach as well as playing collegiate golf.”
Asian Golf has had an opportunity of
watching Danny in action and he is most
certainly a young man on a mission. He
describes himself as “a pretty long hitter
and I hit my driver over 300 yards and my
irons are also pretty long and one of my
strengths.” Under the watchful eye of his
coach, Danny has sharpened his short game
and according to him, “I have really put in a
lot of time into my wedge game and putting
and now I would probably assess it as being
100 times better than it used to be and
together with my iron play, I see the short
game as a major asset to my game.”
As the young Indonesian gets ready
to embark on his professional game,
he has just signed on with Adidas/Taylormade for clothing and equipment.
However, he will stick to playing with his
Titleist AP2 irons.
Young Danny is on his way and watch
out for this talent who has the potential
to break out and hit the big time. He is the
total package and a great hope for Asia!
SEPTEMBER 2015
SPECIAL FEATURE Asian Golf Awards
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
While golf has had a relatively long history in Asia, very little has
been done in terms of maintaining a permanent record of the
achievements of men and women in the industry.
T
his is all set to change with the launch of the Asian Golf Awards Museum. In an unprecedented move, the Asia Pacific Golf Group (APGG), the longest established specialist golf
media house in the region and the owner of the prestigious Asian Golf Awards has installed
a permanent showcase to recognise the Continent’s best over the years.
The Asian Golf Awards is widely regarded as the Asian golf industry’s equivalent of Hollywood’s “Oscars”. Annually, the golf industry recognises its best through an on-line poll of
golfing facilities across the Asia region.
There are more than 48 award categories and special awards that honour the best golf courses in
the region, the best golf destinations and the best personalities in the industry.
It serves as a yardstick by which excellence in the golf industry is measured in Asia.
The permanent showcase will take the form of the Asian Golf Awards Museum and it will be a virtual
site in cyberspace. Some of the greatest names in Asian golf are now permanently installed in this
special museum.
24
25 ASIAN GOLF
SPECIAL FEATURE Asian Golf Awards
C H A N G E
A G E N T
Extraordinaire
A N D Y
S T A N G E N B E R G
Gary Player
Jack Nicklaus
Thongchai Jaidee
Andy Stangenberg is not just another speaker.
Andy entertains and keeps you at the edge
He is a special performer who transcends all
of your seat throughout a session, he also
of the known norms and boundaries of public
imparts knowledge that will help make
speaking. He is often described as a speaker
a definite difference to anybody who
from "another planet" and this is attributable to
watches and listens to him.
the fact that he does not conform to universally
session is like watching something
Dr. David Chu
To commemorate this auspicious milestone, we have
taken the decision to create a home for the awards and
we felt that in the absence of a brick and mortar facility, the
next best option was to create a grand web site to pay tribute
to the industry’s greats.”¶:\ÄHU:HPM\S
The awards programme has been
around since the late 1990s but was only
formalised and actively promoted starting
in 2006 and this year will mark the programme’s tenth anniversary.
“To commemorate this auspicious milestone, we have taken the decision to create
a home for the awards and we felt that in
the absence of a brick and mortar facility,
the next best option was to create a grand
web site to pay tribute to the industry’s
greats,” said Sufian Saiful, the curator of the
cyberspace museum.
The museum is now “live” at
www.asiangolfawards.com
Commenting on the programme, Tenniel Chu, vice chairman of the Mission Hills
26
27 ASIAN GOLF
Group in China said, “We have always had
a special place for the Asian Golf Awards
and APPG needs to be thanked for having
both the vision and the drive to undertake
to organise this special awards programme
which is the best in Asia.”
The Asian Golf Awards has more than 48
award categories and included amongst its
special award categories are:
■ The Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame
■ The Asia Pacific Golf Life-Time Achievement Award
■ The Asia Pacific Custodian of The Environment Award
Among the legends and great names
who have been inducted into the Asia
Pacific Golf Hall of Fame are:
"Attending an Andy Stangenberg
acceptable standard procedures.
Peter Thomson
■ Jack Nicklaus
■ Gary Player
■ Peter Thomson
■ Thongchai Jaidee
■ Dr. David Chu
In conjunction with the Asian Golf
Awards Museum, APGG will also be launching another service that will rank the
Most Powerful People in Golf in Asia. This
programme, now in its third year is managed
jointly by GOLF Inc. magazine from North
America and APGG. The results of this list will
be published in the October issue of Asian
Golf. Like the Asian Golf Awards Museum, the
“Power List” will have its own web site that
will serve as a record of the men and women
who have been elected to be on this list.
He is an un-boxed thinker and passionate
cataclysmic happening – he
about all aspects of service and its delivery;
is change in motion!" said Bill
he is intense when he talks about leadership
Sanderson, a noted international
and performance; and he is committed
business coach.
to identifying and bringing out the best in
everyone he touches. Andy connects and
engages with his audience in a very interactive
and personal manner and this is what sets him
apart as a star performer.
"I have seen many top speakers in my time
but never have I witnessed so much energy,
drive and innovative thinking to match the
Stangenberg package. This guy will drag you
through all the emotions and senses - he will
make you laugh, cry and celebrate - all in one
sitting. This is the magic of Andy Stangenberg,"
is how noted international speaker Gregg
Patterson describes Andy
Andy.
Be 'Touched' by Andy Stangenberg
A Realty And Business Coach Like No Other!
CMAA Asia Pacific Pte Ltd & Q-Principle
Email: Andy Stangenberg [email protected] or Call: +65-6323 2800; Mobile: +65-8339 8352.
SPECIAL FEATURE Wilson Staff
The odyssey began
back in the last century – 1914
WREHH[DFWZKHQ:LOVRQ6WDσHPbarked on a journey that would establish it
as one of the true greats of the golf industry. It is
a brand that the heroes of golf depended on and these
LQFOXGHGOHJHQGVOLNH*HQH6DUD]HQ6DP6QHDG:DOWHU
+DJHQ$UQROG3DOPHU1LFN)DOGR3D\QH6WHZDUW-RKQ'DO\
%HQ&UHQVKDZDQG9LMD\6LQJK7RGD\RQHKXQGUHG\HDUVODWHUDIter being passed through the hands of various owners and corporate
UHVWUXFWXULQJV:LOVRQ6WDσLVWDNLQJRQWKHQHZFHQWXU\ZLWKH[FLWLQJQHZ
SURGXFWVDQGDEROGYLVLRQIRUWKHIXWXUH$VLDQ*ROIORRNVLQWRWKHQHZ:LOVRQ
6WDσZLWK7LP&ODUNHJHQHUDOPDQDJHUDQGWKHPDQDWWKHKHOPRIWKHFRPSDQ\
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
ISSUE 180
man, a European Tour win by Marcel Siem,
and it was really special to see Padraig Harrington back in the winner’s circle on the
Asian Tour. To top it off it, it was a profitable
year for Wilson Staff in a very competitive
business climate.”
Clarke who has been at the driver’s seat
since 2006 has stuck to a very well defined
strategy that is centred on developing innovative world class golf products that help
people enjoy the game while giving its tour
players a competitive advantage through
products like the Wilson D200 line of equipment and the low compression innovations
in the Duo range of golf balls.
It is a well-acknowledged fact that
the golf equipment sector of the industry
has been experiencing very difficult times
over the past few years primarily caused by
excess inventory and ruthless price wars.
Wilson Staff seems to have been mindful of
this blood-letting and steered clear of the
mayhem. “We know where Wilson Golf is
A
sian Golf met Clarke when
he had just assumed his
new corporate responsibilities in 2007 and he
immediately gave a strong
impression that he was a
man on a serious mission. For those who
are not familiar with Wilson Staff, it may
help to point out that it is the oldest golf
equipment company in the world and it is
also the brand that has “more majors won
than any other brand.” Players using Wilson
Staff clubs have won a total of 61 majors!
Just in case you are wondering why we
have tagged this article as “Version 3.0”,
there’s a very good reason behind it. The
early years were great years for Wilson Staff
until 1970, when PepsiCo (yeah, the outfit
that produces the soda pop) purchased
the company. Under PepsiCo, Wilson Staff
was almost destroyed by the bottler’s mass
marketing strategy which down-graded
the once lofty image of Wilson-Staff to that
of a mass-market, bargain basement department store brand. There went WilsonStaff’s highly respected and revered
30
31 ASIAN GOLF
reputation as world class golf equipment
used by the best players in the world! This
period was “Version 1.0” in the history of
the company.
After being subjected to the ignominy
of being down-graded to a Walmart brand
by PepsiCo, Wilson Staff was bought by a
private equity group and nothing happened under the new ownership which lasted about four years. It was again sold off to
its current owners, Amer Sports just before
the turn of the century. It was a tumultuous period and Wilson Staff was wallowing
in red ink amidst numerous management
re-shuffles and nothing looked good for the
once great brand. This period was “Version
2.0” (a lot happened in this period but we’ve
decided to pass on it).
The company needed a
major, almost seismic make-over
and this came in 2006 when
Clarke took over as general
manager and started to re-engineer the company. This period
witnessed the launch of Wilson
Staff’s “Version 3.0” – the slick
management process that has
seen the company consolidate
itself and lay a foundation on solid
bedrock that will see it progress
into the future.
“Version 3.0” has already started
producing results according to Clarke
who said,”Last year (2014) was certainly a
remarkable year for Wilson Golf. We had a
notable win on The PGA TOUR by Kevin Streel-
going to be five years down the road and
we have a clear road map on how we are
going to get the brand there,” Clarke explained. “Our strategy is to take the market
conditions out of play as we do not need to
react to the craziness we have seen in the
market over the past few years. Our main
objective is to execute our brand strategies
with a focus on profitability and continuous
improvement each and every year.”
This strategy is clearly manifested in
Wilson Staff’s current line of equipment. The
SEPTEMBER 2015
D200 line features the right light technology that works for a majority of its golf
consumers. “We are able to measure this
through extensive consumer testing and
I believe our right light technology was
recognized on Golf Digest’s Hot List Gold
Awards in the Driver/ Irons category and
in the Silver Awards on Fairway Metals/
Hybrid. In order to be an innovative brand
it requires a willingness to go against the
norm when the product gives the golfer
better results,” Clarke pointed out.
Our strategy is to take the market
conditions out of play as we do
not need to react to the craziness we
have seen in the market over the past
few years. Our main objective is to execute our brand strategies with a focus
on profitability and continuous improvement each and every year.”
Wilson Staff has been a pioneer in lightweight technology and this technology has
been used extensively in the D200 series of
clubs and its predecessor, the D100 series.
As a division of Wilson, the sporting goods
manufacturer who are leaders in making
world class equipment to impact balls with
different sports, this has given Wilson Staff a
definite advantage. For years, Wilson Staff has
used advanced consumer insights from all of
its sports to give it the opportunity to stay in
front of consumer trends. “We’ve found that
there are similarities to what our players are
looking for from a competitive advantage,
whether it be on the court (tennis), at the
plate (baseball), or on the course (golf). I can
tell you that light weight is here to stay as
players want to continue to hit things further
or harder by being able to swing faster with
the same effort,” Clarke pointed out. He went
on to add, “It is in our DNA to challenge
the norm and always ask the next question
which is WHY NOT! Fat Shaft, Low Compression, Fybrids, Right Lite and more coming
soon are all driven by our own curiosity and
advanced consumer insight.”
Challenging the norm can also be seen
on a different level – the professional golf
tours where Wilson Staff’s profile is on
the rise. “We have wonderful players and
people on the Wilson Staff team and I am
committed to continuous improvement
which is why we added Brendan Steele and
Troy Merritt to go along with Padraig Har-
We are able to measure this through
extensive consumer testing and I
believe our right light technology was recognized on Golf Digest’s Hot List Gold
Awards in the Driver/ Irons category and in
the Silver Awards on Fairway Metals/Hybrid.
In order to be an innovative brand it requires
a willingness to go against the norm when
the product gives the golfer better results.”
rington, Kevin Streelman, and Ricky Barnes
on the PGA TOUR.” Clarke explained.
In the context of Wilson Staff’s steadily
rising profile, the company’s golf balls have
been received very well by consumers,
especially the Duo range of balls. According
to Clarke the Duo is the world’s softest ball at
29 compression and it has taken the golf ball
industry by storm. He said, “Currently in the
US, four of the top selling balls are now low
compression products which is forcing many
companies to catch up – we have been into
low compression since 1997 and we are still
the global leader in low compression golf
balls.”
Of the most memorable aspects of Wilson
Staff is its achievement in winning majors –
61 in total with no other brand in sight as a
challenger yet. Commenting on this record,
Clarke said, “Majors are a very special part
of this great game and we are building our
brand and tour staff to put us in position to
be at the elite level of the game. Nothing is
more elite than a major win in golf and we are
excited to continue to build on our industry
leading 61 wins in the near future.”
With 2016 around the corner, the Wilson
Staff team is excited about what it has
in store for 2016. Looking ahead, Clarke
exclaimed, “I think the quote ‘most successful
people are people who take risks - calculated risks - but nevertheless, risks, sums up
our outlook of the future.” A very apt and
fitting attitude which embodies the focus to
continue innovating and producing the best
golf equipment for consumers at all skill levels. Wilson Staff is well on its way to booting
up on “Version 3.0”.
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32
33 ASIAN GOLF
Tel: +66-25403180 Fax: +66-25403181
SPECIAL FEATURE Footgolf
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
Hong Kong and Mainland stars team
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I
t all becomes terribly significant when the world’s largest
golf resort, the Mission Hills Group of China opened up its
wide, accommodating arms to embrace footgolf and bring it
into its fold of golf businesses. This was serious validation by
a major force in golf! When Mission Hills anoints footgolf, it’s
time to sit up and take notice.
A FootGolf footnote: Although we vehemently attacked this new sport, we have to point out that as geriatrics,
we were envious and jealous of those who could slip into a
pair of sports shorts, jersey and football boots and go play
footgolf! If only we were young and fit again! You can bet
your bottom dollar that we’d get out in a New York minute
and go for a kick-about!
34
35 ASIAN GOLF
Mr. Tenniel Chu with the cheerleaders
Well, now that we have come clean and have acknowledged
that the hybrid game is here to stay, let us set out to see how the
game has caught on. One report states that Footgolf is growing
fast. How fast? We understand that in the United States alone,
footgolf courses have surged from about 30 in 2013 to well over
300 this year.
There is no doubt about it – footgolf is growing and it is growing
as a sport with more players signing on to experience this fun sport.
Tenniel Chu, vice-chairman of the Mission Hills Group, the man
spear-heading the promotion of footgolf in China told Asian Golf
that the world’s largest golf resort is viewing footgolf as a “new
business model”. If one is to interpret his statement, Mission Hills is
focused on growing footgolf as a serious business and if the group
has allocated the use of the Nicklaus course at its Shenzhen facility
in China for footgolf, it becomes very apparent that bucks are being
put behind this business initiative.
An Editorial footnote: When the lords and gatekeepers of the game first looked at footgolf, they viewed it
as a much needed shot-in-the-arm and held out the hope
that this hybrid will introduce much needed new players to
the game of golf. With no statistics to back this, one can only
deduce that footgolf’s popularity is based on its own unique
appeal and not as a dragnet to introduce new players to
golf. We think that footgolf will experience meteoric growth
with little or no crumbs left behind for the golf industry to
pick up. Get the message?
Back to the report – “FootGolf has acquired a good and growing
support base in China and based on current trends, it has a very
good future in China – the potential for growth is huge,” declared
Chu who is the prime moving force behind the China Footgolf Association. Chu is so bullish about the future of footgolf in China that
SPECIAL FEATURE Footgolf
ISSUE 180
Cheers for AGA Chairman Gilbert Lam’s Hole in One. Tenniel, Billy
Lau, Gilbert Lam, Cindy Lee and Chan Yee Ming celebrate.
Footgolf is just like
golf in many ways.
You play on a golf course,
there are eighteen holes,
and the winner is whoever
finishes in the fewest number of strokes. Where it is
different to golf, and similar to football, is that instead of hitting a golf ball
you kick a football.”
Aerial photo of cheerleaders-AGA stars and Tenniel Chu
he is already planning on a team representing China and Hong Kong at the
2016 Footgolf World Cup in Argentina.
“FootGolf has proved to be hugely
popular with footballers. China has
26 million footballers and 300 million
football spectators and fans, the most
of any country in the world. It catches
such a large demographic, so it is just
a question of waiting for the right
time to get involved with it,” said Chu.
“I knew it would take off with
adults, but we started looking at how
the sport could continue to grow and
grow. And if you get the youngsters
involved you’re going to still be going
in 10, 20, 30 years’ time, and you’ll be
continuing to build, develop and progress,” Chu added.
Footgolf is just like golf in many
ways. You play on a golf course, there
are eighteen holes, and the winner is
Group Photo- A total of 42 two-man teams battled for honours on the historic Jack Nicklaus-designed
World Cup Course at Mission Hills, the pioneer and innovator in China.
36
37 ASIAN GOLF
Prize presentation – Tenniel Chu,Shen Rong ,Chen Yujun (Winner),
Xu Deli, former Chairman of Guangdong Golf Association
whoever finishes in the fewest number
of strokes. Where it is different to golf,
and similar to football, is that instead
of hitting a golf ball you kick a football.
Unlike golf, Footgolf is easy to learn
and anyone can play. It combines the
excitement of both sports. And this is
what concerns the golf purist. Can and
will the growing popularity of footgolf
spin off a few new players for golf? We
gave Mr. Chu the final say – “I don’t believe that golf will be cannibalized by
footgolf – I believe that each game has
its own strengths and it is my belief
that both games can co-exist.”
As a parting shot, we will urge all
golf course operators in Asia to watch
development at Mission Hills in China.
The group is creating a new business
pathway for golf course owners to
add a new and hopefully sustainable
revenue stream.
Fernando Iturbe shows football golf skills to teenagers
SEPTEMBER 2015
Fernando Iturbe (A grade UEFA coach), Tenniel Chu and Tan Binliang
A GOLF Battle FIT FOR ONLY
THE BEST!
We knew that this headline would
grab your attention!
Finally club managers get to play and compete in a
tournament all their own.
The Asia Pacific Golf Group in conjunction with the
staging of the 2015 Asia Pacific Golf Summit will
be organizing the Inaugural Asia-Pacific Inter-Club
Challenge Tournament. It will be played with twoman teams drawn from clubs within the Asia Pacific
footprint for the coveted Le Van Kiem Inter-Club
Trophy.
This tournament is all about good, clean fun and more
importantly, it is about networking.
The tournament will be run on October 14.
The venue will be the Orchid Country Club, an awardwinning 27-hole golf course in Singapore that has
played host to a variety of golf tournaments including
the Asian Tour. There is no entry fee to participate in
this tournament. To qualify, players
need to register as delegates to
attend the Summit and there are 144
slots available.
Entry will be on a first come first served basis
and a two-man team from each club can register
on-line through APGS official website at
www.golfconference.org or email Alice Ho at
alice@asiapacificgolfgroup.com or call
+65 63232800 for more details.
Come and Do Battle
Amongst Your Peers!
STEP 1:
STEP 2:
STEP 3:
REGISTER AS
DELEGATES
TWO-MAN TEAM
FROM EACH CLUB
144 SLOTS
AVAILABLE
First Come First Serve Basis
Get to Know Them and Have Fun in the Process!
SPECIAL FEATURE Professional Golf Tournaments
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
Malaysia does not get a fair shake for what it does for the professional game of golf.
In fact, it often gets over-shadowed by countries like China and Thailand when it
comes to exposure and coverage in international media, especially the golf media.
This is disappointing especially when you consider that it is about the only country
within the Southeast Asian basin where professional tournaments witness the active
involvement and participation of local corporations, government agencies and the
national golf association (it must be pointed out that the Malaysian Golf Association
is perhaps the most active amongst national golf associations in the region).
40
41 ASIAN GOLF
A
ggressive promotions like what Malaysia is
engaging in should be recognized and promoted
by all serious stake-holders in golf. Those who are
familiar with that country’s flag-ship event, the
Maybank Malaysian Open would be pleased to
know that it will receive a massive boost for the
2016 edition.
The event, a hugely popular professional tournament in Malaysia and the neighbouring countries, will see the size of its prize
money bloat to a staggering US$3 million for next year’s clash. As
national tournaments go, it tops the chart as the “richest national
golf tournament” in the region.
Scheduled to be staged in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala
Lumpur in February 2016, it will tower over the US$1 million dollar
Singapore Open which is scheduled to be held from January 28-31.
ISSUE 180
The latter event which takes its name after the highly successful
island nation which is its home, is back after a three year hiatus.
While the tournament is back on the Asian professional tour
calendar, it’s not something to get excited about. After having
worked its way to becoming Asia’s richest national golf tournament under the banner of its last sponsor, Barclays Bank, the
resuscitated event is back with a total of a “minimum prize purse
of US$1 million”.
Last held in Singapore in 2013, the “new look” Singapore
Open will be sponsored by Sumitomo-Mitsui Banking Corporation and will be titled the SMBC Singapore Open. During its
heyday, the now defunct Barclays Singapore Open was a premier
event even by global standards with a purse of US$6 million.
Now that Malaysia’s initiatives in the hosting of professional golf tournaments have been put into proper perspective,
Next year will also be a
milestone year for golf
as it will be featured as an
event at the 2016 Olympics for
the first time, and we want this
tournament to be an important staging point for our professional golfers who can
represent the country in Rio.”
– Tan Sri Dato Megat Zaharuddin, chairman
of Maybank
42
43 ASIAN GOLF
MAYBANK MALAYSIAN OPEN: KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - APRIL 20: Lee
Westwood of England celebrates with the trophy after winning the Final round
of the 2014 Maybank Malaysian Open at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on
April 20, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Maybank needs to be patted on its back for stepping up to the
plate and forking out the big investment of US$3 million for prize
money. This is what the professional game needs in the region to
grow. Cash-rich Asian multinationals have to come forward to support and help grow the game of golf and what Maybank has done
is a classic example of corporate support for golf and it is simply
spectacular!
Maybank has been involved with the Malaysian Open for a decade and in that time, its commitment to golf has helped raise the
standard of amateurs and professional golfers in the country. And
with the staging of the 2016 tournament, Maybank has again extended its commitment to see the largest number of professional
Malaysian golfers qualifying and participating in the tournament.
“Next year will also be a milestone year for golf as it will be
featured as an event at the 2016 Olympics for the first time, and
SEPTEMBER 2015
we want this tournament to be an important staging point for our
professional golfers who can represent the country in Rio,” said Tan
Sri Dato Megat Zaharuddin, chairman of Maybank.
He went on to add, “Our considerations to have Maybank’s
own Championship are to ensure that our objectives in projecting
our brand to our stakeholders worldwide and to support our community aspirations can be sustained in the best possible way.”
According to Megat he expects to reach out to golfers within
the region and said, “With the Maybank Malaysian Open we will
also be nurturing budding ASEAN golfing talents by providing a
fixed number of slots to talented golfers in the ASEAN countries.”
Besides being home to the richest
national golf tournament, Malaysia also plays host to the
CIMB Classic which is a full-fledged
PGA Tour tournament. The next
2014 Sime Darby LPGA
2014 CIMB Classic
instalment of this star-studded tournament will
be staged in Kuala Lumpur in October and the
tournament boasts a prize-kitty of US$7 million!
Another star-studded world class tournament hosted by Malaysia is the Sime Darby
LPGA tournament which is now in its sixth year.
The prize money for this event stands at US$2
million.
We think that everybody who is interested
to see golf grow, should stand up and salute
Malaysia for showing its leadership in helping
to stage world-class professional tournaments.
Let us not forget also how the nation and its
golf stake-holders work with these professional
event promoters to run coaching programmes
for a select group of promising young stars
and clinics to help expose the game of golf to a
wider audience.
Well done Malaysia! You have set a glowing
example of what can be done to help grow golf.
Continue to be the beacon of hope in Asia!
44
45 ASIAN GOLF
We think that everybody who is interested to see golf grow, should
stand up and salute Malaysia for showing its
leadership in helping to stage world-class
professional tournaments.”
Nominated for "Best Golf Resort in Asia"
Asian Golf Awards 2015
SPECIAL FEATURE A Tribute
H
ow refreshing it is for professional golf to finally have a
super-star without blemishes. Someone who can
help project a new image for golf.
The game has finally rid itself of a fallen
hero whose name has not only become
tarnished but also disgraced. The
pro-tem custodian of the throne, whilst a nice kid,
was totally colourless. He just did not possess the
star qualities to transform him into the sort of idol
golf needs, especially at this stage of the evolution
of the game.
However, all this changed on August 17, 2015 when a 22-year old from Texas ascended to
golf’s loftiest throne to claim the prestigious and sought after title as the World’s Number One
golfer!
Jordan Spieth personifies everything that is good and wholesome about golf and while he
has been on the ascendency in recent years, his pleasant demeanour and great family values is
most definitely going to get golf all the respect that it so rightfully deserves.
And let us not forget his awesome game, his natural talent and his fighting qualities. All
distinctive qualities that symbolize the mark of a true champion.
Let a new era begin!
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47 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
EQUIPMENT FOCUS Callaway Big Bertha
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
he elves have been very busy lately at the house that the legendary Ely Callaway built. It’s fascinating to note that since he set up Callaway Golf in 1984, the company has led through the creation of
highly innovative golf products. It is perhaps best known and recognized for the Big Bertha Driver,
a product and a brand that was first introduced to the world in 1991. At the time, its design was considered highly modern and a radical departure from older drivers as it was crafted entirely of stainless steel.
Since the introduction of the original Big Bertha, Callaway has introduced further clubs and lines of clubs
with similar names, such as the “Great Big Bertha”, the “Biggest Big Bertha”, and titanium versions of the clubs.
In 2003, they introduced the “Great Big Bertha II,” and in 2004, the “Big Bertha 454.” It was not until 2013 when
the company brought back this successful brand with the launch of two new multi-material, adjustable drivers
with the Big Bertha name, the Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha.
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49 ASIAN GOLF
EQUIPMENT FOCUS Callaway Big Bertha
ISSUE 180
T
he latest additions are the “Great Big Bertha” driver
and the “Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond” driver. According to a Callaway spokesman.
The Great Big Bertha features a low centre of gravity
and high MOI to deliver distance with forgiveness.
“The light, fast, stable chassis is the key to generating higher clubhead speed, and with the perfect combination of
aerodynamic shaping with multi-material construction, it comes
with all the bells and whistles to set the club configuration to suit
your swing type,” the spokesman explained.
The Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond driver
is said to deliver “extreme distance” and Callaway claims
that it has been designed with the “expert player”
in mind. “The Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black
Diamond Driver is built for high-calibre players
looking for the ultimate combination of extreme
distance and shot-shaping control in a sleek,
traditional shape,” the spokesman said.
The all-new dual distance chambers
allow Callaway’s gravity core to work
as a distance turbo charger. This is a
highly innovative development and
here’s how it works:
Simply choose to put the
gravity core in either the
left or right chamber
for a draw or neutral
setting.
50
51 ASIAN GOLF
SEPTEMBER 2015
Both the new Big Bertha models feature the next-generation R*MOTO Technology which provides the structure for
a thinner face, leading to high ball speeds on balls struck anywhere on the face.”
Flip it up or down depending on where their normal impact
location is on the face.
More weight behind the impact location equals more ball
speed and more distance.
Both the new Big Bertha models feature the next-generation
R*MOTO Technology which provides the structure for a thinner face,
leading to high ball speeds on balls struck anywhere on the face.
The Great Big Bertha’s adjustable perimeter weighting adds stability
and forgiveness moving the weight to the point on the clubhead
that delivers greater dispersion control based on a golfer’s swing
characteristics plus virtually unlimited draw and fade bias options—
all without sacrificing forgiveness.
With the Big Berha Aplha 816 Double Black Diamond, Callaway
engineers designed it with a deeper face, a more traditional shape
and a low centre of gravity to reduce spin, along with just the right
amount of forgiveness and workability. The shape of the crown,
the open face angle, and the matte black finish with no distractions are all designed to suit the eyes of better players’ as they
stand over the ball.
Both the new drivers come with matching fairway woods. For
the Great Big Bertha, Callaway reports that it has come up with new
fairway woods that deliver the ultimate in forgiveness and control. A
forged hyper speed face cup is designed to achieve high ball speeds
for great distance on centre hits and off-centre hits. “The head sizes
are larger than that of typical fairway woods and that extra surface
area leads to a higher MOI for more forgiveness,” according to the
spokesman. Callaway has also added its legendary Warbird Sole,
which makes the club easy to hit from a variety of lies with a midlaunching trajectory. The Great Big Bertha fairway wood range also
offers the Heavenwood (20.5-degree loft, 43-inch shaft) and Divine
Nine (24-degree, 42-inch shaft) clubs to help tighten a golfer’s
dispersion. Golfers looking to fill distance gaps in their bags will also
find these clubs to be the perfect solutions.
The Big Bertha Alpha 816 fairway woods are said to be Callaway’s most advanced fairway woods, designed for better players
who desire shot-shaping control and tour-style distance. Good players will love the adjustable centre of gravity (CG) weights (3g and
16g) that lets a golfer to determine the ball flight desired. “Simply
move the weight forward when you want a lower spin, flatter ball
flight, and move it back for more forgiveness and a higher launch
- however you set the CG, the forged hyper speed face cup will
generate ball speed on centre and off-centre shots,” the spokesman
pointed out. A modern shape with a slightly larger head offers more
MOI than one would expect out of an elite player’s fairway wood
and the sole design provides control from a variety of lies.
GOLF EQUIPMENT MIURA KM 008
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
The fact that it has taken a while for the debut of
the KM 008 is proof in itself that Miura sticks
rigidly to its policy of releasing new products only if it
is an improvement over its predecessor.”
O
ne of the reasons why the new putter has
been so well received by the market is
directly attributable to the fact that Miura is a
brand that does not follow industry trends to
release new products on a regular basis.
Led by the legendary Japanese master
craftsman Katsuhiro Miura, popularly referred to as the man
with the “hands of God”, the new putter is the KM 008. This
stylish putter is a replacement to the old standard, the KM 350
which was retired in 2014.
The fact that it has taken a while for the debut of the KM
008 is proof in itself that Miura keeps rigidly to its policy of
releasing new products only if it is an improvement over its
predecessor.
Prior to its retirement, the KM 350 (small blade putter)
ranked amongst the most popular in its range. Master craftsman Katsuhiro has spent a good deal of time designing the KM
008 which is the next generation putter from Miura.
The KM 008 does not come cheap and it has hit the North
American market with a suggested price tag of US$450. Like the
KM 350, the KM 008 is forged from a single billet of soft carbon
steel. The Miura forging process creates the industry’s tightest
52
53 ASIAN GOLF
grain structure, with similarly tight manufacturing tolerances.
“Miura-san stands by his statement that the putter has been
designed for players who are seeking the very best,” says Bill
Holowaty, Miura’s executive vice president of Product Strategies.
“This toe-weighted beauty confirms that it’s possible to match
looks with performance. The milled face is extremely forgiving
and produces a strike that transmits to the feel, distance control
and in achieving the truest of rolls from reduced skid. We invite
you to discover what we deem to be perfection on the green.”
Based on launch pictures of the product, the absence of
alignment lines and dots is very apparent. It is also sort of old
school in terms of design but the face of the putter looks awesome.
Miura is a specialist club maker renowned for its broad line
of forged irons, wedges, drivers, fairway woods and hybrids.
All Miura clubs are custom fitted by authorized Miura dealer/
fitters with each individual golfer getting not only properly
fitted clubs, but a partner in his or her game. Miura dealers are
famous for service after the sale and continuing relationships
with players they fit, from informal discussions about equipment, practice, and technique to hands-on monitoring of loft,
lie, weight and all the crucial golf club metrics.
LONG THANH GOLF RESORT, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM
NOVEMBER 1 & 2, 2015
Come and Be Part of the Region’s Only Total Family Golf Event ...
The 2015 Asia Pacific Father and Son Golf Tournament!
Entry fee is set at US$450 per player and this will include:
Daily two-way transfer from the Sheraton Saigon Hotel to the golf course.
Lunch, refreshment and dinner on both days.
Prizes and goodie bags.
One practice round on October 31.
The Father and Son Tournament is designed to promote greater family involvement in golf and
clubs are encouraged to enter club teams to participate in what promises to be a fun tournament!
In Celebration Of
Fathers And Sons
Asia Pacific Father and Son Golf Tournament
is back again. Fathers and sons or direct
related members of a family will do battle to
see who emerges as the best of the best in
the region.
The tournament is open to any combination
of family members – father, daughter, uncle/
aunty and nephew/niece. This arrangement
provides for a wider family involvement and
participation.
This prestigious tournament will be staged on The winning team will walk away with the
November 1 & 2, 2015 and the host venue is Asia Pacific Father and Son Trophy presented
the award winning Long Thanh Golf Resort in by Vietnamese philanthropist Le Van Kiem.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
ONLINE Registration is open at:
http://tinyurl.com/fsgt2015
DOWNLOAD PDF – RULES & REGULATIONS:
http://tinyurl.com/fsgt-rr2015
For enquiries, please contact Alice Ho at
[email protected] or call +65-63232800
ORGANISED BY: LONG THANH GOLF RESORT
SPECIAL FEATURE Cobra-PUMA Golf
ISSUE 180
My belief is that we
need to work hard
to make golf more fun and
inclusive. If we do that,
there are a ton more
golfers out there – more
than we can even
imagine.” – Robert Phillion
56
57 ASIAN GOLF
SEPTEMBER 2015
The big buzz amongst golf circles, especially those who are the power-brokers of the
game, seems to be focused on how the game can pick up a head of steam and grow.
This has become a mantra so much so one wonders if these “movers and shakers” are
really sincere about growing the game or if it is just plain lip service. Anyway, is growing
[OLNHTL[OLYLHSJOHSSLUNL&-VY\TWHNLZVUNVSMMLH[\YLH[VUVMKPɈLYLU[VWPUPVUZ
on what the game needs to grow and one critic holds the PGA accountable for its antiquated approach which he thinks is the cause why no one from younger demographics identify with the game any longer. By this critic’s contention, “anything the PGA can
do to keep golf boring as hell, and they’re on it .... the game’s leadership is aspiring to
make it as boring as humanly possible and they’re succeeding beyond expectations!
“Truly outspoken and declared with conviction and a huge dose of testicular fortitude!
W
hat is the thinking of
some of the major
industry players like
equipment manufacturers? Do they think
enough is being
done to grow the game? Asian Golf reached
out to the spunky 51 year old President of
Cobra PUMA Golf, Robert Phillion for his
take and this was how he reacted: “No, I
don’t!” Speak about being boldly emphatic
and a real scrooge with words – a truly
direct and blunt response from a man who
is deeply entrenched in helping to keep golf
exciting, vibrant and relevant to all ages.
Phillion is a chief executive whom you
can’t dislike. He does not mince his words
and he tells it like he sees it! Perhaps the
youngest top honcho amongst the major
equipment manufacturers, he feels very
passionately about the future of golf. In
a conversation with Asian Golf, he said, “I
think we all have a responsibility to grow
the game and its reach. My belief is that we
need to work hard to make golf more fun
and inclusive. If we do that, there are a ton
more golfers out there – more than we can
even imagine.”
Phillion should know a thing or two
about FUN in golf. Just look at how CobraPUMA integrates fun into what it does – its
golf clubs, especially the drivers, epitomize
FUN with the colours used on the club
heads. Check out the brand’s apparel – it’s all about FUN and
a golfer attired in PUMA
apparel is almost always
a stand-out on either
a professional
tournament or in a
normal, run-of-themill weekend hacker’s
round at a club.
Cobra-PUMA’s key
brand ambassadors
like Rickie Fowler and
Lexi Thompson are also
living showcases for
FUN – they personify everything that stands
for youthful vitality and vibrance, not to
mention the top-shelf game that they both
bring to golf.
While we are on Phillion’s call for golf to
be made more FUN and inclusive, we would
like to bring in top professional golfer Lee
Westwood who has a thing or two to say
about the current state of the game. The
former world number one has warned that
golf needs a major overhaul of its image
and format if it is to attract the next genera-
ISSUE 180
tion of players.
In a Facebook rant, Westwood opened
up: “Golf is absolutely not doing enough.
It needs to be promoted better – the R&A,
the USGA, the PGA Tour, the European Tour,
the Asian Tour, the South African Tour need
to do more to encourage young players to
take up the game.”
Not known as someone to be outspoken or controversial, Westwood said, “It
needs to have the stigma taken away from
it that it’s an old man’s game and that it’s
SEPTEMBER 2015
It needs to have the stigma taken away
from it that it’s an old man’s game and
that it’s for the ‘toffs’ if you want to call it that.
It needs to be more available to the man in
the street …. golf needs to be made more
available to everybody.” – Lee Westwood
Young stars like Fowler and
Thompson possess a style and
swagger that brings attention to both
the COBRA and PUMA Golf brands, especially among young people. “They
both have huge loyal fan bases who
want to wear what they are wearing and
play the equipment they are playing ….
it’s about youthfulness and swagger. We
are all about making golf Fun.”
for the ‘toffs’ if you want to call it that. It
needs to be more available to the man in
the street …. golf needs to be made more
available to everybody.”
Well, Cobra-PUMA’s Phillion is right
on the money. Change has got to happen and if the “voice of the people” keeps
getting louder and more demanding, the
gate-keepers will have to change! And with
leading brands like Cobra-PUMA pushing
for change, it’s got to have some effect
eventually.
Now that the case for change has been
made, let’s get back to the conversation
with Phillion. When Asian Golf first had a
session with him in 2014, he had a firm
conviction that Cobra-PUMA was hell-bent
on injecting huge doses of fun into golf
through innovative products, apparel and
accessories and that conviction has not
changed one bit. “Definitely. By providing
high-performing, high-tech, innovative
products that have style and an edge, we
are trying to change the way consumers
play. It’s about having performance enhancing equipment and having fun. We also try
to bring our game enjoyment to life not
only in products, but also in our marketing efforts, our players, our partnerships
and even in our company culture. It’s who
we are and what we do,” Phillion declared
emphatically.
It has to be noted that Phillion is credited with bringing the Cobra brand onto the
main stage of golf after it was acquired by
PUMA in 2010. Up till that point, the brand
had been languishing in “equipment limbo”
and Phillion’s panache and swagger that
he is known for, breathed life into the old
brand.
“There is no doubt that players such as
Rickie and Lexi help to move the needle in
golf and this brings a new, younger demographic to the game,” Phillion explained.
Young stars like Fowler and Thompson
possess a style and swagger that brings attention to both the COBRA and PUMA Golf
brands, especially among young people.
“They both have huge loyal fan bases who
want to wear what they are wearing and
play the equipment they are playing …. it’s
about youthfulness and swagger. We are all
about making golf Fun.”
No session with Phillion can be
complete without him speaking to his
range of innovative products so we quite
naturally had to stick him with a question
that probed the brand’s performance in
2015 which is proving to be a tough year for
the golf industry and this is what he said:
“It’s been a very solid first half for COBRA
PUMA GOLF – we have technology-rich,
performance-enhancing products, strong
marketing messages and great brand
ambassadors.” He is ecstatic about how
Cobra-PUMA’s FLY-Z family has done incred-
ibly well, especially in numerous independent
surveys. “Our R&D team works hard each year
to develop new products that help golfers of
all levels improve their game – and the Fly-Z
family does just that. The Fly-Z driver is one
of the most forgiving drivers currently on
the market – yet it doesn’t sacrifice distance.
That’s extremely important for the majority of
golfers.
The best measure of this can be seen in
the three significant victories notched up this
year by Fowler and Thompson. “We couldn’t
be more proud to celebrate these wins with
him, and we know we’ll see many more from
Rickie in the future and Lexi is great for our
brand and even better for the game of golf.
We feel equally as strong about our other
players as well,” beamed a proud Phillion
affectionately known around Cobra-PUMA’s
office as the “big cheese”.
Phillion is a man on a mission and what he
has done for the brand in the short time that
it has been under his charge, is nothing short
of being impressive. In his parting shot, he
declared, “I believe there’s more opportunity
for our brands than ever before, and it’s our
intention to play offense in this market where
we believe there are many question marks.”
Next month’s issue of Asian Golf will feature a major
review on the company’s latest clubs – the King Ltd.
60
61 ASIAN GOLF
By providing high-performing,
high-tech, innovative products
that have style and an edge, we are trying to change the way consumers play.
It’s about having performance enhancing equipment and having fun. We also
try to bring our game enjoyment to life
not only in products, but also in our
marketing efforts, our players, our partnerships and even in our company culture. It’s who we are and what we do.”
GAME IMPROVEMENT
ISSUE 180
SEPTEMBER 2015
The Presidents Cup is a series
of men’s golf matches between
a team representing the United
States and an International Team
representing the
he rest of the world
minus Europe..
A
s a preview to
o next
month’s Presidents
idents
Cup, I wanted
d to
share this timeless
meless
tip to help improve
mprove
your understanding of the golf
swing!
This is one of the most classical
golf tips that I have used with
th students because it simply works
rks and
it’s very easy to understand.
Boxing is a huge sport in
n
Thailand so it is only fitting to use
the boxing glove to demonstrate
nstrate to
students how the golf club sets on the
backswing in order to make
e an effective forward swing.
It’s important that a golfer
fer realizes that setting the golf club
properly in the backswing will assist with gaining power and
speed.
Using a boxing glove, I like to demonstrate a simple punching motion – taking the golf
lf glove back and forth.
The wrist set will happen
en naturally if you keep your forearms
as relaxed as possible. If you
ou focus on turning your shoulders
early in your backswing, students
udents will find the wrist set up much
easier to do. Many players find the early set easier to use because it helps the club feel lighter, thus easier to control.
I like to have students make swings in a mirror and notice on
the backswing that the club
b will set, creating an angle position.
Now, when the backswing iss complete, a forward swing will allow the golf club to swing to
o the target, the body reacts to the
golf club swinging and a nice
ce follow-through is completed!
Again, take it back like you would be making a coil for a
punch. Then, swing the club
ub to the target to follow-through.
You will notice and feel a very
ery effective and powerful move in
the swing.
Trust me! If you can relate
ate a boxing punch to the golf
swing, and visualize the correction
rrection motion, your shots will be
more consistent!
You can do it!
ABOUT TONY MEECHAI
I hope everyone gets a chance to play more golf this month! If you are a golf
fan, I’m sure you will make time to watch The Presidents Cup this year. The
Presidents Cup is going to be a great match play event, just like a “boxing
match!” I hope both teams are ready to compete!
Born and brought up in the United States, Tony Meechai won his first golf tournament at the age of nine. He began working in the golf
industry when aged 15 and competed in various Mini Tour and PGA Tour qualifiers after turning professional in 1994. Armed with a Bachelor’s
degree in Business Administration from New Mexico State University and a degree in Marketing and Professional Golf Management, he has
made a name for himself in Asia over the past decade, during which time he has served as Director of Instruction at Thailand’s Heartland Golf
Schools and Springfield Royal Country Club as well as presenting tips on numerous region-wide golf television shows. Recently, he founded the
Tony Meechai Golf Academy that combines a curriculum including academics and golf education for aspiring Tour professionals. Programmes
are in conjunction with international institutions throughout the world. For further information, please visit www.tmggroupasia.com or
email to [email protected]
www.tmggroupasia.com
62
63 ASIAN GOLF
COBRA HISSES
THE LOUDEST!
CONSISTENTLY VOTED AS
THE BEST COURSE IN THAILAND
he KING is back! COBRA has just launched a truly revolutionary driver which it has aptly named the KING LTD.
Pre-launch information tells us that COBRA is reinventing a classic while at the same time redefining the driver category
for better players. It is not a replacement for its current line-up
– The KING LTD is a brand new flagship offering. Check out Asian
Golf’s comprehensive review of the entire family of the KING LTD
range which will include driver, woods and irons.
TAYLORMADE’S
NEW BAG OF
TRICKS REVEALED!
ASIAN GOLF ISSUE 181
ake note all fans of TaylorMade – the company
is all set to bounce back with some exciting
new products that initial reports say will knock
the socks off all golfers! Knowing TaylorMade and having
followed their production development programmes, what
we are hearing is not to be discounted. Expect something
that will raise the bar. It is all about TaylorMade getting
right back on the fast track.
he Asia Pacific’s top conference on golf will open in Singapore this month. The longest running conference in the
industry, the Asia Pacific Golf Summit will create history this
year with a brand new platform for a conference. Rather than subjecting delegates to one-way monologues, delegates will take the floor
and engage in lively and focused Town-Hall style debates on business
trends, challenges, opportunities and aspirations for the industry, especially the golf club industry. It will be a game-changer with delegates
taking charge of their own conference! APGS 2015 will also launch the
Club Management Association of Asia’s highly revolutionary e-University on-line learning platform for the club industry in Asia and the firstever Asian Golf Profiles Lifestyle and Demographic Research report.
For all the latest news and views from the Asian golf scene,
subscribe to Asian Golf – Asia’s most powerful golfing voice!
Owned and managed by The Peninsula Hotels and often voted as possessing the “Best Clubhouse in Asia”
and “Best Course in Thailand”, Thai Country Club is less than 45 minutes from downtown Bangkok and is
renowned for having the friendliest staff of professionals in the Kingdom committed to providing the
Ultimate Golfing Experience.
For registered guests of The Peninsula Bangkok,
We are happy to arrange a tee-time at a substantial reduction from our normal visitor’s rate.
Extend your business trip in Bangkok, or book a get-away golfing package.
When it comes to exclusive golfing with impeccable hospitality – we play off scratch.
1997
Winner: Tiger Woods
www.asiapacificgolfgroup.com
VOLVO MASTERS
VOLVO MASTERS
VOLVO MASTERS
VOLVO MASTERS
ASIA
ASIA
ASIA
ASIA
2005
Winner: Shiv Kapur
2006
Winner: Thongchai Jaidee
2007
Winner: Prayad Marksaeng
2008
Winner: Lam Chih Bing
1998
Winner: Vijay Singh
Thai Country Club www.thaicountryclub.com Tel: +66 (38) 570-234 [email protected]
The Peninsula Bangkok www.peninsula.com Tel: +66 (2) 861-2888 [email protected]
Bangkok, Thailand