Golf`s Iron Lady - Asia Pacific Golf Group Newsletters

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FIT FOR KINGS!
FEEL LIKE GOLF ROYALTY FOR A DAY AND PLAY LIKE A KING!
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COVER STORY
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166
JULY 2014
„SPECIAL FEATURES
18 Master Shoe Makers: ECCO – Innovation Without Compromise!
ECCO is proud to claim that it is the only major shoe company to own and
manage every step of the production process, from tannery to retail. For
a detailed insight to the brand, read this exclusive interview with Michael
Waack.
22 2014 U.S. Women’s Open: Glamour + Brains + Skill = Victory!
Finally, Michelle Wie, the Stanford-educated beauty from Hawaii has
vindicated herself. She is the total package. And by winning the 2014 U.S.
Women’s Open she has silenced all of her critics once and for all!
24 Change The Game: Golf – The History Of Change
A new organisation on the golf landscape is the U.S. Recreational Golf Association (USRGA). Its primary focus is to help grow recreational golf and serve
the needs of recreational golfers and the recreational golf community.
28 Asian Tour-OneAsia Saga - Is The Venom Losing Its Potency?
The history of the professional golf circuit in Asia has been mired in a lot of
intrigue and misgivings virtually from the day the professional game was
introduced to Asia. The two main adversaries are the Asian Tour, the tour
which claims to be the sole custodian of the professional game and the upstart OneAsia Tour that proclaims itself to be the million-dollar play maker.
30 Tinsel Town Comes To Mission Hills
Mission Hills in China is a name that is probably known to golfers the world
over. It is known to be the biggest golf resort on the planet
with a total of 22 world class golf courses spread out
over two facilities on Shenzhen and Dongguan on
the Chinese mainland and Haikou on the off-shore
island of Hainan. It now adds a new dimension to its
attractions.
34 Back9Network – A Real Game Changer!
Have not heard about Back9Network? Well, this
won’t stay that way for too long! The
fledgling organization has been
hard at work for the past four
years building a broad-based
communications platform
aimed at promoting all
aspects of life-styles with
golf as its central theme.
Effective September, it will
enjoy full carriage rights
through DirectTV.
Dramatic as it may seem, what you are about to read is
an adventure which involves the real life experience of a
young lady who managed to break the glass ceiling at one
of the world’s most revered and hallowed multi-national
corporations and bolt up the corporate ladder to take control
of the seat of power at a multi-million dollar global empire.
44 An Indonesian Kid Called George – A Real Comer!
Asian Golf is always on the look-out for young talent throughout the region
and the spotlight this time around focuses on a golfer who is turning heads
in the third most populous nation on the planet.
46 Lucy Li – A Tiny Gal With So Much Power!
We are seeing more and more babies who should still be in the care of nannies instead of taking on the best professionals in the game. Check out the
stir little Lucy created at the U.S. Women’s Open.
48 PING’s Point Of View: The Proof Is In Performance
In a special farewell article, John K. Solheim reflects on his stay in Asia.
According to him, PING has seen a lot of success during this time, and he
considers Asia to be the best opportunity for growing PING’s business and
the game of golf.
52 Grow The Game: Custom Fitting... Who Benefits?
As part of our effort to grow the game of golf and to introduce the element
of fun into golf, Asian Golf will be partnering with various industry leaders to
bring our readers timely tips and advice. We kick off this special service with
a column written by Jennifer King, President of KZG – the acknowledged
global leader in custom fitted golf clubs.
58 2014 APGS: APAC’s Most Prestigious Golf Awards Announced
The prestigious Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame was started in 2010 by the
Asia Pacific Golf Group and its primary objective is to recognise individuals
who have contributed to the growth of golf in the Asia Pacific region. The
inductees for 2014 are revealed in this issue.
62 APGS 2014: Cut Out The Lip Service – Invest In Juniors Now!
World class speakers are now being lined up for the 2014 Asia Pacific
Golf Summit (APGS) and looking at the experts being lined up, the event
promises to be one of the best staged so far in the series. APGS 2014 will be
staged at the iconic and ultra-modern Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore
on November 14 – 15
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ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
„ASIAN GOLF TOURISM
54 Just Fancy This – Golf In Inner Mongolia?
Well, we are not pulling your legs! We are stone cold serious because
Asian Club Business has been granted an exclusive preview of a golf
course that opens for play this month in Inner Mongolia.
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„ EQUIPMENT FOCUS
38 Mantis Golf: Mantis Creeps Into Asia
A newcomer to the putter business is Mantis Golf. This young
American upstart, founded in 2012 is launching in Japan which
is arguably one of the most demanding and challenging golf
markets to break into.
40 Wilson 8802 Putter: An Old Classic Re-Visited
The proverb “old is gold” has a very special relevance to the
product that we are going to discuss in a moment. In the classical
sense, “old is gold” essentially means that whatever is old is actually valued as gold. Now, let’s cut to the product under review –
the classic Wilson 8802 putter.
42 New Products
An introduction to a collection of some of the latest golf products
available throughout the region.
„ REGULARS
6 Asian Golf Editorial Team
7 Shared Thoughts | From Publisher
72 Next Issue
„ GAME-IMPROVEMENT
66 Black Hat Tips: The St. Louis Arch
One of the landmarks that that coach Tony Meechai promotes in his teaching
is the world renowned St. Louis Arch. Check out how he uses this monument
to teach golf.
68 Pro Tour Golf College: How To Get Into The Low Golf Score Zone Consistently
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This Easy to Learn Method Will Take Your Game into the Low Golf Score Zone
More Often
MIKE SEBASTIAN
Chief Executive Officer/Managing Editor
ANGELA RAYMOND
President
[ mike@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
LAWRENCE YOUNG
Editor (New Equipment)
[ lawrence@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
[ angela@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
ALICE HO
Marketing Executive
[ alice@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
RAQUEL M. ARCEGA
Art Director & Ezine Development
SAIFUL SUFIAN
Art Director
[ raquel@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
MYRA PARAS
Finance
[ myra@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
[ sufian@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
WAYNE LWEE
Video Editor/Streaming services
[ wayne@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]
MEDIA PARTNERS
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
Printer
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6WPUPVUZPU(ZPHU.VSMHYL[OL^YP[LYZ»HUKHYLUV[ULJLZZHYPS`LUKVYZLKI`(ZPHU.VSM(ZPHU.VSMHJJLW[ZUVYLZWVUZPIPSP[`MVY\UZVSPJP[LKTHU\ZJYPW[Z[YHUZWHYLUJPLZ
VYV[OLYTH[LYPHSZ4HU\ZJYPW[ZWOV[VNYHWOZHUKHY[^VYR^PSSUV[ILYL[\YULK\USLZZHJJVTWHUPLKI`HWWYVWYPH[LWVZ[HNL
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THOUGHTS From TheBLACK
GAME IMPROVEMENT
HAT
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AT G
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OLF TTIPS
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Thongchai Jaidee
T
he month of June witnessed story-book
finishes in major international golf
tournaments where Asian golfers put
on a show that proved they possess the
right stuff to win against the world’s best.
Three Asian golfers beat world class fields
on both sides of the pond and their achievements were reason enough for all of Asia to
shut down to celebrate Thongchai Jaidee’s
win at the Nordea Masters in Sweden, Hideki
Matsuyama’s crushing win at the Memorial
and Inbee Park’s come-from-behind win at the
Manulife Financial Classic.
These are major historical milestones to
have three Asians win on the PGA Tour and the
European Tour the LPGA Tour.
Matsuyama obliterated a star-studded field
to lay claim to Jack Nicklaus’ tournament at the
Memorial.
Meanwhile what Jaidee did was plain awesome. The Thai super-star won a playoff involving Stephen Gallacher of Scotland and France’s
08
09 ASIAN GOLF
Hideki Matsuyama
Victor Dubuisson to lift the Nordea Masters –
his sixth European title. In the field was world
second-ranked Henrik Stenson who finished
fifth behind Jaidee.
And Park’s win was sensational as the win
was her first LPGA Tour title in more than 11
months. This victory came as sweet revenge as
she had just lost her world number one spot a
week before to Stacy Lewis.
What we now need to see is more spectacular wins by Asians on the world’s major
tours. Victory on these stages will provide
validation that Asian players are getting up
to world standards and this can only have a
very positive and motivating effect hopefully resulting in more Asians taking to the
game of golf.
Asia needs its own heroes in golf and
those heroes are beginning to surface.
The continent has momentum and let’s
see how we can drive this momentum to
reach greater heights on the world stage!
Inbee Park
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COVER STORY
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11 ASIAN GOLF
Golf’s Iron Lady
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
For a moment, allow your mind’s eye to visualize the shattering of glass and a
[OV\ZHUKZOHYKZJVTLJYHZOPUNKV^U[V[OLÅVVY+YHTH[PJHZP[TH`ZLLT^OH[
you are about to read is an adventure which involves the real life experience of
a young lady who managed to break the glass ceiling at one of the world’s most
revered and hallowed multi-national corporations and bolt up the corporate ladder
[V[HRLJVU[YVSVM[OLZLH[VMWV^LYH[HT\S[PTPSSPVUKVSSHYNSVIHSLTWPYL
COVER STORY
Golf’s Iron Lady
T
his special feature is a celebration of her extraordinary achievements and the brand that
she proudly represents. The lady represents
the physical embodiment of the Greek goddess of victory, Nike.
She may not be a house-hold name like
some of the mega celebrities under her charge but her
presence in the multi-billion dollar golf industry is a serious force to reckon with. Her impressive stable of iconic
athletes include Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest
golfer alive and Rory McIlroy, a huge star on the rise.
The brand that she rules over is Nike Golf, a company
that was spun off as a separate corporate entity in 1998.
When she took over the reins of Nike Golf, there was no
“Hello World” meet-the-boss blitz like what marked Tiger’s
introduction to the world back in 2006. Instead, it was a
comparatively low profile entry into the company when she
joined as the U.S. general manager of Nike Golf in 2005. She
came to the company with a hugely impressive track record
after serving in senior management positions at The Golf
Channel, the Arnold Palmer Company and the LPGA.
In a short span of three years, her pedigree and leadership qualities were recognized and rewarded when she was
appointed the President of Nike Golf in 2008.
Cindy Davis – Golf’s Iron Lady
“Hello Cindy” – Asia welcomes you!
Albeit, a tad late but this does not in any
way detract or dilute the importance and
impact that you have made in the world
of golf so far. It is our contention that
the best is yet to come and under Davis’
watch, the groundwork is being laid for
Nike Golf to ultimately become the outright leader in golf – the company that is
the future of golf!
Davis is a lady and a leader with a tremendous passion
for the game of golf and this passion played out during an
exclusive interview that she granted to ASIAN GOLF – a session where she graciously answered every question that we
threw at her. The following is the full interview with Davis:
“We’re investing more in developing products that are
geographically specific, signing regional athletes and developing targeted go-to-market strategies that resonate
with each golfer. I also believe that we can play a role in
growing the sport of golf as we’ve done that in other sports
around the world.”
Before we get into the
serious business end of this
interview what was it like
for you to take charge of a high
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so deeply entrenched in tradition and
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Cindy Davis: I joined Nike Golf nearly 10
years ago because I knew our Brand, unlike any other, could change golf. We are
12
13 ASIAN GOLF
the Brand that can move the sport of golf
forward. That’s what we expect of ourselves
and that’s what the golfer expects of us. I
wanted to be part of making that happen.
Nike is an amazing company because it puts
the athlete first and insists on challenging
everything. That approach frames our innovation, our business and our workforce.
We prioritize and celebrate diversity and
inclusion at Nike – and, that has certainly
translated to our golf business and team.
You have proven beyond a
shadow of a doubt that you
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to lead Nike Golf in a highly
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that you have been with Nike Golf,
how do you look back on how the
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CD: We have so much opportunity ahead of
us, in every market. That’s what is so exciting for Nike Golf. The Asia market in par-
ISSUE 166
ticular is a part of the world where I believe
we’ve only scratched the surface. We’re
investing more in developing products
that are geographically specific, signing
regional athletes and developing targeted
go-to-market strategies that resonate with
each golfer. I also believe that we can play
a role in growing the sport of golf as we’ve
done that in other sports around the world.
Given the global nature of our Brand and
our ability to leverage the Nike worldwide
infrastructure, we believe our business
outside of North America, and specifically in
Asia, will grow at a faster rate.
Nike Golf is a corporation
with a strong resource
base, a pool of very
talented people and a critical mass of
some of the best athletes in the
business. Your products are without
doubt top draw equipment. All the
JULY 2014
ingredients for success are in place
in huge doses – against this
backdrop, how would you mark up
the corporation’s report card to date?
CD: We are enormously proud of what we’ve
accomplished in a relatively short time in the
golf business. Our innovations, products,
brand experiences and retail expressions are
the best in the business. However, at Nike,
we don’t judge ourselves by our competition. We judge ourselves by our potential.
COVER STORY
Golf’s Iron Lady
That’s why we know that we’ve only just begun to make an impact in the golf industry
- our opportunities are endless.
Your athletes have the
largest pull factor on a
global basis – this was
evidenced at the recently concluded
U.S. Masters where TV ratings were
down arguably due to the Tiger
no-show. Based on this premise,
there is no denying that Nike Golf
athletes command huge fan respect
and have the greatest impact on golf.
This must be good for your business
– your comments?
CD: At Nike, we believe if you have a body,
you are an athlete. Everything we do starts
with the athlete. We gain insights to develop
product. We support their performances to
enable them to reach their true potential.
We challenge everything we do to make
athletes better. We were founded on those
principles. It’s fundamental to who we are
and what we do at Nike. We drive innovation
and inspiration – and the athlete is at the
heart of it. As such, we have a front row seat
to some of the most amazing performances
in all of sport and in all of golf. In a short
time, our Brand already has won many Major
Championships and professional tournaments worldwide. That enables us to tell
some exciting stories and evoke an emotion
in a way that only Nike can. The successful
business results, of course, then follow.
Talking about your star
athletes, do you think that
you are in a transitional
14
15 ASIAN GOLF
state right now with Tiger playing
more of an “elder statesman” role
while Rory steps up to the plate as
the heir apparent?
CD: Tiger is an iconic athlete and always will
be. He is a key part of Nike Golf’s growth. He’s
a lot of the reason Nike entered the golf business. We are incredibly excited now to have
both Tiger and Rory on our team. Both bring
tremendous electricity to the sport. Tiger is
arguably the greatest golfer of all time. He is
awe-inspiring and has created some of the
most memorable moments in golf – and, he’s
not done yet. Having Rory further elevates
the credibility of our products. Rory fits our
brand. He’s young. He’s athletic. He’s inspiring.
Bottom line, we are thrilled to have two of the
best athletes in the world as part of Nike Golf.
You currently have a very
large team of athletes,
perhaps the largest of any
company and a good percentage are
young. This augurs well for the future
especially when you consider that on
any given day, any of these young
men and women will be capable of
hitting a home run on tour, thus
providing validation for the quality
and excellence of your equipment.
Would you agree?
CD: We have the strongest stable of athletes
in the history of Nike Golf. It’s a nice mixture
of the world’s best players like Tiger, Rory and
Charl Schwartzel, combined with veteran
stars like Paul Casey and young rising stars
like Russell Henley and Seung Yul Noh, to
name just a few. All of our athletes are with
Nike because they know the best athletes in
any sport are with the Swoosh. That’s why
Tiger first joined us and that’s certainly why
Rory, Suzann Pettersen, Michelle Wie and
others have since. We have a proven record
of supporting athletes through innovation
to perform their very best. It’s the same in
golf. That was evident recently by Seung Yul
when he won his first PGA TOUR event where
he said, “You want to be associated with the
best and I believe that Nike is the number
one company. You have athletes like Tiger
Woods, Rory McIlroy, Roger Federer, Rafael
Nadal and Maria Sharapova using Nike, so
being at a Company with those athletes is
great. With Nike I believe that I can reach my
goal of being number one.”
The quest for product
excellence seems to be a
never ending pursuit at Nike
Golf. Your teams at “The Oven” at
Fort Worth and the “Oven West” are
always working on something new
and something exciting. That said,
your 2014 line-up of equipment,
apparel and accessories must
KLÄUP[LS`Z[HJR\WHZ[OLILZ[[V
have come out from the company. We
think so – would you agree?
CD: Our innovation and product line-up has
never been better. For us, innovation and
design is at the epicenter of everything we
do. We obsess over every detail. We merge
technology and design in a way that only
Nike can. Whether it’s Dri-Fit and Themo Fit
materials in apparel, or Lunarlon cushioning
and free-inspired outsole technologies in
ISSUE 166
“All of our athletes are with
Nike because they know the
best athletes in any sport are
with the Swoosh. That’s why
Tiger first joined us and
that’s certainly why Rory,
Suzann Pettersen, Michelle
Wie and others have
since. We have a proven
record of supporting
athletes through innovation to perform their very
best.”
SUZANN PETTERSEN
footwear, or Covert cavity back technology
in metalwoods, and RZN core technologies
in golf ball, at Nike we push the boundaries. We imagine something nobody else
imagines. We build something nobody else
builds. We improve something that no one
else thinks needs improving. If it’s good
enough, then we know we must make it
better. And, we’ll continue to do that – in
fact, we can’t wait to share what’s planned
for 2015.
JULY 2014
TIGER WOODS
RUSSELL HENLEY
One stand-out quality of
Nike Golf relates to product
life cycle. You don’t seem to
have been sucked into the frenetic
pace of new product releases that
has become common-place in the
industry. Why is this so?
CD: At Nike Golf, we continue to believe that
innovation should drive product introductions. We also believe that the best relationships with the consumer are ones grounded
MICHELLE WIE
in trust. We spend a lot of time understanding what golfers need and want so that
we can bring innovations to market that
make them better – no matter what type
of golfer they may be. We also understand
that golfers are discerning and will educate
themselves on new product purchases – and,
they should. In fact, we know that the more
a golfer understands, tries and experiences
our product, the more success they will
experience with their game – we hear it all of
the time. But, trust is equally important, the
COVER STORY
Golf’s Iron Lady
golfer wants to know that you stand behind
your innovation and aren’t going to launch
a new product unless you know that it is
discerningly better than the previous one.
We take that relationship of trust with the
golfer seriously.
Let’s change the focus and
look at the state of the
game. In the developed
West, the game is generally in
decline. We don’t quite know the
state in Asia as we have no statistics
or reliable trends to base a judgment
on. Gut feel tells us that the game is
also in a state of recession in Asia.
What can major industry players like
Nike Golf do to bring about change to
the game? We need to reach out to
under the Rules of Golf does not need to
change for golf to grow. That can and should
still exist. However, complementing golf
by legitimizing the 9-hole experience with
handicaps and competitions or by creating other non-traditional experiences to
introduce people to golf such as Foot Golf or
alternative products and courses is healthy
and, frankly, necessary. If we let go of our
fears and align as an industry to do this well,
not only will new experiences be created for
consumers to be exposed to the 18-hole golf
experience, but new growth opportunities
will be developed for both current and new
industry stakeholders.
The Nike Corporation has
done so much to boost so
many other sports and with
consumer experiences are unmatched. But,
leadership isn’t a given in any business. You
have to stay committed to the consumer and
continue to know and serve them better than
anyone.
Let’s end this session with
some positive thoughts.
Sixteen years have gone by
– do you feel that Nike Golf is now
poised to becoming the global leader
in golf?
CD: It’s just a matter of time before our
Brand is the outright leader in golf.
No one could have articulated the future
of Nike Golf better than Davis. She has a
fervent belief that Nike is really the company
of the future in golf. She backs this up by
declaring that Nike is a product company
“At Nike Golf, we continue to believe that innovation should
drive product introductions. We also believe that the best relationships with the consumer are ones grounded in trust.”
more people; bring on more people;
make the game more exciting,
affordable and accessible and most
importantly, the game needs to
engage with the Gen Xers, Gen Y’s
and the Millennials. Your thoughts?
CD: Innovation is critical in every industry
whether it’s through products or experiences. It’s the same in golf – and, it can be
done without compromising the sport as
we know it today. Eighteen holes of golf
16
17 ASIAN GOLF
this sort of pedigree, bringing about
change to golf should prove to be a
cinch. What do you think?
CD: We view ourselves as a catalyst for
change in every sport, including golf. The
consumer expects Nike to lead because our
Brand is a symbol of performance leadership.
We believe in many ways that we’ve already
served as a catalyst for change within golf.
Our innovations are distinctive. Our storytelling is the most inspiring and memorable. Our
first that can take care of a golfer from head
to toe and treat golfers as athletes and that
it will continue to push boundaries to seek
revolutionary products across all of its businesses.
Davis has set the wheels of progress in
motion and there is only one way to go – to
become the outright leader in golf. She has
the future in her hands and as the most
powerful lady in golf, she has everything at
her disposal to make Nike Golf the best in
class!
Golfers
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Come and Discover What
h Playing Golf in Paradise
d Really Feels Like
Long Thanh Golf Resort is a true paradise for
any golfer.
Two world-class golf courses – one that traverses
hilly terrain while the other meanders through
spectacular lakes.
Both the Hill Course and the Lake Course are
fascinating showcases of breath-taking landscapes
populated by a wide array of flora and fauna.
Golfing in Long Thanh Golf Resort is an experience
of world-class golf combined with a unique brand of
service and the warmth and friendliness of Vietnam.
All this delivered in a tranquil setting located in
the southern economic triangle and just 40 minutes
from Ho Chi Minh City’s centre.
Long Thanh Golf Resort -A Golf Paradise Like No Other!
www.longthanhgolfresort.com
National Highway 51, Tan Mai 2 Hamlet, Phuoc Tan Village, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam Tel: +84 61 3 512 512 Fax: +84 61 3 512 513
SPECIAL FEATURE
Master Shoe Makers
It’s strange how an entire business is born out of one man’s dream. We kick
off this special feature on ECCO – the famous Danish brand name in golf
shoes – by re-visiting the dream of the man who single-handedly gave ECCO
the kick-start back in 1963.
The man behind the brand was Karl Toosbuy. His dream was to own a shoe
factory and to run his own business. This was a skill that he had been trained
for from an early age as a shoe-maker. Toosby broke out on his own with his
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and started his journey as shoe entrepreneurs. They sold their house and
moved to a border town close to northern German, rented a small house, took
over an empty factory and started what is today the giant ECCO brand.
Toosby certainly showed a lot of spunk, determination and the will to succeed.
He essentially set the standards for ECCO from the get-go which is founded
on the fervent belief of “innovation without compromise”.
Michael Waac
18
k
19 ASIAN GOLF
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vision that Toosby had has grown ECCO into a global
force in quality footwear. It is a company that has been
built on the philosophy that “shoes must follow the
foot”. ECCO is proud to claim that it is the only
major shoe company to own and manage every
step of the production process, from tannery
to retail. This is supported by state-of-theart research and development centres in
Denmark and Portugal.
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
SPECIAL FEATURE
Master Shoe Makers
T
oosby would be a proud man to be
around today to witness how his
dream has grown and prospered
over the years to become a true
global force. To find out how ECCO has grown
as a global brand, ASIAN GOLF obtained an
exclusive session with Michael Waack, Head
of Global Golf at ECCO. The following are the
highlight of that discussion:
20
DTS outsole. That turned the industry upside
down and remains at the heart of all the
hybrid shoes we make today. The second is
the Natural Motion technology found in our
BIOM Golf and BIOM Hybrid models for men
and women. To bring this to market, we spent
several years working with leading independent scientists in the field of biomechanics.
We actually scanned the feet of 2,500 athletes
to create the ideal anatomical last shape.
ECCO is a company that has
invested some 51 years
studying the human foot. That’s
a long time devoted to just one part of the
human anatomy. Let’s start by establishing how these studies have impacted the
design of shoes for golf today?
Michael Waack: It’s indeed a long time,
51 years, but all the energy and resources
we’ve devoted to studying the human foot
have allowed us to develop a keen understanding how it functions. That’s at the core
of our philosophy, which is making shoes
that are shaped to fit the foot, not the other
way around. Of course, that sounds logical,
but it’s actually not a common approach to
shoemaking! As to how constant research
has impacted our designs, it’s what’s led to
all of the game changing technologies we’ve
pioneered since 1996, when we made our
very first pair of golf shoes.
The modern game of golf has
evolved tremendously over
the years in terms of power,
speed and performance at both the
amateur and professional levels. How
has ECCO addressed these changes?
MW: At the time we entered the market,
“performance” was a word that was never
used to describe golf shoes. Obviously, that’s
changed and it’s now a requirement for
many players. Certainly, we played a big role
in that because our shoes have always been
made using the direct injection Process.
This is the most advanced process anyone
employs to produce golf shoes. It results in
a very high-performance product and contributes to many of the areas most important
to amateurs and pros when they choose
footwear. These notably include torsional
stability, grip, flexibility and durability.
Based on the reservoir of
knowledge that ECCO
possesses on the human foot,
what have been some of the most
distinctive changes in golf shoe designs
as far as ECCO is concerned?
MW: We’re proud to have ushered in many
industry changes since starting in golf, but
two really rise to the top. The first, of course,
is the ECCO Street featuring our patented E-
You take great pride in the
fact you don’t chase trends
but instead create trends.
Give us a sense of some of the trends
that ECCO has created?
MW: Creating trends isn’t something we set
out to expressly accomplish, we just try and
make the best, most comfortable, high-performance shoes in styles that we ourselves
want to wear. Fortunately, this has led to a
21 ASIAN GOLF
lot of people buying our shoes.
Of course, there’s the global hybrid movement we pioneered with Golf Street in 2010.
Then it was being the first to launch a Natural
Motion shoe, BIOM Golf in 2011. We combined
the two concepts in 2012 with BIOM Hybrid,
which we consider the original “performance
hybrid” shoe. Then, we extended the category
again in 2013 with Tour Hybrid, which was the
first hybrid shoe with a classic upper.
While these have been relatively recent
developments, our role as a trend-setter actually goes back to the early years of ECCO Golf
when we pioneered the use of bright colours.
This started with our women’s collection and
then transferred into our men’s styles. It’s
funny when you think how common bright
shoes are these days, but it was very novel
back then!
Golf Street shoes were a trend
that ECCO created and now
every player in the trade has
followed a trend that ECCO started. This
must come as a source of both pride and
satisfaction?
MW: Golf Street has really been an amazing
product for us, and it started as a vision in the
head of ECCO CEO Dieter Kasprzak. He’s a
passionate golfer and shoe designer by trade.
So in addition to his role with the ECCO businesses as a whole, he also personally directs
the design of every golf shoe we make. When
he sees magazine articles like those that
have named Golf Street one of the biggest
golf innovations of the past 25 years, you
can imagine how that puts a smile on
his face. Of course, pride in something that’s happened doesn’t stop
us from always pursuing the
next great idea. We’re driving
toward that every day.
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
“Creating trends isn’t something we set out to expressly accomplish, we just try and make the best, most comfortable, highperformance shoes in styles that we ourselves want to wear.”
There is
obviously
no denying
that as the originator of
the Golf Street trend you
have gone on to further
improve and innovate on this
product line? Talk about the
evolution of this product type?
MW: In a lot of markets, roughly half of
all rounds are played by golfers wearing
hybrid shoes. When you consider that this
category of footwear didn’t exist prior to 2010,
that stat is just amazing. So, we look at Golf
Street as the initial step in an ongoing process
that’s more of a movement than a trend. As
a movement, season after season its power
has only increased as we’ve launched new
innovations atop the patented E-DTS outsole.
BIOM Hybrid, Tour Hybrid and BIOM Zero each
moved the ball further down the fairway. For
2014, we introduced Street EVO One and that
represents another significant advancement.
The EVO in its name stands for “Evolution.”
It boasts a Direct-injected midsole with an
integrated shank piece. This design cups and
cushions a player’s heel, delivering comfort
and torsional support while creating an exceptionally stable platform from which golfers can
power through each shot.
The BIOM franchise has seen a
lot of success over the years
– how has this specific
technology evolved over the years?
MW: When we premiered BIOM in golf in
2011, it was already such a sophisticated technology that we haven’t needed to do a major
overhaul. Rather, the adjustments we’ve made
have been subtle enhancements such as slim-
ming the midsole, working to bring players
closer to the ground, adjusting the traction
system, etc. We’ve also got some cool things
in development and are excited to share them
with you in the coming seasons.
Your Tour franchise continues
to look elegant and classic.
Again, how has this franchise
evolved over time?
MW: Elegant and classic is an excellent way
to describe our Tour Hybrid line. Because
those are its characteristics, we’ve really
focused on expanding more than evolving it
the past two seasons. This will continue to be
our focus moving forward.
What would you describe as
the strengths of ECCO in what
is fast becoming a very
competitive field?
MW: It’s definitely a competitive market, but
we’re just as competitive with ourselves as
any external entities. We look around and ask
“how can we do this better?” The answers
we’ve come up with are engrained into our
corporate DNA. First and foremost, this starts
with being a privately-held, family-owned
company. This gives us the freedom to innovate and do things differently. Next, it’s about
being vertically integrated. Every step of the
shoemaking process – from leather production down to the finished shoe – is done at
an ECCO-owned facility. We use the very best
materials and control everything to ensure
the quality meets our exacting standards.
What a lot of people don’t know is we’re one
of the world’s largest producers of high-end
leathers. These are found in the handbags and
accessories of some of the most well-known
luxury goods brands. The expertise from that
area has allowed us to bring some exotic
leather types into our golf collection, including camel leather and yak leather, which each
have outstanding performance properties.
One thing that is very
apparent with ECCO is that
you are very focused in the
types of golf shoes you produce. The
emphasis seems to be on comfort and
performance and you seem to limit the
number of models in each product
category. Is this part of your strategy
which is distinctively different to the
other companies?
MW: Karl Toosbuy, who founded ECCO, was
a real visionary and had some outstanding wisdom that he shared with us. Among
these was his mission not to try and be the
biggest, but to be the best. So, our approach
likely differs from other companies, but the
scale of our collection isn’t rooted in a desire
to consciously limit the number of models.
For us, it’s about making sure every style we
launch is as good as it possibly can be.
Let’s talk about the industry
as a whole – it looks like golf
shoes are no longer viewed as
a functional accessory. Looking at shop
windows these days, there’s no denying
that the golf shoe has become a very
fashion-driven accessory. Would you
agree with this?
MW: If that’s the tide, we’re certainly – and
happily – fighting against it! There’s a principle
of Scandinavian design that states “form must
follow function.” That’s how we approach
shoemaking. While it’s great that fashion has a
role, it’s not good for players when that takes
precedence over functionality.
SPECIAL FEATURE
2014 U.S. Women’s Open
Glamour + Brains + Skill
22
23 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
F
inally, Michelle Wie, the Stanford-educated beauty from Hawaii has
vindicated herself. She is the total package. And by winning the 2014
U.S. Women’s Open she has silenced all of her critics once and for all!
With an absolutely unorthodox putting style that we refer to as “The
Spread-eagle Giraffe Putt”, Wie put on a master class of a performance on
Pinehurst #2
Only 24 years of age, Wie displayed an indomitable fighting spirit and
refused to submit to a course that was bent on taking her down.
What was also significant was that Wie, an American of KoreanAsian, helped break the dominant Asian strangle-hold in women’s
professional golf.
With this win, Wie has placed herself on top of women’s golf which
she has been playing since age 13. She now has four LPGA victories and
leads the tour’s money list.
= VICTORY!
JULY 2014
SPECIAL FEATURE
24
25 ASIAN GOLF
Change the Game
IISSUE
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A new organisation on the golf landscape is the
U.S. Recreational Golf Association (USRGA). Its
primary focus is to help grow recreational golf
and serve the needs of recreational golfers and
the recreational golf community. The USRGA
will create a community, forum and voice for
Recreational golfers who embody the original spirit of
the game, which was and is to enjoy golf as a game. It will champion efforts that are in the best interests of those who engage in and
ILULÄ[MYVTYLJYLH[PVUHSNVSMWSH`0[PZOLHKLK\WI`[OLMV\UKLY
a man who is passionate about golf. Asian Golf has invited Dr.
Dave Felker to serve on its panel distinguished columnists
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Dr. Dave Felker
SPECIAL FEATURE
G
Change the Game
olf is a game of friendly competition for the majority of golfers.
It must be a fun activity; otherwise golfers will choose another
way to spend their time and money. The
resurgence in golf will be in recreational play.
The impending changes are not a threat to
the USGA and R&A grand tradition of golf –
they are a necessity.
The history of golf is the history of
change. The evolution of golf is one of the
strongest traditions of the game. Virtually
everything in golf has evolved over time.
Golf started with a wooden ball and club and
has evolved into today’s high tech equipment made with space-age materials. The
number of rules has almost tripled.
The average winning score for The
Open has dropped nearly 20 strokes per 18
holes over time. Golfer attire has continually evolved. Ben Hogan’s 1950 US Open
win was worth $4,000; today’s winner gets
$1,440,000. The golf handicap system has
improved and now the USGA system includes a Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™.
Caddies are a rare sight these days,
while laser-range finders are not. Electric
golf carts have replaced walking on most
courses. In the earliest days of golf, the
courses were “discovered” in
locations that had the right
topography and grass condi-
tions. Now courses are designed and built in
such “undiscoverable locations” as deserts.
One thing that hasn’t changed over time
is the recreational golfer’s desire to have fun.
Golf is still a game that is played in a beautiful setting and enjoyed with friends and
family. Unfortunately, a few of the changes
in golf have taken some of the fun out of the
game and that is, in part, why enrollment is
declining.
The courses have gotten considerably
longer, greens are faster and there are more
hazards to deal with. Many courses have become so difficult for recreational golfers that
a formal program was created to encourage
golfers to play the forward tees so they have
a better chance of reaching the green in
regulation – Tee it Forward, which is a good
thing. The direction course design has taken
needs some correction.
Another positive development is the
creation of the US Recreational Golf Association’s (www.USRGA.org) rules which reflect
and validate how recreational golf has been
played for many years. The USRGA rules do
not place performance limits on any equipment. Wedges with deep square grooves
that enable a golfer to more easily stop the
ball on the green are allowed. Drivers with
a high coefficient of restitution that deliver
longer drivers are allowed.
Anchoring a long putter or any other
club is allowed. Golf balls that are designed
to be longer and correct hooks and slices
are allowed. Mulligans and gimme putts
are allowed by the USRGA rules, as they
have long been part of the tradition of
recreational golf. With the right rules and
equipment technology, the game is easier
to learn and more fun to play. With these
changes, a recreational golfer can easily cut
5-15 strokes from his or her game and, more
importantly, drastically reduce frustration
levels and speed up play.
Change in golf will continue… for the
better.
“One thing that hasn’t changed
over time is the recreational
golfer’s desire to have fun. Golf
is still a game that is played in
a beautiful setting and enjoyed
with friends and family.”
26
27 ASIAN GOLF
MARINA BAY SANDS® SINGAPORE
24/7 REDEFINED
SPECIAL FEATURE
The Tours
The history of the professional golf circuit in Asia has
been mired in a lot of intrigue and misgivings virtually
from the day the professional game was introduced
to Asia. The two main adversaries are the Asian Tour,
the tour which claims to be the sole custodian of the
professional game and the upstart OneAsia Tour that
proclaims itself to be the million-dollar play maker.
R
elations between the tours
have been bitter to say the
least with mud-slinging battles
fought out in the media with
each side questioning the legitimacy of
the other’s very existence. While all this
sabre rattling has been going on, the
players, especially those on the Asian
Tour have reportedly become both frustrated and irate due to the lack of playing
and earning opportunities on the tour.
There is no denying that the running
28
29 ASIAN GOLF
battle between the tours has affected the
prize money pool. The total bag of cash for
2014 adds up to over US$14 million which
does not reflect real growth. This figure is
for only Asian Tour events and it does not
include any co-sanctioned tournaments
with the European Tour or the PGA Tour. The
reason why the money from co-sanctioned
events is not included in this report is attributable to the fact that most of the pot is
anyway won by non-Asian Tour players!
In a recent AFP agency report, Singa-
pore’s veteran professional Mardan Mamat
said, “I think most of the players are not very
happy with the schedule of the Asian Tour,”
whose prize money for the year from the
Asian Tour stands at a paltry US$4,000 plus.
He added, “You need to play good at these
big events otherwise you won’t make much
income. You play a $300,000 tournament, you
need to finish top-five to make any money.”
This about sums up the plight of the Asian
Tour players.
To understand the players’ concerns
better, it may help if the income levels for
this year on the Asian Tour are compared
with let’s say the European Tour. The Order Of
Merit money spinner on the Asian Tour is Anirban Lahiri who at the time of writing has
salted away US$245,910. On its own, it looks
like a lot but when compared to his counterpart on the European Tour for the same
period under review, Thomas Bjorn has
earned US$2,025,000. OneAsia Tour, the socalled “million dollar” tour is not that much
better. At the time of writing, the Order of
Merit leader, South Korea’s Kim Seung Hyuk
had bagged US$223,311.
We have refrained from drawing any
ISSUE 166
SANG Y. CHUN
Commissioner and
Chairman of OneAsia
JULY 2014
MIKE KERR
CEO, Asian Tour
“OneAsia is always open to the
possibility of collaboration and
cooperation with other tours –
it is in our DNA.” - Sang Y. Chun
comparison with the US PGA Tour because
earnings on that Tour are stratospheric! But
you get the message.
Moving on, it is obvious that both tours
are languishing and are in urgent need of
one mighty shot in the arm to get things
happening and to quell the frustrations
being experienced by players on tour. The
natural question to pose at this stage in
the evolution of the two tours would be
to explore the possibility of the Asian Tour
and OneAsia coming together to form a
super tour? It makes good sense and from a
financial viability standpoint, it should also
work well.
However, pulling off a coming together
may prove to be the big challenge – or will
it? Given the pressure that’s building up, this
may be the time to do a bit of soul-searching,
to cast away differences and work out a rapprochement that will be in the best interest
of all parties concerned, the players, sponsors
and the professional game.
We see a thawing already happening
especially with the public-relations offensive
that Mike Kerr the chief executive officer
of the Asian Tour seems to have embarked
upon. We have been told that Kerr is the “new
face” of the Asian Tour and he may prove
to be the man who can bring everyone to
the table to work things out. Wonder if Kerr
is already talking to the powers that be at
OneAsia about some sort of a collaborative
arrangement between the tours?
What’s the read from the team at OneAsia? In a recent interview with ASIAN GOLF,
its commissioner and chairman Sang Y. Chun
said, “OneAsia is always open to the possibility of collaboration and cooperation with
other tours – it is in our DNA.”
Well, the door seems open for peace
talks. Can we look forward to sensible and
pragmatic men coming together to resolve
matters which hopefully can result in the
establishment of one tour in Asia – a super
tour that offers value all round - to players, to
sponsors and to those who want to see the
professional game grow and take its rightful
place on the global stage as a tour to reckon
with?
Only time will tell!
The natural question to pose at this stage in the evolution of
the two tours would be to explore the possibility of the Asian
Tour and OneAsia coming together to form a super tour?
SPECIAL FEATURE
Out-Of-The Box Thinking
Mission Hills in China is a name
that is probably known to golfers
the world over. It is known to be the
biggest golf resort on the planet
with a total of 22 world class golf
courses spread out over two facilities on Shenzen and Dongguan on
the Chinese mainland and Haikou
on the off-shore island of Hainan.
30
31 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
M
ission Hills is the end product of a dream come true for
the late visionary founder of the sprawling facility, Dr.
David Chu. Since his demise, his two sons, Ken Chu and
Tenniel Chu have taken on the task of leading this giant
facility to greater innovations and developments. The Chu brothers, like
their father, are passionate about golf and are committed to leading
the way on growing the game not only in China but on a global scale.
With this as background, Mission Hills has just unveiled in grand
Tinsel-Town style its latest project. The name of the project is sort of
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– but it is in keeping with the spectacle and grandeur associated with
all projects undertaken by Mission Hills. The Movie Town is located
at Mission Hills Haikou on the tropical island of Hainan, popularly
described as China’s Hawaii.
So, what’s the connection between a movie town and golf? Well,
it’s huge! Dr. Ken Chu, the Chairman of the Mission Hills Group is on
a mission to grow the game of golf. He believes that for the game to
JULY 2014
grow and for the growth to be sustained, a committment has to be
made to reach out to the golfer and his or her family. “I believe that if
we can reach out to the family and address the needs of every member, father, mother and children, golf will grow and to achieve this goal,
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Chu declared at the 2013 Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Mission Hills Movie Town is just one of these facilities which
adds to the total pull-factor to grow the game of golf. It is like Las
Vegas, Universal Studios and Disneyland which all play a big role in
making golf a major tourist attraction.
Movie Town, spans 5.7 square kilometres and involves a total
investment of US$900 million. It features vintage street settings from
famous movies, state-of-the-art film studios, an array of shopping and
dining options and countless other entertainment and leisure features.
It is expected to attract five million visitors per year. Now can you appreciate the effect that this will have on golf and its growth in China?
Movie Town is a three-way collaboration between China’s premier
“I believe that if we can reach out to the family and address
the needs of every member, father, mother and children,
golf will grow and to achieve this goal, we must strive to
provide facilities that will appeal to the family.” -Dr. Ken Chu
SPECIAL FEATURE
Out-Of-The Box Thinking
leisure and lifestyle conglomerate, Mission Hills Group, acclaimed film
director Feng Xiaogang, and the country’s biggest movie producers,
Huayi Brothers Media.
“The opening of the first phase of Movie Town is a major milestone for Mission Hills Group as we continue to expand and diversify
our leisure and entertainment portfolio,” declared Dr. Chu.
“Movie Town will further cement Mission Hills Haikou’s status as
the premier lifestyle resort in Hainan and will be a huge attraction for
the millions of tourists who visit the island each year from mainland
China and overseas.
The first phase of Movie Town features “1942 Street”, depicting
Republican Era buildings in Chongqing as featured in Feng’s movie
Back To 1942. A total of 91 buildings, covering 25,000 square metres,
showcase the different architectural styles which prevailed at the time.
When completed, Movie Town will feature two more districts,
Nanyang Street and Old Beijing Street, a total of four giant film
studios – including one sized at 8,000 square metres, bigger than a
soccer field – and a collection of celebrity-themed boutique hotels.
Movie Town is just one of a series of major construction projects
at Mission Hills Haikou. Also nearing completion is Mission Hills New
Town, with shopping malls, Lan Kwai Fong entertainment district,
leisure facilities and three new hotels, the Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance
and Hard Rock Hotel.
Mission Hills Haikou already features a 539-room hotel, 10 worldclass golf courses and “The World’s Largest Spa Resort” as officially
32
33 ASIAN GOLF
recognized by Guinness World Records.
Meanwhile, Mission Hills Shenzhen-Dongguan on the Chinese
mainland is officially “The World’s Largest Golf Club” with 12 courses.
A major shopping, leisure, business and residential hub, Centreville, is
currently under construction at this resort.
In summation, one can only conclude that to seriously grow golf,
initiatives have to be put in place to cater to a wide variety of needs
with the family unit as the central target. Mission Hills Group is doing
just that and doing it real well!
“The Mission Hills Movie Town is
just one of these facilities which
adds to the total pull-factor to
grow the game of golf. It is like
Las Vegas, Universal Studios and
Disneyland which all play a big
role in making golf a major tourist
attraction.”
SPECIAL FEATURE
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35 ASIAN GOLF
Back9Network
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
Have not heard about Back9Network? Well, this won’t stay that way for too
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I
t’s not been an easy ride getting television carriage rights in North America but the dogged
determination of Back9Network is finally paying
off. Spearheading the thrust is James L. “Jamie”
Bosworth, widely considered one of the most dynamic, visionary and effective golf industry leaders of
the last two decades.
Bosworth believes that both advertisers and the
golfing public are being underserved by current
broadcast alternatives. He envisions a global, multiplatform network that would transcend the professional tours and focus on the golf lifestyle, appealing
to passionate player and casual fan alike.
Bosworth is not alone in bringing Back9Network
to life – he has some serious stake-holders supporting
him and a very dynamic management team. One of the
network’s stake-holders is Hollywood super mega-star
and avid golfer Clint Eastwood. With Eastwood involved,
you can rest assured that Bosworth and his team will live
up to Eastwood’s expectations – “Go ahead – make my day!”
As a prelude to the launch of the network, Asian Golf met
up with Dennis P. Allen, senior vice president for global business development to get the latest on Back9Network’s launch
as a television network:
Asian Golf: Well, it has finally happened! Carriage for the
Back9Network. Your reactions?
Dennis Allen: Yes! We’re thrilled to have reached the TV starting line in late 2014 for the U.S. market. We’ve been building the
Company for roughly the last 4 years with the goal of launching
the Back9Network multimedia platform on TV. Along the way
we’ve worked tirelessly and have been fortunate to aggregate a
loyal digital audience that demands terrific golf-lifestyle-centric
content on a daily basis. In May 2014, we surpassed 1million
unique visitors to www.back9network.com, 25% of which are
international visitors. We’re growing 20-25% per month, undisputedly the fastest growing golf media platform on the planet.
The sky’s the limit.
“We will deliver a fresh perspective on the lifestyle of golf and its worldwide influence through
original programming, truly unique studio shows
and highly compelling syndicated content.”
SPECIAL FEATURE
Back9Network
“The Company’s leadership team has always believed that there is a huge hole in
the market for Back9Network’s planned
golf-lifestyle-centric content. Such content is truly complementary to the traditional media coverage of golf.”
As they say, the serious work
has now begun. Give us a
sense of what we can expect
from Back9Network as a full-fledged
content provider on golf?
DA: Back9Network will be inviting everyone
into the golf lifestyle, from those who are
already part of the game to those that aspire
to live the lifestyle….even if they rarely pick
up a club. We will deliver a fresh perspective
on the lifestyle of golf and its worldwide influence through original programming, truly
unique studio shows and highly compelling
syndicated content.
You have positioned your
network as an alternative
medium for golf where you
36
37 ASIAN GOLF
essentially focus on the fun and lifestyle elements of the game. Is there
enough going on to keep a channel fed
with original content on a 24/7 basis?
DA: That’s correct. Back9Network was
developed as a complementary alternative to
traditional media’s focus on professional golf
tournament coverage. There is no limit to our
content offerings. Focused on compelling
storytelling, interesting personalities, features
and fashions, interviews and instruction,
travel, gear and much more, fans of all kinds
will want to hang with the Back9Network.
With more content being
required, will your facilities in
Hartford be beefed up and
what is needed to be done most
urgently on a priority basis?
DA: Yes, absolutely. We opened the Company’s
digital media studio/headquarters in April 2013,
a 12,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility
in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, USA currently occupied by over 40 employees. Our TV
Production Studio is scheduled for completion
in August 2014, a cutting edge 6,800 square
foot building with studio space (virtual and hard
sets), control rooms, editing rooms, etc. We will
be producing at least 4 hours per day of studio
content from this new media facility.
What are your thoughts on the
timing of your carriage
launch? Is this a good time?
DA: Since Back9Network isn’t focused on
the “live rights” of golf (professional tournament coverage), there’s never a bad time to
launch our network. Most important to your
question, the lifestyle of golf is not seasonal.
Golfers around the world love to consume
lifestyle content around the sport that they
love regardless of their ability to participate,
seasonally speaking.
This is a chicken and egg
question – what sort of
reception do you expect to
receive from the golf industry first and
the golf public at large?
DA: Back9Network’s content has already
been well received by a rapidly growing
audience of golf-lifestyle enthusiasts around
the World (online). Our TV content will take
ISSUE 166
this momentum to the next level, although
now complemented by long-form programming on TV. Based upon industry leading
media research results, we anticipate a broad
audience to tune in to our content. Think
about an amalgamation of Food Network,
HGTV, Travel Channel, History Channel, A&E,
Discovery Channel and Bravo…all with golf
woven into the tapestry of the programming.
Like anything new, you are
bound to be confronted by
challenges. What challenges
do you see ahead of you and how can
these challenges be overcome?
DA: The biggest challenge is to rapidly ramp
up domestic and international TV distribution in order to maximize global advertising
and sponsorship opportunities. Due to the
aggregation of a highly coveted demographics (golfers), the global markets are ripe for
consuming more of our planned golf-lifestyle content. Global media conglomerates
must be convinced that distributing Back9Network to their clientele is in their best
interest. This is easier said than done, but we
are bullish on the strategic plan.
The television market for golf
has been pretty much a one
horse race, albeit not a very
exciting one! Do you see the competition picking up resulting in more
exciting and engaging content?
DA: The Company’s leadership team has
always believed that there is a huge hole
in the market for Back9Network’s planned
golf-lifestyle-centric content. Such content
is truly complementary to the traditional
media coverage of golf. That being said,
we’ve already started to see the market react
to some of our on-line programming strategies, which is flattering. At the end of the
day, Back9Network has a 24/7 platform not
bound by live rights content, so our creative
content freedom is quite frankly, limitless.
What are your immediate
plans for international access
to your network?
DA: The Company’s first priority is to complement our bourgeoning digital operation
by establishing its domestic TV operation.
This will be followed shortly thereafter by an
international roll out, which is frankly driven
by resource allocations. In other words, we
aspire to be great at what we do locally and
then expand globally. Golf-lifestyle content
has no geographic boundaries, so although
exporting our content around the globe isn’t
complicated, navigating the TV distribution
“gatekeepers” is challenging.
The natural follow-up would
a question regarding your
plans for international
coverage – is this on the drawing board?
DA: Absolutely, once the U.S. TV market rolls
JULY 2014
out we will be eagerly seeking international
distribution partners. Just like any other
emerging business, this is all about resource
and capital deployment. Putting that aside,
Back9Network aspires to be “the golf-lifestyle
network”, globally speaking.
Give us five albatross points to
support why Back9Network
would be the most watchable
and compelling channel out there in
golfdom?
DA: Here you go:
1. The U.S. golf-lifestyle economy is a $177B
space, with less than 3% of that market
focused on coverage of the “live rights” of
golf (where the current golf media landscape lives).
2. Back9Network will “follow the money”,
focused on programming/content that
encompasses where 97% of golfers spend
their hard earned dollars.
3. Unique original programming (reality shows,
scripted dramas, animations, documentaries,
etc.), always featuring golf as the tapestry.
4. Breakthrough, daily studio programming
aimed at appealing to a broad TV audience
(golfers and otherwise).
5. Compelling TV syndication (travel/resorts,
fashion, gear, watches, fine dining, cigars
and automotive), all of which complement
Back9Network’s original content and studio
programming.
EQUIPMENT FOCUS
Mantis Golf
“Mantis Golf putters
feature the finest workmanship and built-in
performance elements
to help golfers discover and refine their
most effective putting
strokes.” -Chris Maher
A
newcomer to the putter business is
Mantis Golf. This young American upstart,
founded in 2012 is launching in Japan
which is arguably one of the most demanding and challenging golf markets to break into.
They know it but the company has guts to take
on all-comers in Japan. “As our putters begin to
be recognized and sought after throughout North
America and beyond,” said Chris Maher, CEO of
Mantis Golf, “we look forward to expanding our
worldwide market to satisfy the demand. We are
pleased to add Japan to this initiative.”
This year Mantis Golf introduced its new Mantis
‘B’ blade putter, which, along with the
original Mantis Mallet putter, features
superior quality and craftsmanship,
including classic design and the
signature Mantis patented green
finish to avoid distracting the
golfer’s eye.
According to Mahler, Mantis
putters are a blend of old-world
craftsmanship and state-of-the-art
technology. “Mantis Golf putters feature
38
39 ASIAN GOLF
the finest workmanship and built-in performance
elements to help golfers discover and refine their
most effective putting strokes,” said Mahler.
He continued, “Mantis putters are retro in simplicity yet revolutionary in concept and with our patented green finish and face-balanced construction, is
designed to minimize the visual attention a golfer
gives to the putter and maximize attention
to the ball and the line of the putt, thus
producing a smoother putting
strokes and more consistent
results.”
EQUIPMENT FOCUS
T
Wilson 8802 Putter
he proverb “old is gold” has a very
special relevance to the product that we
are going to discuss in a moment. In the
classical sense, “old is gold” essentially
means that whatever is old is actually valued as
gold. Now, let’s cut to the product under review –
the classic Wilson 8802 putter.
This iconic putter has been winning tournaments on the PGA Tour for years and some of the
all-time greats who have used the Wilson 8802
include Arnold “The King” Palmer, Ben Crenshaw
and Greg Norman.
As a matter of fact, few golf club
designs possess the history and
pedigree of the Wilson 8802 putter.
It’s a product that has certainly
withstood the test of time!
Now, in the centenary year of
Wilson, the company has decided
to bring back the classic putter.
The blade design which has been
holing putts since the 1960s is now
available with a brand new updated
21st Century look.
The original shape was designed
and inspired by Arnold Palmer, who was signed
on to Wilson in the early 1960s. According to reports, after Palmer parted company with the brand,
Wilson dropped the tag “Designed by Arnold Palmer” and renamed the putter as the Wilson 8802.
The Wilson 8802 shape and styling has
remained pretty much unchanged for the past 50
years and this in itself is strong validation to give
the putter a brand new playing life!
Commenting on the come-back of the Wilson
8802, Tim Clarke, president of Wilson Golf, said,
“Our main focus in this our 100th anniversary year,
lies in our new product launches, but there is
just too much history to pass through without
celebrating the 8802”. According to him, the
8802 revives a lot of good memories. Several
top tour players have trusted the 8802 design and Ben Crenshaw was given one on
his 15th birthday in 1967 by his father who
paid US$15 for a used version. Crenshaw
used it for many years, resulting in the
e putter being nicknamed “Little Ben”.”.
“The Wilson 8802 shape and
styling has remained pretty
much unchanged for the past 50
years and this in itself is strong
validation to give the putter a
brand new playing life!”
40
41 ASIAN GOLF
The 2014 version of the Wilson
son
8802 putter is milled from 304
stainless steel. Unlike the original’s
al’s
smooth, metal face, Wilson has
added a double-milled face to the
he
redesigned model. With the same,
me,
heel-shafted head shape of the original,
the putter has also been updated
ed with
a head weight of 335 grams to match
the demands of modern greens and ball
construction.
THE WORLD’S ONLY ILLUMINATED BOOK ON THE GAME
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EQUIPMENT FOCUS
New Products
Callaway Golf is turning on the pressure and this time, it’s all about the expertly crafted Mack
Daddy 2 tour grind wedges designed by the legendary club designer Roger Cleveland and inspired
by the major-winning performance of the Mack Daddy 2 Wedges.
Callaway’s new Mack Daddy 2 Tour Grind Wedges feature a Tour-validated shape to deliver more
precision, greater spin and pinpoint control. These premium forged wedges are made from 1020 Carbon steel for an ultra-soft feel and feature a straighter leading edge that creates better turf interaction
through the ground.
The higher toe is a favorite of Tour players, creating a shape that inspires the confidence you need to go
after delicate shots. The forged Mack Daddy 2 Groove Pattern offers 39 percent larger grooves for 25 percent
more spin out of the rough, while the increased surface roughness of the face provides added spin
and control.
6MMLYLKPU[^VÄUPZO6W[PVUZ!
Chrome finish for a rich, muted look that reduces
glare; and
Slate finish is pre-oxidized for a
Tour preferred distinctive,
non-glare look over time
3VM[ZH]HPSHISL!
52°, 54°, 56°,
58° and 60°
Gauge Design Golf, a premium golf company known for creating the most
precise milled putters in the golf industry, has announced the re-introduction
of its popular Whitlam Golf Little Dog Mallet Putter.
The Little Dog putter is a full toe-hang #9 style putter accompanied by a
singular site-line. It is precision milled out of carbon steel and features a halfmoon style cut-out mallet shape and a slightly wider top line which helps
maintain the balance of the putter and helps keep it square at setup.
“This little puppy is part of our Whitlam Golf Collection and it was a
popular addition to our line when we first introduced it a few years
ago so we thought we’d re-introduce it this year,” said David
Whitlam, Founder and President, Gauge Design Golf.
The Little Dog putter comes with a head
weight of approximately 360 grams.
Standard lie is 70 degrees and
standard loft is 3.5 degrees.
42
43 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
M
ore and more electronic devices are coming into play and the latest to join the rage is Game Golf, a wearable device that tracks and
displays a golfer’s round of golf.
It provides the ability to improve your game whether during a
weekend outing with friends or while participating in a club tournament. Best of
all, the product has received the blessings of the USGA, the governing body of
golf and is “Allowable under The Rules of Golf,” which means it can now be used
in competition.
GAME GOLF, which consists of a small, light-weight device worn on the player’s belt and individual sensor tags that attach to the butt end cap of each club,
records every shot played during a round of golf using GPS and motion sensing
technology. By simply tapping the GAME GOLF sensor tag to the device worn on
the waist, the GAME GOLF device automatically records course, location of the
hole, club used and club distance. After the round, the golfer simply uploads
the data via computer to GAMEGOLF.com for post-round analysis, which can
also be viewed via a mobile app or web platform.
“We designed GAME GOLF specifically to allow golfers to capture their
round of golf automatically without
disrupting the pace of play or interrupting the golfer’s focus.” -John McGuire
“We designed GAME GOLF specifically to allow golfers to capture their
round of golf automatically without disrupting the pace of play or interrupting the golfer’s focus,” said John McGuire, GAME GOLF CEO. “GAME GOLF’s
unique ‘tag-and-go’ process becomes part of the golfer’s pre-shot routine and is
designed to be a performance trigger. The tags were designed under 2 grams of
weight, as anything above that effects the performance of the club in a negative
way. Following the round, golfers can go to GAMEGOLF.com and re-live
each shot, view stats and data, and have the ability to share in a
fun, socially driven way.”
GAME GOLF is a tool aimed at growing the game of golf.
It attracts the golfer who wants to improve using technology
by allowing them to learn the true distances of each of their
clubs and gather stats like fairways hit, greens in regulation,
number of putts and more. GAME GOLF is a fun, interactive
system that can connect golfers in any geographic locations
to compete and share their round.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Rising Star
It’s not often that one comes across a young golfer who shows promise,
especially in a country like Indonesia which is not particularly known to be a
hot-bed for professional golf talent. But when one comes along, it’s a special
TVTLU[¶HTVTLU[[OH[NP]LZZ\MÄJPLU[JH\ZL[VJLSLIYH[L
By Dennis G. Kloeth, founder and owner of Golf Promo Indonesia
A
sian Golf is always on the lookout for young talent throughout
the region and the spotlight this
time around focuses on a golfer
who is turning heads in the third most populous nation on the planet. He has emerged
against all odds in a golf bureaucracy that is
mired in internal politics which more often
than not inhibits the development of junior
golf in Indonesia.
Nevertheless, our “star” of the month,
now 28 years old, battled his way through all
of the bureaucratic obstacles to get to where
he is today. Meet George Gandranata,
arguably Indonesia’s best professional golfer
today.
George has developed and progressed to
where he is today purely because of the support accorded to him by PGTI (Professional
Golf Tour Indonesia). The PGTI is responsible
for the Indonesian Golf Tour, a series of 14
tournaments designed at creating a career
path for professional golfers and amateurs in
Indonesia.
George is making waves alright and he is
turning in very creditable performances both
in Indonesia and on the Asian Tour. This year
alone, he has scored three wins on the PGTI
Tour and is leading the Order of Merit.
He started golf at the age of 13 and
turned pro at age 26 in 2012, after securing his BA in Economics from University of
California Berkeley and an MA in Economics
from the University of San Francisco.
“My perception of golf at the beginning
was that it was played by older folks and this
cGeorge Gandranata at CIMB Indonesian Masters April 2014 cGeorge Gandranata winner at PGTI tournament at Padang Golf Modern, Jakarta
44
45 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
My perception of
golf at the beginning was that it was
played by older folks
and this did not fire
my interest. But that
changed rapidly after I hit some balls
and I was instantly
hooked.”
PHOTO: ASIANTOUR
did not fire my interest. But that changed
rapidly after I hit some balls and I was instantly hooked,” he revealed.
As a junior golfer, George cut his teeth
playing on courses around Jakarta. “In
August 1999 I entered my first junior golf
tournament and it was a real thrill to win
and to raise the winner’s trophy - it changed
my life – I knew from that moment on that I
wanted to develop myself into the nation’s
best professional golfer,” said George.
After graduating from junior high school
in Indonesia, he was packed off to America
to pursue his dual dream of attaining top
honours in golf and in academic studies. He
enrolled in Pendleton High School in Florida
where he competed in numerous junior golf
tournaments organized by the Florida Junior
Golf Association, the Junior Champions Tour
and the American Junior Golf Association.
“Tell you what – to learn how to play
golf at the highest level, America is the place
JULY 2014
because this is where I saw an opportunity to
become not just a successful college player,
but more importantly, a successful professional golfer,” he explained.
According to George, his first two years
in high school were tough because he
needed to learn English and through a lot of
hard work and perseverance, he managed to
score very high grades both in the language
and all other subjects.
“Playing golf in high school was also a
challenge because the environment was new
and the competition was stiff, but as they say,
I gave it the good old college try – I played a
whole bunch of new courses under different
climatic conditions and all this went towards
helping me to improve my all round game.”
Through sleepless nights, a lot of hard
work, practice, sacrifices and determination,
he eventually graduated to playing in tournaments staged by the American Junior Golf
Association (AJGA). “This was an experience
cGeorge Gandranata with caddie Stasha Senjaya during the CIMB Indonesian Masters April 2014
because I snatched four 2nd place finishes,
two of them in a major which earned me the
prestigious AJGA All-American Honor on two
different occasions,” he added. Because of his
winning performances, he received scholarship offers from the University of North
Florida, Florida State University, Notre Dame
University, Texas A&M University, Georgia
Tech University and the University of California-Berkeley. “I opted for Berkeley because of
that university’s strong track record in sports
and academics,” George added.
The American experience has proved
to be invaluable to the Indonesian professional because during his stay there, he was
fortunate to play with and learn from the
likes of current PGA Tour players like Webb
Simpson, Brian Harman, Jamie Lovemark
and Robert Gates Jr.
He is now an accomplished professional
golfer with three good years under his belt
with successes on the ASEAN PGA Tour and
the Asian Development Tour. Coupled with
his current leading position on the money
list, George is Indonesia’s brightest golfing
star. It must be noted though that where
he is today is due almost wholly to his drive
and effort.
There is no doubt in anybody’s mind that
the adventure for this young Indonesian professional has just begun. He has the talent,
drive and panache to take his professional
game to a higher level and it is hoped that
Indonesian golf throws its total support behind a young man who has a long and bright
future ahead of him.
George is a special player who not only
has the skills but also the academic qualifications to match – BA and MA in Economics
which is a rare achievement amongst professional golfers in Asia.
SPECIAL FEATURE
It’s Great To Be Young!
“I just want to go out
there and have fun
and play the best
I can, and I really
don’t care about the
outcome.” -Lucy Li
What’s happening to
the professional game
of golf? We are seeing
more and more babies
who should still be in
the care of nannies
instead of taking on the
best professionals in
the game.
46
47 ASIAN GOLF
W
e are not opposed to this. In fact we believe that more babies should be
brought on tour so that they can serve as shining examples as role models.
And heck, the game is in dire need of young role models that youngsters
can look up to and emulate. This can only mean one thing for golf – it will
be darn good for the game!
When a 11 year old, sixth grader who answers to the name Lucy Li walked on to the
parched tee-box at the fabled Pinehurst # 2 to compete as an amateur in the 2014 U.S.
Women’s Open last month, most on-lookers were amazed.
Here was a tiny girl, wrapped in the colours of the American flag who was about to take
on a golf course that had terrified a field of top professionals a week earlier at the U.S. Open
and she showed no signs of nerves. Instead, she was having fun like any other kid her age.
Being in the presence of the LPGA’s biggest names did not faze her one bit.
Like a professional, she went about her work to do battle with a golf course that was
waiting to destroy her.
The tale of Lucy Li is what fairy tales are all about. Even though she failed to make the cut,
it was quite an experience watching this little girl from Asia go through the paces and handle
herself with such aplomb that one could only expect from a person far more mature in age.
Our partner, Back9Network who were on site to watch this entire spectacle, shared this
report by Tess McCurdy with us:
As the tournament officially kicked off, a composed Li said in a giggly press conference,
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
“I just want to go out there and have fun and play the best I can, and I really don’t
care about the outcome.” I’m in total awe of her poise and maturity as she tees off
with LPGA pros twice her age.
Roughly 10 years ago, I was 11 years old, just like Li, and the school year was
coming to an end. I spent the whole summer of 2004 worrying about starting middle
school and desperately trying to transform my elementary school look.
Summers back then were free of responsibilities, other than soccer camps and
summer reading books. Summer reading was the bane of nearly every 11-year-old’s
existence (except Li’s, apparently, she reads 400-page books in just two days). That
summer, I ditched my glasses for contacts, but got a brand new set of braces. Life
was good but … awkward.
On the contrary, my girl Lucy Li’s summer begins at Pinehurst # 2! I think it’s safe
“Even though she failed to make the cut,
it was quite an experience watching this
little girl from Asia go through the paces
and handle herself with such aplomb that
one could only expect from a person fare
more mature in age.”
to say Li’s not your average 11- year-old girl and there’s nothing awkward about this
middle schooler. She’s determined, hardworking and has an Augusta National Drive,
Chip and Putt victory under her sparkly-pink belt.
For starters, Li is home-schooled and trains all year round with her coach, Jim
McLean, in Miami. Her family relocated from Hong Kong to California and she began training at the age of 7. I won’t even begin to tell you what I was doing when
I was 7, but it did have nearly everything to do with Barbies.
One thing Li and my younger self do have in common: We both looked up to our
big brothers. Li just wanted to golf like her older brother, Warren. Similarly, I begged
my mother to let me wrestle like my big brother from the ages of 7 to 10. The difference, Li’s golf career turned out better than my nonexistent wrestling career.
Yet, despite Li’s rigorous training schedule and eminent success for her young
age, she is just an 11- year-old girl who likes 11-year-old girl things. She just happens to have a killer swing and a ridiculous work ethic. Li has been known to skip
down the fairways and deliver candy bars to fellow golfers. Her style on and off the
course is nothing short of adorable.
And what about her being just a kid? Well, when she finished her first round at
the U.S. Open with an 8-over 78 she was asked what she had planned for the rest of
the day and she responded: “Eat some more ice cream.” What a kid – we need more
kids like Li around!
EQUIPMENT FOCUS
PING’s Point Of View
^ ^ ^ W P U N J V T
BY JOHN K. SOLHEIM
PING VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERING
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LUQV`LKT`[PTLPU1HWHUHUK[YH]LSPUN[OYV\NOV\[
(ZPH0»]LSLHYULKHNYLH[KLHSHIV\[[OL\UPX\LULZZ
HUKZPTPSHYP[PLZVM[OLKPMMLYLU[NVSMTHYRL[Z(UK
0»]LILLUMVY[\UH[L[VL_WLYPLUJLTHU`KP]LYZL
J\S[\YLZ^OPJOOHZTHKLMVYZVTLTLTVYHISLMHTPS`
]HJH[PVUZHZ^LSS
FAMILY PHOTO IN CAMBODIA: Our
family will never forget the times we
spent traveling throughout Asia.
48
49 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
PING
has seen a lot of success during this time, and I
consider Asia to be the best opportunity for growing
PING’s business and the game of golf. I’m encouraged that in many
parts of Asia, the sport is still new but is high on the lists of activities
people want to pursue. That’s where PING can play our customary
leadership role by introducing them to the benefits of performance
innovation and custom-fit equipment.
The progress we’ve made in Asia I credit to the appeal of our
unique story and to the effectiveness of our products in making the
game easier and more fun for all ability levels. In Asia I see many
golf companies sending messages that make their brands look and
sound alike. So I can understand the prevailing sentiment that most
golf manufacturers aren’t too different. But at PING, we stand out by
engineering products that push innovation with results. Then we put
those products into golfers’ hands so they can experience the benefits first hand. Advancements like variable-depth grooves in putters,
adjustable-length putter shafts, progressive CG locations, and drivers
that are the longest and most forgiving in golf have helped us make
big strides in distinguishing and elevating our brand where it matters
most: performance.
One question I hear frequently is, “What do an optimized Centre
of Gravity, higher Moment of Inertia, and improved aerodynamics
really mean to the golfer?” Well, recently I observed the importance
of optimizing these variables when I watched a golfer get a fitting,
followed by a test comparing his newly purchased competitors’ clubs
with PING equipment.
After a few swings, the improvements with PING were mind-blowing to me, and to this player, who I estimated to be a 10 handicap. He
was playing a competitor’s top-of-the-line clubs that he had tried at a
golf shop before purchasing. He hit a PING S55 7-iron 20 yards farther
and more accurately than with his model. Hitting a PING driver
he picked up 5 mph of ball speed and improved his launch condi-
“As head of PING Golf Japan, I took every opportunity
to explain the benefits of custom-fit PING equipment.”
JULY 2014
“Go demo the competition’s
products,” I tell them,“and you’ll
have a new appreciation for how
much PING is helping people
play better golf. It starts with seeing the results in your own game.”
tions, yielding a 12-yard gain in distance. That means on holes where
he would hit a driver and a 7-iron to reach the green, he might need
only a driver and a wedge. Over the course of a round, hitting shorter
irons into greens can leave you much-better opportunities for birdie.
On top of this, with both the driver and 7-iron his shot patterns were
much tighter with the PING clubs. This doesn’t sound to me like all club
manufacturers are the same. Talk to your local PING clubfitter and he or
she will tell you that this man’s experience is nothing new.
I’ve ended many of my articles encouraging people to get fit and
demo a PING product to experience the difference that our technology makes. This month I’m inviting everyone to hit PING equipment
side-by-side with competitors’ clubs. Do this with a launch monitor
or at a driving range so you can compare ball flights and substantiate
the results with meaningful data. I’ve recently instructed our sales and
fitting staff in Japan to do the same thing. “Go demo the competition’s products,” I tell them, “and you’ll have a new appreciation for how
much PING is helping people play better golf. It starts with seeing the
results in your own game.”
Authorized PING Fitting Centres use the patented PING Colour
Code Chart along with impact board and tape to check on the most
appropriate lie angle a golfer should be using.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Grow The Game
As part of our effort to grow
the game of golf and to
introduce the element of
fun into golf, Asian Golf will
be partnering with various
industry leaders to bring
our readers timely tips
and advice. We kick off
this special service with a
column written by Jennifer
King, President of KZG –
the acknowledged global
SLHKLYPUJ\Z[VTÄ[[LKNVSM
clubs.
Properly Gapped
Iron Chart
10 yards
PW
W
9i
hen I first started KZG in
1994, I attended many
trade shows and gathered
as much insight as possible from those in the business. Retailers
would tell me they wanted a product that
looked good and would sell cheap. In
other words, they were in the market for a
quick profit.
On the other hand, when I spoke with
professional fitters and builders (of which
there were very few), I was moved by the
amount of time they would spend to ensure
52
53 ASIAN GOLF
8i
7i
6i
5i
4i
every golfer had the perfect tools for their
game. It didn’t take me long to learn that I
wanted to work with these professionals as
clearly, they are the true “soul of golf.”
Twenty years later, custom fitting is
universally recognized as the only method
of improving the performance of your
equipment.
Tour players and avid golfers seem to
have no problem finding qualified clubfitters and builders, but the majority of
golfers are left in the dark as to where to
go and what to expect from a true fitting.
ISSUE 166
“I think the ultimate key is to have
the golf clubs fit you, you not fit the
club.You got to get a club that fits.”
– Tiger Woods, PGA
“[Fit Centres] give the amateur
the chance to be treated like us,
and give help to the game, to lower the handicap a little, and build
up more enthusiasm for the sport
of golf.” – Sergio Garcia, PGA
That is why 9 out of 10 golfers are still playing
ill-fitting clubs.
Interestingly, it is the new player and
high handicap player that stands to benefit
the most from custom clubs. More experienced golfers have had more time for trial
and error in the process of figuring out what
they should be playing, whereas those with
less experience don’t know what to expect
from feel, performance and distance. What’s
worse, if they take lessons around ill-fitting
clubs, there will be no improvement. Because
of this, many new players quit the game out
of sheer frustration.
If you would like to enjoy your time on
the course, you really need to be custom fit.
Here are a few things you should be looking
for in your fitting session:
1. If you are a beginner, you don’t need to
buy 14 clubs coming out the gate. It is
often better to start with a few irons—say
#5, 7, 9 and PW. Your fitter will select
a club-head model with design features that will help you launch the ball
efficiently and strike center-face most
consistently. Your fitter will also select
shafts to accommodate your size and
JULY 2014
3. Your fitter will also adjust your iron set for
lie. Having the proper lie angle throughout
your set is beneficial for two reasons: First,
the right lie angle will allow the club to sit
properly on the ground at address—creating a flush feeling and boosting confidence
aesthetically. Second, the proper lie will
ensure more consistent contact.
You will instantly see an improvement in
your ball striking capability. You will shave
strokes off your game. Your lessons will
become relevant. Welcome to the joys of a
lifetime of great golf!
Next month the topic will address how
club-fitting will benefit the high handicap
players.
Cheers! Jennifer King
strength. These shafts should be frequency
matched so that your set will play consistently throughout. After 5 or 6 lessons,
your swing should become smooth and
seamless, and you may then be ready to
re-shaft your original 4 iron heads and fill
out the rest of your set. At this point, you
will be well on your way to lowering your
scores.
2. To score well, it is important that you have
a properly gapped set. Your club-fitter will
be sure each of your irons is lofted so that
you achieve a specific distance with each
club. Generally, fitters loft clubs to generate about a 10 yard (or 9 metres) difference
for each club. This way you can repeatedly
execute the same full swing while the
clubs do the work for you in achieving the
necessary distance.
“A custom-fit driver can easily give you 20 yards overnight;
changing your swing can take
months, or longer.” – Bubba Watson, PGA
ABOUT JENNIFER KING
Dr. King is the founder and President of KZG, the #1 Custom ProLine which manufactures equipment distributed solely through
qualified professional teachers and professional clubfitters. She has pioneered raising the bar for custom clubfitters around the globe
and is a sponsor of the International Professional Association of ClubFitters (IPAC), an association dedicated to raising the bar for the
clubfitting profession and to assist the golfing public on where to go and what to expect in a real fitting.
If you have a question for Dr. King, please e-mail her directly at jennifer@kzgolf.com and put on the subject line: Asian Golf. You can also
find out more about KZG and IPAC on their websites: www.kzg.com and www.ipacgolf.com tXXXL[HDPN and www.ipacgolf.com
ASIAN GOLF TOURISM
Dalu Dunes, Mongolia
Well, we are
ar not pulling your legs! We are stone cold serious because Asian Club Business has been granted an exclusive preview of a
golf course that opens for play this month in Inner Mongolia.
Just in case you’re wondering as to where Inner Mongolia is, let’s first enlighten you. This is an autonomous region of China, very much like Hong Kong
and Macau. It is located in the north of China bordering Mongolia and Russia. It is
p
the third largest Chinese province
(over 1.1 million square kilometers or 424,736 square
popu
miles) and is sparsely populated.
The province has about 24 million inhabitants.
54
55 ASIAN GOLF
PHOTO CREDIT: RYAN FARROW
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
Gobi Desert
Climate in Inner Mongolia is very different during the year and
the winters are cold and can be very long, with frequent blizzards.
Summer is usually short and warm.
Would you like to know more about this new golf course? Well
here goes. To start with, it is another outstanding course developed
by the Schmidt Curley Design partnership and has not been named
as yet (we believe that its working name is Dalu Dunes and it has a
hotel next to the golf course named: “Yitai Savannah Hotel).
The owner of this new facility is reported to be the Inner Mongolia Yitai Group. The course is located about 90 kilometres away
in a small town called Dalu which is about a 90-minute drive from
the capital city of Hohhot.
ASIAN GOLF TOURISM
Dalu Dunes, Mongolia
We hope this design will not only change the misconceptions of
the game in China, but also inspire developers to seek out great,
natural sites like those found here, on the edge of the Gobi Desert.”
“Construction on this course started in
late July 2012 and grassing, was completed
in July 2013,” said Lee Schmidt, principal of
Schmidt Curley Design (SCD). The course
will be open to the public and may offer
a limited number of memberships. The
target audience will be the population in
Hohhot which is home to about 2.8 million
people.
The course is an 18 hole lay-out that
plays to a Par 72, 7,195 yardage.
“Since the course will be open to the
56
57 ASIAN GOLF
public, we are excited to introduce the
Chinese population to a real links golf setting,” Schmidt revealed. The site is located
on the edge of the Gobi Desert and along
the banks of the Yellow River and features
20 meter sand dunes. This makes for some
stunning surroundings and the course
consists of non-returning nines to make the
most out of this dramatic terrain which feature punch-bowl greens, redans, dramatic
fall away greens as well as challenging
plateaus.
Throughout the design process, SCD
looked at not only preserving the existing
vegetation and natural sand dunes but also
the micro undulations in the fairways and
green contours. According to Schmidt, “In
keeping with the great links courses of the
British Isles we recognize the importance of
challenging golfers with a variety of uneven
lies, partially blind shots, and opening up
the golfer’s eyes to a variety of ways to play
each golf hole.”
The fairways are wide (70-80 yards
ISSUE 166
in spots) in order to keep a playable golf
course during the windy season (SpringEarly Summer) which can see winds upward
of 20-30mph. Depending on the days, hole
location and wind direction, SCD has provided alternate routes to play each hole with
the intention of challenging golfers to find
the right section of the fairway or by asking
them to run a shot onto the green using the
side of a hill or mound instead of flying a
green side bunker.
“We want golfers to think about where
they want a shot to end up, not necessarily where they want it to land and stop as
they have become accustomed to with the
overly manicured and lush conditions found
in places like Beijing or southern China,”
Schmidt explained. “We hope this design
will not only change the misconceptions of
the game in China, but also inspire developers to seek out great, natural sites like those
found here, on the edge of the Gobi Desert,”
he added.
The course comes fully equipped with
JULY 2014
a double ended driving range (400 yards),
a golf academy, a putting green and chipping green. A five-acre “short game area”
with five separate target greens ranging
from 40 yards to 170 yards is also being
planned.
On the cards for future development is
an 18 hole Par 3 course and a “Himalayas”
style putting course.
This is a golf course that offers a totally
different and challenging experience and
will be open for play from July this year.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Asia Pacific Golf Summit 2014
The prestigious Asia Pacific Golf
Hall of Fame was started in 2010
by the Asia Pacific Golf Group
and its primary objective is to
recognise individuals who have
contributed to the growth of golf
in the Asia Pacific region.
58
59 ASIAN GOLF
T
he 2014 Asia Pacific Golf Summit, the eighth in the series, will
induct two of Asia’s most prominent golf luminaries into the
Asia Pacific Golf Hall Of Fame.
The two men who will receive this prestigious award hail
from Indonesia and Malaysia respectively. They are Tun Dr.
Ahmad Sarji bin Abdul Hamid, Chairman of Permodalan
Nasional Berhad (PNB). PNB is Malaysia’s biggest fund management company.
The other inductee will be Mr. Murdaya Widyawimarta Poo, President of the
powerful Indonesian Golf Course Owners Association.
Both Tun Dr. Ahmad and Mr. Murdaya will be honoured at the Gala Awards
Banquet of the 2014 Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS) which will be staged at
the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore on November 14-15.
Commenting on the new inductions, Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group (APGG), the owner and producer of APGS
said, “Tun Dr. Ahmad and Mr. Murdaya are the leading lights for the growth of
ISSUE 166
golf in Malaysia and Indonesia respectively and what they have done
collectively to date, places both nations on a firm foundation for the
growth of the game.”
Tun Dr. Ahmad is one of Malaysia’s most illustrious public and
corporate officials. Besides his numerous directorships in corporations
and public organisations, Tun Dr. Ahmad is also the Chairman of the
Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM). Under his leadership, PGM’s objectives are to promote the sport of golf and to contribute towards its
enjoyment and growth in Malaysia.
As a show of confidence in Tun Dr. Ahmad, the Malaysian government appointed the PGM to become the local coordinator of The EurAsia
Cup, the annual Ryder Cup format tournament between Europe and Asia.
“Malaysia has benefitted greatly from hosting The EurAsia Cup and it
has reinforced Malaysia’s capabilities to host a sporting mega-event placing our great nation firmly on the global sporting calendar,” is how Tun. Dr.
Ahmad reacted after the inaugural Eurasia Cup clash ended in a draw.
Commenting on his induction to the Asia Pacific Golf Hall Of
Fame, Tun Dr. Ahmad said, “I am honoured by the decision to induct
me into the Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame, and God willing, I will attend the 15th November 2014 occasion.”
Mr. Murdaya, is one of Indonesia’s most powerful entrepreneurs
and is a billionaire in his own right. He owns golf courses in Indonesia
and has played a very dominant role in initiating various schemes to
grow the game of golf in Indonesia, including the promotion of golf
tourism.
Under his leadership, golf has experienced exponential growth in
the sprawling republic.
His flagship company is Central Cipta Murdaya which is a diverse
conglomerate and one of its companies is well-known for being the
Indonesian manufacturer of Nike shoes.
MR. BOONCHU RUANGKIT
MR. JACK NICKLAUS
MR. LU LIANG HUAN
MR. GARY PLAYER
MR. RONALD FREAM
TUN DR. AHMAD SARJI BIN ABDUL HAMID
DR. IR. CIPUTRA
MR. K.J. CHOI
MR. MURDAYA WIDYAWIMARTA POO
JULY 2014
SINGAPORE
THE GLOBAL LABORATORY
FOR CHANGE.
Helping The Golf Industry TO Help Itself To Deliver The Best!
On-line registration will Open ON June 1, 2014. VISIT WWW.GOLFCONFERENCE.ORG
Singapore, one of the most dynamic and forward thinking countries
in the world will be the staging point for the 2014 Asia Pacific
Golf Summit. Innovation and cutting edge thinking will lead the
thrust of the Summit and it will be powered by a theme that calls
for a “New Drive. New Energy. A Revitalised Industry!”
APGS 2014 will push the envelope
change as it is widely regarded as
is perhaps the most spectacular
for change as far as it will go
the global laboratory for change
integrated resorts in the world,
in its continuing efforts to grow
– a nation that is constantly on
the imposing Marina Bay Sands
the game in a rapidly changing
the look-out for a better way to get
which stands imposingly on the
landscape that challenges the
things done!
fringes of the central business hub
of Singapore. A true wonder of the
growth of the game of golf.
Singapore is the perfect fit for
APGS 2014 will be staged at what
21st Century.
Asia PacifIc Golf Summit 2014 – NEW DRIVE. NEW ENERGY. A REVITALISED INDUSTRY!
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Essential intelligence for the business of golf
SPECIAL FEATURE
Asia Pacific Golf Summit 2014
World class speakers are now being lined up for the 2014
Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS) and looking at the experts being lined up, the event promises to be one of
the best staged so far in the series. APGS 2014 will
be staged at the iconic and ultra-modern Marina Bay
Sands hotel in Singapore on November 14 – 15.
The theme for APGS 2014 is “New Drive. New Energy. A
Revitalised Industry”.
E
very speaker who will be addressing the Summit has been carefully chosen to focus on
game changing solutions designed to help grow the game of golf – there will be no
room for negatives at APGS – we want to focus on how the industry can collectively work
together to think totally out of the box and to come through with revolutionary schemes
to get golf growing,” said Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner
and producer of APGS 2014.
62
63 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
“Golf needs to take on a mission that is on a biblical
scale – to evangelise and get kids excited about the
game and to want to learn and play it.”
Against this exciting backdrop, take junior golf development.
There is so much talk on this issue but solid follow-up action never
quite matches up. Many in the industry have heard so much about
junior golf development that they have become blasé about it. Whatever our take on this urgent need to grow the game, we need to be
united to come up with initiatives that will produce the next generation of club members, golfers and professionals.
Talk alone won’t do it. We need to make golf FUN and EXCITING
for kids to opt for golf. We need to make golf competitive so that kids
will embrace it instead of walking over to other more team-oriented
sports or even the massively large hand-held video games arena
which is proving to be more compelling than any other recreational
activity available.
Golf needs to take on a mission that is on a biblical scale – to
evangelise and get kids excited about the game and to want to learn
and play it.
To get the ball rolling, the celebrated and renowned three-time
PGA Teacher Of The Year, Joe Thiel, founder of the Joe Thiel Golf
Schools and Master Coach of the Mizuno Golf School of Japan will
speak on why juniors have to be courted NOW to take up the game.
There is perhaps no one more passionate about golf and the
teaching of the game and its life values to youngsters than Joe. The 37
year veteran was coach to the legendary South Korean super-star Se
Ri Pak who is just one of the many thousands who Joe has taught and
guided.
He has the spunk and get-up of a kid and all that he really cares
about is having an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives
using golf as his platform.
Kudos and plaudits for Joe from fellow professionals and students
are profuse and impressive. “Joe is one of the most dedicated and
qualified golf professionals I have ever known. He has taught some
of golf’s finest players around the world and is continually searching
for new ideas that will help golfers of any level,” said Mike McGetrick,1999 PGA Teacher of the Year.
“Listening to Joe speak is like being transfixed to an impassioned
preacher addressing a large multitude of people – he is absolutely
engaging, sincere and totally different from anyone I have heard
discussing golf and its growth,” said Sebastian.
“With his intimate understanding of Asia, its varied cultures and
his belief in Asia, Joe is going to make a huge impact at APGS 2014
and must not be missed by anyone serious about the growth of golf
in the region – Joe is an absolute wizard,” Sebastian stressed.
GROW
JOE THIEL
Three-time PGA Teacher
of the Year
THE GAME!
Japanese golf giant Mizuno is on a mission.
A mission to grow the game of golf in Southeast Asia.
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MIZUNO GOLF SCHOOL
GROWING GOLF AND CREATING FUTURE CHAMPIONS!
Mizuno Singapore Pte Ltd – 51 Changi Business Park Central 2, #06-01, The Signature Singapore 486066
IRONS
WOODS
HYBRIDS
Tel: +65 6589 9461 Fax +65 6589 9489
WEDGES
PUTTERS
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GAME IMPROVEMENT
Black Hat Golf Tips
The TMG Academy at
Lotus Valley Golf Resort
in Bangkok, Thailand hass
been my home facility
for teaching and training
g
students. It’s been great
at
fun witnessing studentss
from all over the world
improve there game
at the state-of-the-art
practice facilities. I feel
el
very lucky to meet so
many golfers.
The St. Louis Arch
H
owever, I never forget my grass roots growing up outside St. Louis,
Missouri (USA) and always recommend people from Asia to visit if
they have an opportunity. It’s a magical place!
One of the landmarks that I do promote in my teachings-only
because my experience has proven that humans learn better with visual
images-is the World-Reknown St. Louis Arch.
Yes, having a good visual image in your mind when pitching can help you
improve your golf scores.
When a shot is about 50 to 100 yards from the green, you will most likely
be pitching. As is apparent, the best club to use from this range is the pitching wedge. When pitching, set up the same as if you are hitting an iron shot,
except when pitching you will have an open stance.
66
67 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
JULY 2014
Line up so that the ball is slightly
back in your stance compared to a
normal iron shot.
As seen in the picture, make sure
you visualize the ball travelling on an
“arch-like” shape and landing on the
green and rolling to the hole.
In order to vary your distance with
pitching, vary the length of your backswing. Bring the club farther back for
longer shots, and vice versa for shorter
shots. Just like with any normal iron
shot, be sure to keep the acceleration
going; do not attempt to scoop it up
into the air.
The ball will spring off the clubhead
and rise like a St. Louis Arch and land
softly. In order to make sure the ball
travels on an arch like shape, you must
focus on swinging the club forward and
not to decelerate.
In summary, when pitching, make
sure you visualize your ball going towards the target. Think of the St. Louis
Arch!
Trust me, your scores will lower in
no time!
ABOUT TONY MEECHAI
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.tmggolfeducation.com
www.tmggolfeducation.com
GAME IMPROVEMENT
Pro Tour Golf College
This Easy to Learn Method Will Take Your Game
into the Low Golf Score Zone More Often
David Milne (left) and Lawrie
Montague (right).
There’s no doubt that over the past three decades the
scoring average of tour players has dropped and many
more professional golfers are raising the bar and producing scores that years ago only a very small percentage of
[OLÄLSKH[HWYV[V\YUHTLU[Z^V\SKZOVV[
PGA Tour Player Steve Stricker
68
69 ASIAN GOLF
ISSUE 166
A
combination of improved golf
equipment, better maintained
golf courses, improved golf
instruction and better practice
methods has made a big difference to the
game at the elite end of the scale.
But here’s the reality of competition still,
those that have developed the ability to
score lower more often have the advantage
in every tournament they play in. This was a
fact of competitive golf 3 decades ago and is
still the case today.
All successful professional golfers have
developed the Go Low ability.
Go Low Ability
You must develop the ability to go low to
become a competitive amateur or professional golfer whenever the opportunity
arises.
What I mean is that you must develop
the physical and mental tools that help you
to go lower when you are playing your best
to drive you into the ‘A Game Zone’ as we
call it at Pro Tour Golf College.
The A Game Zone is your better than par
average game – your low score average for
the season, with par being the average par
for the season for all the events you play in.
This is not your adjusted average, it’s
your total strokes played divided by total
holes played.
It’s your true playing ability against par.
JULY 2014
The Tipping Point
into the A Game Zone
Here’s a quick question for you; “do you
find it easier to play in the A Game Zone or
harder?”
Less mental and physical effort is
required to play your best and contrast that
when you are playing poorly and I bet it
seems like you are working a lot harder and
your score average for the round is higher.
Study our golf score tipping point model
(below) for a moment and notice how the
red dial is constantly moving up and down
responding to the playing performance
frequency (green dotted line).
The red dial is responding to physical
and mental effort from the
golfer and you can clearly
see that when mental and
physical effort is lower - that
is when you are not trying
so hard, the golf scores are
lower.
Conversely when more
effort is applied to produce
low scores, it forces the dial
up towards the high score
average.
Now it is absolutely normal for the dial to be moving
up and down but the aim
should always be to reduce
the high score average and
lower the low score average.
Trying to do something
(like playing golf shots)
implies that you cannot do
it (you are trying to do it but
not doing it).
Trying to play golf and
playing golf are diametrically
opposed methods.
Why Force What
Should Be Allowed?
Elite golfers who have
learned many of their golf
skills to the unconscious
competence or autonomous
stage need to understand
that at this level you allow
your golf skills to perform you don’t try to make them
perform.
Applying extra effort
does not give you access to
the A Game Zone, it will keep
your score average higher
than it should be and it quite
often leads to frustration and
poor decisions, and also confuses you about the future
GAME IMPROVEMENT
Pro Tour Golf College
“Applying extra
effort does not give
you access to the A
Game Zone, it will
keep your score
average higher than
it should be and it
quite often leads to
frustration and poor
decisions, and also
confuses you about
the future direction
you should take your
game.”
direction you should take your game.
Imagine that your A Game is locked away
in a slot machine and you need the right
code to unlock it giving you access to the A
Game Zone.
The trouble is sometimes you can access
it and play in the A Game Zone but you
never seem to remember what the code was
for accessing it, and it frustrates you because
you know that you should be playing there
more often.
Let me say it again; trying won’t give you
access to the A Game Zone.
You have to play shots - not try to play
shots, and you have to play golf and not try
to play golf.
We teach our students a simple code
and the philosophy behind it to explain why
some golfers find it hard to get into the zone
and the understanding you need to unlock
your average game so you can get there
more often.
Here’s the code that will unlock it for you;
25/75
The 25/75 Rule
The 25/75 Rule teaches us that just 1 golf
shot out of 4 (25%) from greater than 100
yards is likely to turn out as you expected it,
and 75 percent of your shots won’t.
This rule also says that 1 round out of 4
you will be to your expectations.
70
71 ASIAN GOLF
1 SHOT
MANY SHOT
Golf is a hard game because expectations often far outweigh ability on the golf
course.
Many golfers get sucked into the illusion that they believe they should be
hitting mostly perfect golf shots to play well
because they are very likely hitting a high
percentage of shots to their expectations on
the driving range.
Unfortunately this type of practice is
performed with little to no pressure, where
you are conditioning your nervous system to
repeat an action without continually intro-
ducing additional stress much like what you
will likely face on the golf course.
By applying the 25/75 Rule to longer
approach shots and accepting that in all
likelihood just 1 shot out of 4 will be to your
expectations you reduce the pressure to try
to hit perfect golf shots, and are more likely
to achieve better results that are actually
closer to your expectations.
In other words you are more likely to stay
out of our own way and just play shots, and
just play golf, and you will set yourself up to
visit the A Game Zone more often.
The hunt for the BEST in the Asian golf
industry has begun!
Voting for the BEST in thirty-two special
categories opens on May 1, and the
search for the BEST will close on July 31.
Now is the time to rally your members
and club supporters to vote on-line for
their favourites. Note that voting is only
valid via the 2014 Asian Golf Awards
on-line link.
Please note that every completed voting form must
include the full name and e-mail address of the person
making the submission. This is for verification purposes.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH:
ASIAN GOLF ISSUE 167
PING’s Boss
Shares His Thoughts
A fire-side chat with John Solheim Sr., chairman of PING. In this
wide-ranging discussion, Solheim provides a fascinating insight
to the award-winning range of equipment that his company
produces together with his assessment of the state of the golf
industry as he sees it. Don’t miss this rare interview with the man
at the helm at PING.
Golf Industry In
Asia To Be Mapped
Inaugural Father And Son Tournament
The first ever tournament which will engage father and son teams will
be staged in Ho Chih Minh City in October. It will be hosted by the
award winning Long Thanh Golf Resort and teams are expected from
throughout the region to compete for the Le Van Kiem Trophy.
The Asia Pacific Golf Group is embarking on an ambitious drive
to launch the inaugural Golf Industry Benchmark Survey. This will
be a milestone development for the industry as it will provide
it with a scientific handle to understand trends impacting the
industry and to help plan and guide the growth of the industry.
An Exclusive One-On-One
With “The Donald”
Asian Golf has secured an exclusive session with Donald Trump,
American billionnaire business magnate, investor, television
personality, author and golf course owner. Always outspoken,
Trump is bullish about the golf industry in general and hints that
Asia is now on his radar. Find out what his outlook for the future
of golf is like.
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ASIAN GOLF
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www.asiapacificgolfgroup.com
%GUV&QWTUGKP$UKC3CEKæE Best Course in Thailand
2002 – 2010
1st Runner-up 2010 & 2011
1st Runner-up 2011 & 2013
Best Clubhouse in Asia
Best Par-3 Signature Hole (#6)
Best Championship Course 2001 – 2003
in Asia
2008
Eight times since 2000
Website: www.thaicountryclub.com
E-mail: inquiry@thaicountryclub.com
Tel: (66 38) 570 234
Fax: (66 38) 570 225
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The U.S. Open is coming to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in history. Play the course that’s bringing it here.
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U N I V E R S I T Y P L A C E , WA | C H A M B E R S B AYG O L F.CO M /A S I AG O L F
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