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Š2016 Acushnet Company.

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S M 6 W E D G E S.

PROGRESSIVE DESIGN. P R E C I S I O N P E R FOR M A N C E.

LOW CG: 46°–52°

MID CG: 54° AND 56°

HIGH CG: 58°–62°

PROGRESSIVE CG FOR SUPERIOR DISTANCE CONTROL AND FEEL. Precision in your wedge game requires precise technology in your wedges. New Vokey SM6 wedges feature an innovative, progressive center of gravity that’s placed in the optimum position for each loft to provide players with more consistent distance, trajectory control and better feel. Available in three finishes: Jet Black, Steel Gray and Tour Chrome. Visit Vokey.com to learn more about new SM6 wedges.

46 – 52 – 56 – 60 –

JORDAN SPIETH

08 F Grind 08 F Grind 10 S Grind 04 L Grind

52 – 12 F Grind 56 – 14 F Grind 60 – 12 K Grind

JASON DUFNER

48 – 08 F Grind 54 – 08 M Grind 60 – 04 L Grind

JIMMY WALKER

titleist.asia

ISSUE

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The latest in the ever-expanding empire of Mission Hills China. ‘Golf And More” is a complex, comprehensive, exhilarating and engaging multi-sensory experience that caters to the needs of everyone. This has never been done in China or for that matter anywhere in the world. The ‘golden phoenix’ legacy is the physical materialization of the late Dr. Chu’s larger dream – a dream to build an all-encompassing entertainment empire that embraces an ambitious concept with golf as one of its central themes.

SPECIAL FEATURE

APRIL 2016

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20 Simply Put, PXG Clubs Are The Duck’s Nuts!

Back in April 2015, American professional golfer Ryan Moore, ranked 45th on the Official World Golf Ranking signed on to become a brand ambassador for the new upstart golf equipment company Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG). It was only a few months earlier that Bob Parsons, the well-known billionaire businessman and philanthropist had decided to set up his revolutionary PXG brand of golf equipment. And it looks like that vision has been realised. “Putting PXG clubs in play has been a great decision. The technology is beyond anything I’ve ever played,” is how Ryan Moore feels about PXG golf clubs.

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26 APGS 2016 Hits Historic Milestone Golf’s pace-setting knowledge summit is back! The 2016 Asia Pacific Golf Summit will be staged in the Royal Thai city of Hua Hin in Thailand. The theme of APGS 2016 is “Golf And More” and the keynote address will be delivered by billionaire Chinese golf entrepreneur Dr. Ken Chu, chairman of the Mission Hills Group in China. It will be a summit with a difference!

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30 Asian Golf Awards: The Hit Parade Of Glory!

Heading up the list of prestigious awards at this year’s

6 Asian Golf Editorial Team

7 Shared Thoughts From Publisher

76 Next Issue

EQUIPMENT FOCUS 32 The Flat-stick Maestro Is Back!

The new family of the Scotty Cameron Select putters reflect the master-craftsman’s attention to detail, craftsmanship and performance acquired from decades of work with the world’s best players. Each of the new Select putter is a precision milled, elegantly refined shape with Tour validated balance and stability.

38 How About A Super-Lite Golf Bag? The new Titleist 4UP StaDry stand bag – according to the folks at Titleist, this is the lightest bag the company has ever made. It only weighs 3.5 pounds when empty.

46 The Anatomy Of A Golf Bag The ubiquitous Wilson Staff golf bag for a long time was manufactured in America, but it was moved to foreign manufacturing locations in Malaysia and China and today, it is manufactured in partnership with vendors across the Asian continent.

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GAME-IMPROVEMENT 70 Think Of Buckets On Approach Shots!

Experiencing problems with approach shots? Don’t know what club to use and how much of a swing to apply? No worries! The coach who wears a black hat, Tony Meechai, has the right tip to get sorted out on approach shots.

72 How to Pressure Proof Your Golf Practice

50 A 3-Wood In Disguise Whenever Tour Edge introduces a new product to the market, you better be resigned to the fact that it’s a product that has passed through the careful and discerning ‘Glod’ quality control process. The latest is a three-wood from the famous Exotics stable of drivers, woods and hybrids.

This month in part 2 we will show you how to practice some of the key greenside skills such as chip, pitch, bunker and lob shots, and we’ll show you how to design your practice around the greens to help you shave strokes off your game on the golf course.

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Asian Golf Awards will be the Global Golf Eminence Award. This award has been created as a unique anniversary tribute to mark the 10th anniversary of the Asian Golf Awards. It will be a highly exclusive, once-only special award and it will be presented to a very select few individuals who have played a prominent role in the development of golf.

FASHION TREND

54 Mission Hills Showcases Asia’s Best

The ECCO golf cruise-liner has arrived in Asia and it is docked in Singapore. From this major business hub, ECCO, one of the world’s most respected names in quality formal, casual and golf shoes will orchestrate its business covering the entire Asia Pacific region. Asian Golf met up with Jesper Thuen, the man entrusted with this major assignment to find out what’s in store for golfers going forward.

If there is one professional event that is destined to boost the development of women’s golf in Asia, it has got to be the World Ladies Championship. The five-year old tournament has the track record and the pedigree to stake its claim as a “major”.

58 2016 APAC Inter-Club Tournament Headed For Black Mountain The 2016 edition of the Asia Pacific Inter-Club Golf Tournament will be held in the coastal city of Hua Hin, Thailand and it will be staged at the award-winning Black Mountain Golf Club, voted the Best Golf Course In The Asia Pacific.

62 What’s Choking Golf’s Growth?

New research is unraveling more negatives about where golf is headed. Out here in Asia, a market with really no statistics (short of what the Asia Pacific Golf Group has done with its recently released Asian Golf Profiles Survey), trends are also not looking good.

64 Olympic-sized Golf Enthusiasm?

The anticipated triumphant return of golf to the ranks of the Olympic Games does not seem to have had the desired positive impact on the game of golf. Veteran golf legend Juli Inkster feels that professionals should not be in the Olympics. She firmly believes that participation in the Olympics should be strictly reserved for amateur. Asian Golf’s James Prusa reports.

42 Stunning Style + Uncompromising Quality + Gratifying Comfort = ECCO

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MIKE SEBASTIAN Chief Executive Officer/Managing Editor

ANGELA RAYMOND President

[ mike@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]

[ angela@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]

RAQUEL M. ARCEGA Art Director & Ezine Development [ raquel@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]

WAYNE LWEE Social Media/Video Editor

LAWRENCE YOUNG Editor (New Equipment)

[ wayne@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]

MYRA PARAS Accounts Executive

[ myra@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]

Contributing Professionals

[ lawrence@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]

ALICE HO Marketing Executive

[ alice@asiapacificgolfgroup.com ]

TONY MEECHAI, DAVID MILNE & LAWRIE MONTAGUE (PRO TOUR GOLF COLLEGE), JEFFREY BOSE, JIM PRUSA (INTERNATIONAL ROVING EDITOR)

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SHARED THOUGHTS From The Publisher

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved” - Sun Tzu

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isten up everybody - here comes the “Global Tour”?

What’s with the question mark?

Well, in plain simple terms, it’s called “hedging our bet”.

So, the mighty PGA Tour with Commish Tim Finchem at the helm and the internationally savvy LPGA Tour, masterminded by Michael Whan, have got into a huddle and come out to announce to the world that the two tours have signed off on a “strategic alliance agreement” that could lead to joint events.

This calls for a celebration and we are not trying to be cynical or sarcastic. A “strategic alliance” like this augurs well for golf and the future of the game, especially at the professional level. These two organisations, more than any of the other professional bodies in golf, possess the style, vision, drive and the deep pockets to do what they think is right for golf.

Regardless of how Finchem and Whan couch the agreement with carefully and cleverly selected words, the PGA and the LPGA have crafted a game plan that will, and has created a clear pathway for expansion. Where is the expansion going to take place? That’s the million dollar baffler? With a tournament 8

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calendar that is so jam-packed on the PGA Tour, one wonders how “joint events” can be squeezed onto the schedule. The LPGA also has a pretty full calendar with well over 30 tournaments staged all over the planet but there are pockets that need to be filled. Perhaps this is where the global stage presents an opportunity for “joint events” to be created.

If this is a little scheme that both tours have up their sleeves, then it is a brilliant maneuver to grow the global game. And the staging platform could most likely be Asia where there is room to grow the professional game.

If we are correct with this assumption, we are all witness to the birth of a global travelling golf circus that could very well be staged under the banner of the “Finchem & Whan Travelling Golf Pageant”. By their own admission, the two tours have declared that they are merely “formalizing their longstanding cooperative relationship” to promote the growth of golf.

There is no denying that this is an allAmerican initiative and it is very apparent that the European Tour and the Ladies European Tour have been left out of this agreement. Wonder if this was a deliberate snub on the part of Finchem and Whan because the European Tour under the leadership

of its new Canadian boss, Keith Pelley has been hell-bent on growing its own global influence and tournament footprint. This has seemingly not gone down well with Commish Finchem.

If this is in fact a snub, it is really a tantalizingly tasty development that could lead to an all-out winner take all battle. There is no denying that the stronger and better moneyed will win out in the final analysis and that winner will be the combined PGALPGA partnership.

Like any business, the end game is about growth and profitability and what Finchem and Whan have in mind is all about growing their combined effort which undoubtedly will lead to what Finchem has always showed an inclination to own – a Global Tour. Well, he is well on his way towards achieving that goal and this is only going to bring good things to the professional game, the players and the fans. Bottom-line just means that golf is set to win and that’s what matters most of all!

OK – now that we are done with explaining ourselves, we won’t hedge our bet. We’ll put our money where our mouth is and make the call for a Global Tour. Go for it Mr. Finchem and Mr. Whan!

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COVER STORY Mission Hills

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ISSUE 187

APRIL 2016

COVER STORY Mission Hills If we were to tell you that golf is booming and that it has a clean bill of health going forward, we would be lying to you. The glory days of the ancient game of golf is behind us and the industry is now in a new phase of trying to re-invent, re-vitalise and crank it up to grow. The powers that be have tried everything possible to turn golf around, but like a sick patient, the signs of revival are slow and in some cases, seem to point towards [OL WH[PLU[ ÅH[ SPUPUN ;OPZ VIZLY]H[PVU may seem harsh and very drastic but it is a ‘Trumpism’ - that is telling it like it is! Let it be known that there is really nothing wrong with the game of golf – what is wrong with it is that we have too many change-averse bureaucrats in charge of supposedly directing the growth of the game. Instead, these are the very guys who serve as barriers to change. These barriers have to be

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he odyssey started in 1992 when a visionary Chinese businessman took a bold step to get into the golf business. He was the legendary Dr. David Chu who not only got into the golf business but went on to build the world’s largest golf resort with twelve (12) world class golf courses located on the Chinese mainland and a further ten (10) on the off-shore Chinese resort island of Hainan. That’s all history and everybody engaged with golf knows about Mission Hills China and this massive conglomerate’s achievements.

But what about the role that this sprawling facility is playing to grow the game of golf? This is precisely what this special report intends to unravel – the legend of the rising mythical ‘golden phoenix’, the continuing legacy of. Dr. David Chu. It is a movement that started in the East and has embarked on an ambitious expansion programme that now stands out not only as the world’s largest golf resort but also as a massive multi-tiered life-style and leisure experience that is truly world-class.

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brought crashing down and from the YLZ\S[PUN Y\IISL H JVUJLY[LK LɈVY[ should be made to re-build the game of golf on new foundations – foundations that are relevant to today’s recreational needs. Now that we’ve NV[ H OLH]` SVHK VɈ V\Y JOLZ[ ^L would like to take you on a very special journey to witness the rising of the ‘golden phoenix’ of golf. This is really nothing new. It has been going on for a little while, but most of those in the industry (the guys with their blinkers on), have either been ignorant of the ‘new rising’ of golf or have simply elected to ignore it. The scale and scope of the ‘golden phoenix’ phenomenon just cannot be overlooked.

Those amongst us, who have been keenly watching the progress being made, have to admit that this has been both a revelation and a spellbinding experience.

The ‘golden phoenix’ legacy is the physical materialization of the late Dr. Chu’s larger dream – a dream to build an all-encompassing entertainment empire that embraces an ambitious concept with golf as one of its central themes. As in all traditional Chinese families, the onus of transforming a dream to reality fell squarely on the broad shoulders of the scion of the Chu family – Dr Ken Chu, the older of two brothers, the other being Tenniel Chu. Both are young and dynamic entrepreneurs who have been imbued with the visionary qualities of their father and an energy-level that is only found in the best of entrepreneurs. Together, Ken and Tenniel and a select handful of expert partners have led a cast of thousands to transform Mission Hills China into a huge complex that straddles across the Chinese mainland and Haikou, on the island of Hainan, to realise a world oneof-a-kind entertainment mecca that embodies the spirit and philosophy of “Golf And More”.

According to Dr. Chu, the unique “Golf And More” programme is special and its central gem and showcase

APRIL 2016

COVER STORY Mission Hills is a facility known as Centreville, located in Haikou. Centreville is a very trendy international lifestyle urban complex that covers a vast area of 240,000-squaremetres, costing US$ 1.6 billion. This world-class project is divided into five distinct areas and within the “Entertainment Zone”, it features the Lan Kwai Fong Bar Street; a musical water show at Quarry Lake; China Grove, featuring an outdoor shopping environment and entertainment facilities; the Hainan Duty Free Shopping Mall; and a Five- Star Hotel Group where three hotels managed by the Hard Rock group, The RitzCarlton and Renaissance Hotels will add 1,000 rooms by the end of 2016.

Two other central features of the “Golf And More” programme are the revolutionary Movie Town and 1942, the latter being the recreation of typical settings of major Chinese cities from that era. Movie Town, a tribute to Chinese cinema, recreates sets from the period at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and it encompasses three streets and 70 buildings of shops, hotels, dance halls, tea houses and pawn shops representing that era. The recreations are startling and it was done in collaboration with the famed Huayi Brothers Media Group and the distinguished Chinese movie director Feng Xiaogang.

1942 is a sprawling facility comprising 91 buildings that have been recreated to replicate typical street scenes in famed Chinese cities like Nanjing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Wuhan. It is a stunning visual throw-back to the period between 1930 to 1942. A Beijing Street, covering 1949-1960, will be added by the end of 2016.

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APRIL 2016

The unique “Golf And More” programme is special and its central gem and showcase is a facility known as Centreville, located in Haikou. Centreville is a very trendy international lifestyle urban complex that covers a vast area of 240,000-square-metres, costing US$ 1.6 billion. This world-class project is divided into five distinct areas and within the “Entertainment Zone”, it features the Lan Kwai Fong Bar Street; a musical water show at Quarry Lake; China Grove, featuring an outdoor shopping environment and entertainment facilities; the Hainan Duty Free Shopping Mall; and a Five- Star Hotel Group where three hotels managed by the Hard Rock group, The Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotels will add 1,000 rooms by the end of 2016.” – Ken Chu

MISSION HILLS CENTREVILLE, HAIKOU

COVER STORY Mission Hills

MISSION HILLS CENTREVILLE, SHENZHEN

While we have the best golf facilities what excites me is that we are now appealing to families right here in Centreville where each member of a family has something to appeal to them and we have enough attractions to keep families returning for that very special experience.”

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When you add all of these together, the total investment made so far is an eye-popping US$10 billion. “I wanted to transform the golf empire into a “golf and more” family-friendly resort for the country’s rising middle class,” Dr. Chu explained. “What we have now is a very comprehensive, exhilarating and engaging multi-sensory experience that caters to the needs of everyone. This has never been done in China or for that matter anywhere in the world,” he added.

The massive investment in developing the “Golf And More” concept has already started paying off handsomely.

“With our flexibility, we have made golf affordable in China - we have been attracting a lot of golfers for both

ISSUE 187

our destinations at Mission Hills and I am pleased to report that in 2015, we attracted over one million golfers,” Dr. Chu revealed.

With regards to pricing and affordability Dr. Chu said, “The cheapest round we offer where you pull your own trolley is only about US$30.” The pricing structure is based on how hotels operate where the more exclusive properties get to levy higher prices. “If you want a more exclusive course to play on, we do offer those facilities which are priced at slightly over US$200 for a round of golf and to ensure that our courses are accessible and affordable, we have a very flexible pricing structure which range from between US$30 to US$ 120 per round,” said Dr. Chu. There is absolutely no denying that the “Golf And More” positioning of Mission Hills is working especially in its tourism appeal.

APRIL 2016

“Last year our Haikou facility attracted close to three million visitors and this number was matched by our Shenzhen property on the mainland and combined, we hosted some 6 million tourists in 2015.”

As a benchmark of comparison, this figure beats out the Great Pyramids (4 million), and Stonehenge (1 million). What pleases Dr. Chu most of all is the fact that “Mission Hills is attracting a lot of new people to its golf resorts and to its other attractions”.

“While we have the best golf facilities what excites me is that we are now appealing to families right here in Centreville where each member of a family has something to appeal to them and we have enough attractions to keep families returning for that very special experience.” said Dr. Chu. “I want to make Mission Hills a destination whereby all generations can have something to do”.

COVER STORY Mission Hills

Turning to golf again, Dr. Chu ebulliently declared that his “Golf And More” branding has begun to deliver the results in a relatively short time-span. “That’s quite a bit for our brand and by positioning as a public golf course it has really helped to grow the game”.

Directly related to Mission Hills’ numerous initiatives to grow golf is its ‘celebrity golf tournaments’. Both Dr. Chu and his brother Tenniel besides being sharp businessmen are also known to possess accomplished showmanship. “I think it’s not just for creating brand awareness …. it’s for making golf more popular. By bringing in the celebrity element into a pro-am tournament you catch the attention of the mass public and this is how we create a wider audience who in turn find out that golf is fun, its hip, it’s trendy”. Amongst the bevy of stars who have played in Mission Hills celebrity golf tournaments are actors Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Andy Garcia and Hughe Grant and musician Kenny G and as Dr. Chu puts it, “they are all good golfers and great ambassadors for the game!”

What started back in 1992 as a cluster of golfs courses in China branded under the name Mission Hills has gone on to become the modern era’s showcase for the growth of golf. Guided by the brilliant genius of the Chu siblings, an exciting road-map to grow the game of golf has emerged in China. ‘Golf And More’ is ingenuous whichever way you look at it. It engages with new-comers like never before; it MISSION HILLS MOVIE TOWN

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What we have now is a very comprehensive, exhilarating and engaging multi-sensory experience that caters to the needs of everyone. This has never been done in China or for that matter anywhere in the world.” reaches out to families and it simply oozes FUN. What Mission Hills has created with its ‘Golf And More’ initiative is a working template that can be put to work at golf resorts and golf clubs throughout the region, albeit on a substantially reduced scale.

Central to the success of the ‘Golf And More’ programme is sustainable organised fun for all and Mission Hills deserves special kudos for sharing the road-map with the industry. Thank you Dr. Ken Chu! (IN THE MAY EDITION OF ASIAN GOLF, WE WILL FEATURE DR. CHU’S THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF GOLF IN CHINA AND OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS).

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SPECIAL FEATURE PXG Golf Back in April 2015, American professional golfer Ryan Moore, ranked 45th on the OfÄJPHS >VYSK .VSM 9HURPUN ZPNULK VU [V ILJVTL H IYHUK HTIHZZHKVY MVY [OL UL^ \WZ[HY[ NVSM LX\PWTLU[ JVTWHU` 7HYZVUZ ?[YLTL .VSM 7?. 0[ ^HZ VUS` H ML^ TVU[OZ LHYSPLY [OH[ )VI 7HYZVUZ [OL ^LSS RUV^U IPSSPVUHPYL I\ZPULZZTHU HUK WOPSHU[OYVWPZ[ OHK KLJPKLK [V ZL[ \W OPZ YL]VS\[PVUHY` 7?. IYHUK VM NVSM LX\PWTLU[ 7HYZVUZ PZ UV[ JV` ^OLU ZWLHRPUN HIV\[ [OL YLHZVUZ ILOPUK OPZ KLJPZPVU [V WS\UNL PU[V [OL OPNOS` JVTWL[P[P]L HYLUH VM NVSM LX\PWTLU[ /L Q\Z[ SL[Z P[ IL RUV^U [OH[ OL PZ WSHPU MY\Z[YH[LK ^P[O [OL O\UKYLKZ VM [OV\ZHUKZ VM KVSSHYZ [OH[ OL OHZ ZWLU[ VU NVSM LX\PWTLU[ V]LY [OL `LHYZ PU OPZ JVU[PU\V\Z ZLHYJO [V ÄUK NVSM LX\PWTLU[ [OH[ ^VYRLK MVY OPT /PZ ZVS\[PVU [V [OL JOHSSLUNL ^HZ [V ZPTWS` LZ[HISPZO OPZ V^U JVTWHU` [V THRL [OL ^VYSK»Z ILZ[ NVSM LX\PWTLU[

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ith a crack team in place, Parsons led the charge to develop the finest equipment on the planet. His mission was a well-articulated brief that called for the production of a sexy set of irons that look like blades, launch higher, go further, feel softer and have a sweet spot the size of Texas. “PXG clubs have to feel like butter and the difference has to be noticeable.”

And it looks like that that vision has been realised. “Putting PXG clubs in play has been a great decision. The technology is beyond anything I’ve ever played,” is how Ryan Moore feels

about PXG golf clubs. It is not a case of a brand ambassador speaking because of his obligations to the brand – it is a statement of fact that has since been borne out by his very creditable third placing at the recently concluded Valspar Championship. To play for a top spot so early in the evolution of a golf equipment brand bears ample testimony to the kind of technology that is being built into PXG equipment.

ASIAN GOLF had a chance to check out PXG equipment in play last month at the LPGA Honda Championship in Thailand and again at the LPGA Women’s Championship in Singapore and our reviewer came back from what seemed like a mind-

SPECIAL FEATURE PXG Golf I’ve been playing some really incredible golf with PXG clubs and I feel very confident that great things are to come.” – Billy Horsechel

blowing experience. “It’s awesome equipment – the clubs look absolutely out of this world and just looking at the PXGs tells me that the 12 brand ambassadors already on the PXG team will start challenging for top spots on professional tour events.”

And our reviewer can’t be too far wrong with his assessment because this is what some of PXG’s top ambassadors have to say about the clubs: “I’ve been playing some really incredible golf with PXG clubs and I feel very confident that great things are to come,” said Billy Horsechel. The same sentiments were echoed by Zach Johnson who weighed in by stating, “The decision to put PXG clubs in play was not one I took lightly. My entire team, from caddie to coach, was part of the discernment process”.

ASIAN GOLF which ran a cover story on PXG in 2015 decided to do a follow-up on the advances made at PXG and Bob Parsons was extremely co-operative to accord us an exclusive interview and we are proud to present excerpts of that interview:

ASIAN GOLF: How do you look back on the growth of Parsons Xtreme Golf since you launched the company? Have your initial expectations been met?

BOB PARSONS: I gave us 50 years to develop the world’s finest golf equipment. The fact that we were able to accomplish that task so quickly has exceeded even my wildest expectations. But this is also just the tip of the iceberg for PXG. AG: PXG has established a record of sorts. For a start-up, you have very quickly ramped up and in a relatively short [PTL `V\ OH]L VU VɈLY H M\SS YHUNL VM NVSM JS\IZ ;OPZ certainly speaks a ton about your belief system and your willingness to back the initiative to the absolute hilt. Is this all about a personal agenda or the desire to seek out the best technology in golf equipment or a combination of both?

PARSONS: PXG was born out of my obsession with golf and belief

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PXG was born out of my obsession with golf and belief that the right clubs could help improve my game. Before launching PXG, I spent a quarter of a million dollars annually trying the latest equipment.

Irons, drivers, shafts, grips – you name it, I’ve played it! When PXG had its breakthrough I knew right then that our clubs were going to be something special.” that the right clubs could help improve my game. Before launching PXG, I spent a quarter of a million dollars annually trying the latest equipment.

Irons, drivers, shafts, grips – you name it, I’ve played it! When PXG had its breakthrough I knew right then that our clubs were going to be something special. So to answer your question, my personal agenda was the springboard for PXG being what it is today.

AG: 7?. OHZ RPJRLK VɈ [OL UL^ ZLHZVU ^P[O H [LHT VM IYHUK HTIHZZHKVYZ ^OV WHJR X\P[L H W\UJO @V\ HYL VI]PV\ZS` IL[[PUN IPN VU ZVTL L_JLSSLU[ [V\Y YLZ\S[Z >OH[ HYL `V\Y L_WLJ[H[PVUZ MYVT `V\Y 7?. [LHT PU [OL UL^ ZLHZVU& PARSONS: Obviously, I’d like them to play well and have fun doing it. But that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is for them to have a great experience representing PXG. I will do everything in my power to make sure that’s the case.

AG: +V `V\ ZLL [OL [LHT HKKPUN TVYL TLTILYZ HZ [OL ZLHZVU WYVNYLZZLZ& PARSONS: After the last player we signed we decided that 12 is enough.

AG: ;OL [OY\Z[ VM 7?. H[ [OPZ WVPU[ PU [PTL ZLLTZ SPRL P[ PZ KLZPNULK [V JYLH[L H [YHJR YLJVYK VU [V\Y ILMVYL `V\ Z[LW \W [OL IPN W\ZO [V [OL JVUZ\TLY ^VYSK 0Z [OPZ H JVYYLJ[ HZZ\TW[PVU& PARSONS: Not at all. We’re moving in all areas at once.

AG: -YVT [OL V\[ZL[ 7?. OHK THKL P[ ]LY` JSLHY [OH[ P[ ^HZ HSS HIV\[ X\HSP[` HUK [OH[ WYPJL WVPU[Z ^LYL YLHSS` VM UV NYLH[ JVUZLX\LUJL >OH[ PZ [OL J\YYLU[ WYPJL MVY `V\Y LX\PWTLU[& +V `V\ [OPUR `V\Y WYPJL WVPU[ ^PSS L]LY NV KV^U& PARSONS: PXG equipment appeals to those golfers who can strike a big

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SPECIAL FEATURE PXG Golf check and who value performance above everything else. Currently, when all is said and done, a set of 14 PXG clubs start at about US$5,000. Will that price ever come down? No – if anything the price will go up.

AG: There is no denying that PXG products are generally looked upon as golf’s “eye candy” - given its design sex-appeal combined with its performance quality - how do you see the take-up rate of your products in the market?

PARSONS: The numbers speak for themselves. Our sales are growing 50-60 percent month-over-month because the experience of playing PXG clubs is second to none. The clubs feel amazing and above all they really perform! I think our growth now and in the future will surprise the entire industry.

AG: What message do you want to send out to the consumers at large about PXG and its products?

PARSONS: We set out to create the

It’s awesome equipment – the clubs look absolutely out of this world and just looking at the PXGs tells me that the 12 brand ambassadors already on the PXG team will start challenging for top spots on professional tour events.” finest golf equipment in the world and I believe we have done just that. We have no plans to release a new generation of equipment until we are absolutely certain that categorically the performance, feel and look are significantly better than what is currently available.

Given Parsons’ extreme passion for golf, one can only conclude that PXG is a team of golf fanatics, insanely devoted to changing the way golf enthusiasts think about their clubs. “We are golfers, designers and

has introduced an optional black finish for its PXG 0311 and 0311T collections. The new Xtreme Dark finish features a black Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coating that significantly increases the surface hardness of each club’s finish.

“PXG was on a mission to introduce a black iron finish that would not fade overtime and would resist showing signs of wear and tear,” said PXG chief product officer Brad Schweigert. “We discovered that DLC coating not only produces an extraordinary look without influencing club performance relative to how the ball reacts, but also signifi24

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dreamers who will do whatever it takes to deliver game-changing innovation,” is how Parsons describes himself and his team.

Combined with PXG’s lack of constraints on cost or time, this makes the company totally committed to game-changing innovation designed to shatter expectations and change the way golf enthusiasts think about their clubs. “We will not release new equipment unless it’s significantly better than what is already on the market,” was Parsons parting shot.

cantly extends the reasonable lifetime for the black finish.”

PXG’s Xtreme Black finish is the first application of black DLC coating technology in golf. The company’s durability testing has found the coating to be significantly better than anything currently available. “The process is expensive, but the results are remarkable,” said PXG founder Bob Parsons, a point he often likes to emphasis. “The PXG Xtreme Dark finish is rock solid and absolutely beautiful.” PXG 0311 and 0311T irons and wedges are now available in very limited quantities in PXG’s Xtreme Dark finish at an additional charge of US$100 per iron”.

SPECIAL FEATURE APGS 2016

It was back in 2007 when a decision was taken to build the foundations for a world class annual golf conference to be staged in Asia. This was at a point in time when the golf industry was still healthy and it was felt that the industry in Asia needed a comprehensive event that would serve as a gathering for those in the golf industry to Z[H` HIYLHZ[ ^P[O Z[H[L VM [OL HY[ PUK\Z[Y` WYHJ[PJLZ 6]LY [OL `LHYZ [OL (ZPH 7HJPÄJ Golf Summit has established itself as one of the industry’s best knowledge event of its kind in the world. Everybody who is anybody in the world of golf has attended and spoken at APGS and included amongst the luminaries are Jack Nicklaus, Gary 26

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It’s the largest public facility in the world, hence meaning that golf is no longer a rich man’s game. It’s a game that’s affordable in China and it’s affordable to the rest of the world. We have been attracting a lot of golfers for both destinations of Mission Hills and last year we attracted over a million golfers to our two destinations.” – Ken Chu

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eaching the ten-year mark is a huge achievement in itself. For the Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS) to have made it through ten years is a milestone for the golf industry in Asia. So, how do you celebrate an event that has made it through a decade – a decade in which the industry was rocked by massive business challenges that saw golf’s equipment behemoths cut down in size and the sport’s heroes toppled from the pinnacles of success. It has been a decade that has seen more golf courses go out of business and a time when more people have given up playing the game. If one was to read the performance of golf like that of a corporation’s annual profit and loss statement, golf’s report card would look like a sea of red ink!

While spin doctors have tried to paint a stoic face for golf, in reality, golf is a challenged industry. It is more gloom than confidence. It is an industry that seems to be trapped in a time warp and one that clings on to tradition and stubbornly resists change.

While this may be the overarching dilemma faced by the golf industry, do we just retreat and like a wounded animal cower in defeat and seek the cover of protection. No! We think that time is upon us to look for solutions, not quick-fix solutions but solutions that will be sustainable. The solutions are out there and we need special heroes – men and women with vision to provide the golf industry with a new shining beacon to guide the industry along on a pathway of growth.

That beacon of hope is right here in our neck of the woods – right here in Asia! It is Mission Hills China!

Mission Hills China today ranks as the largest golf establishment in the world with more golf courses under its charge than any other facility. Its projects are located in Shenzhen and Dongguan on the Chinese mainland and its newest development is on the Chinese resort island of Hainan. These three massive facilities have soaked up

investments which add up to a monumental US$10 billion! Has it ever dawned upon any one of us in Asia that an Asian organization within our very midst has put so much faith and trust in golf to have invested so heavily and more importantly, has gone on to make it all work!

It is this success that has motivated and inspired the Asia Pacific Golf Group (APGG) to build the 2016 Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS) on Mission Hills’ proven template of success. “We have been very keen Mission Hills watchers for many years and we believe that the time has come for all of us in the golf industry to look at this mammoth Chinese business empire and follow the examples set by it to grow the game of golf in Asia,” said Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of APGG, the owner and producer of APGS 2016.

The theme for APGS 2016 is “Golf And More” which was first keynoted at the 2013 Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is a business platform espoused by Dr. Ken Chu, chairman of the Mission Hills Group that essentially works on a holistic concept of combining golf, entertainment, food, life-style and leisure into a holistic package that addresses practically everyone’s recreational needs.

Mission Hills China is a manifestation of “Golf And More” and stands today as the largest golf resort in the world complemented by world class hotels, massive shopping malls, international restaurants, spas, amusement and theme parks. Commenting on the Mission Hills Complex, Dr. Chu said, “It’s the largest public facility in the world, hence meaning that golf is no longer a rich man’s game.

It’s a game that’s affordable in China and it’s affordable to the rest of the world. We have been attracting a lot of golfers for both destinations of Mission Hills and last year we attracted over a million golfers to our two destinations.”

Now, is there a better example than Mission Hills China to grow the game of golf? The answer is obvious!

APGS 2016 is not suggesting that golf clubs in the region invest in their facilities like what Mission Hills has done. Rather, we are

Player, Peter Thompson, Greg Norman, Annika Sorenstam and a host of other major industry personalities.

APGS has covered virtually every golf industry related topic that has needed to be discussed over the years. 2016 marks the tenth anniversary of a knowledge event that has survived the test of time and a myriad of challenges, both from within and without the industry. This year marks a truly historic milestone for APGS which has evolved into a beacon for the business of golf.

SPECIAL FEATURE APGS 2016 advocating that club owners, operators and managers look at adopting the “Golf And More” business model to not only grow the game but to also grow their bottom lines which in many cases, is under stress. “We see most golf clubs in the region representing a microcosm of Mission Hills in that they all have similar facilities albeit on a much smaller scale, to allow them to implement similar programmes to attract a wider customer base”, Sebastian explained.

It’s a tried and tested business model and it works! Golf clubs in Asia don’t need to look West – Asia has all the answers embodied in Mission Hills China and the time has come for the golf club industry to begin looking East. “It’s not about an us versus them mentality – it’s simply a case of adopting and engaging with business ideas that work,” Sebastian emphasised.

Given the success of the Mission Hills Group in China, Dr. Chu will be delivering the keynote address on “Golf And More”. The visionary Chinese billionaire feels that Mission Hills is in a position to share ideas and programmes with clubs in the region and he declared, ”We have the right mix of business, golf and entertainment and it is a blend that is successful and will continue to be successful for a long time to come.”

To complement the “Golf And More” theme, APGS 2016 will be featuring two other world class thought leaders who will speak about the importance of service and marketing to ensure that the “Golf And More” business philosophy works. The first is the Emmy awardwinning speaker and actor David Webster who could not make APGS last year. “I am

delighted that I will make the cut for 2016 and I am absolutely blown away by the theme – what Dr. Chu has achieved in China with the Mission Hills Group is an achievement of universal proportions and I am honoured to share the stage with him.”

Webster is fired up about his speaking engagement which will focus on the training of manpower resources to deliver quality service at all levels in a club environment. “I am a single handicapper and have been around golf since I was a kid and I understand the value and importance of service and in a ‘golf and more’ environment where service plays a critical part,” he explained.

“David is a spell-binder and we are delighted to have signed him on because there is no one better than David when it comes to addressing service,” said Sebastian. “For ‘Golf And More’ to work, service has to be an integral part!” declared Webster.

As part of the total package to make “Golf And More” work, the importance of marketing cannot be overlooked and this is where the “Legendary Guru” of club marketing enters the picture. Dr. Andrew Wood, widely recognized and acknowledged as the “best brains in the business of club marketing” has been booked.

“I congratulate Dr. Chu on his ‘Golf And More’ business thinking – what he has done both in terms of investments and achievements is unmatched anywhere on this planet and he has made it all work by being an aggressive marketer,” observed Wood.

“In situations like this, marketing takes on a massive role and what Mission has done so far is reflective of the group’s ability to draw up a marketing masterplan, put resources behind it and to drive it with tremendous enthusiasm, drive and panache.”

Wood, who is a firm believer in marketing went on to say, “Ours is an industry where very little is done about planning and budgeting

The solutions are out there and we need special heroes – men and women with vision to provide the golf industry with a new shining beacon to guide the industry along on a pathway of growth.” for marketing and I am glad that Mission Hills has paved the way to demonstrate to the industry why marketing is important for the very survival of the golf club industry.”

“There has never been a better-suited and timely theme for APGS 2016,” said Sebastian who added, “We have the world’s best thought leaders on ‘Golf And More’ and collectively, these men will set the platform to help propel golf clubs in Asia to reach new heights in delivering an all-round quality experience to golfers and their families and friends.”

Just remember that APGS 2016 is all about content and substance drawn from real world success stories and if you want to be part of a progressive and forward thinking generation of club owners, operators and managers, don’t miss the “Golf And More spectacle!

The host city is Hua Hin, Thailand and the dates are October 29 and 30, 2016.

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SPECIAL FEATURE 2016 Asian Golf Awrads

Campaigning and voting in the 17th edition of the most vaunted YLJVNUP[PVU L]LU[ PU [OL (ZPH 7HJPÄJ NVSM PUK\Z[Y` [V LSLJ[ [OL ILZ[ HTVUNZ[ [OL ILZ[ PU [OL NVSM JS\I PUK\Z[Y` PZ ^LSS \UKLY ^H` HUK LHYS` ZPNUZ PUKPJH[L [OH[ WVSSPUN ^PSS VUJL HNHPU OP[ H UL^ YLJVYK 30

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Golf l a b o Gl nence Emi ard Aw

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n-line voting for the Asian Golf Awards kicked off on March 1 and will last until the end of May. “It is the only industry recognition programme that spans the entire Asia Continent and for it to have maintained its premier position for seventeen straight years is a tremendous achievement,” declared Dr. Andrew Wood, one of the industry’s most respected experts on club matters and the founder and president of Legendary Marketing, the acknowledged leader in club management and marketing.

For the 2015 exercise, more than 70,000 votes were cast and after the first month of polling, some 23,000 votes have been cast for the 2016 Asian Golf Awards.

The Asian Golf Awards is staged in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS), the region’s most established knowledge summit on the business of golf. 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of APGS and to commemorate this milestone achievement, some of Asia’s most deserving and outstanding individuals will be accorded special recognition for their invaluable contributions to the growth of golf.

Heading up the list of prestigious awards will be the Global Golf Eminence Award. This award has been created as a unique anniversary tribute and is a major

cific a P a i As Hall Of Golf ame F

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ic Pacif e a i s A Tim Life ment In eve Achi lf Award Go

This will be a highly exclusive, onceonly special award and it will be presented to a very select few individuals who have played a prominent role in the development of golf in their respective countries.” milestone. “This will be a highly exclusive, once-only special award and it will be presented to a very select few individuals who have played a prominent role in the development of golf in their respective countries,” said Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner and producer of the Asian Golf Awards.

The recipients for the Global Golf Eminence Award are expected to come from the following countries: China Thailand Philippines Vietnam Malaysia “Each of the recipients is a stand-out personality who has played a significant role in the development and promotion of golf both within their respective countries and region wide,” explained Sebastian.

Besides the Global Golf Eminence

Award, the Asia Pacific Golf Hall Of Fame will be inducting one Asian golf personality to be recognized and honoured for 2016.

This is the highest annual award under the Asian Golf Awards programme and it has been presented since 2008. Those who have been inducted into this very select award category include the founder of the Mission Hills Group, the late Dr. David Chu, Jack Nicklaus, Thongchai Jaidee and a list of other very distinguished luminaries.

The Asia Pacific Life-Time Achievement In Golf Award will also be presented and this award will go to two individuals who have played a dominant role in the growth of the professional game of golf over the years.

The names of the award winners will be made known in July this year and the presentation of the awards will be conducted at the Asian Golf Awards which will be staged in the Thai Royal city of Hua Hin on October 30, 2016.

2016 POSEDOWN Scotty Cameron

The one name that is synonymous with the top-end of the putter business, without any doubt whatsoever has got to be Scotty Cameron. The 54 year-old Californian is the “rock star” of the putter industry who embraces the belief that when work is ÄUPZOLK VU H W\[[LY P[ ZOV\SK SVVR SPRL P[ TLS[Z PU[V [OL NYV\UK *LU[YHS [V *HTLYVU»Z WOPSVZVWO` OHZ ILLU [OL WHZZPVU HUK KLZPYL [V KLZPNU [OL ÄULZ[ W\[[LYZ MVY [OL best players in the world. This credo has not changed over the years and with the passing of each year, Scotty Cameron’s putters keep getting better. For 2016, the ÅH[ Z[PJR THNPJPHU OHZ YVSSLK V\[ [OL SH[LZ[ P[LYH[PVU VM [OL HSS UL^ :LSLJ[ W\[[LYZ 32

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he new family of the Scotty Cameron Select putters reflect the master-craftsman’s attention to detail, craftsmanship and performance acquired from decades of work with the world’s best players. Each of the new Select putters is a precision milled, elegantly refined shape with Tour validated balance and stability.

“Each construction utilizes new face inlay technology to produce responsive feel and feedback that is soft but solid,” said Cameron. Central to the new Select line are three unique multi-material constructions matched to each putter style.

“This new Select line promotes feel while expanding what’s possible with performance,” added Cameron. “We’ve extended the methodology of our

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proven multi-material technology to include new stainless steel inlays for blades, as well as aluminum inlays for the mid-mallet models. The result is a better look, a better sound, a better feel and a better product.”

The new face inlays – which wrap around the sole and disappear from the player’s view at address, as opposed to a traditional face insert that occupies only a specific centre section of the face – are presented in three unique setups to complement each putter shape and size. The new offerings include:

New Select Newport, Newport 2 and Newport 2.5 models, the next generation of Cameron’s longtime tour favorites, are modern heel-and-toe weighted blades designed to support flowing strokes. Each model features a sole-to-topline 303 stainless steel inlay that is precision mid-milled and hand-buffed to a brilliant, metallic finish, then bonded to the stainless steel body using hightech vibration dampening material. This fusion of materials provide golfers with responsive feel and feedback at impact.

2016 POSEDOWN Scotty Cameron

New Select Newport 2 Notchback – a slightly larger, angular modern blade with a notched flange – features a sole-to-topline 6061 aircraft grade aluminum inlay anodized in gunmetal gray. The lightweight aluminum inlay, bonded to the stainless steel body with vibration dampening material, enhances sound and feel while moving more weight from the stainless steel to the perimeter for improved MOI and stability.

New Select Newport M1 and Newport M2 mid-mallets combine a 6061 aircraft grade aluminum inlay with Scotty’s face-sole pop-through technology. The face-sole is a single piece of lightweight aluminum that comprises the face inlay, wraps down and around to create the midsection of the sole and pops through the flange to create the sightline field. This construction concentrates weight on the perimeter to produce higher MOI and stability for “straight back/straight through” strokes. The lightweight aluminum face-sole is fine tuned for sound and feel through vibration dampening material attached to the stainless steel core.

A new Select Newport 2 Notchback Dual Balance model is also available for those players who prefer a Newport-style head but need maximum stability in their stroke. Like all Dual Balance models, Newport 2 Notchback DB has a 50-gram heavier head (400 grams total) and a 50gram counterweight in the butt of the shaft. This configuration helps many players make a proper

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This new Select line promotes feel while expanding what’s possible with performance.

We’ve extended the methodology of our proven multi-material technology to include new stainless steel inlays for blades, as well as aluminum inlays for the mid-mallet models. The result is a better look, a better sound, a better feel and a better product.” – Scotty Cameron

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stroke where the butt of the shaft remains pointed at the midsection.

Discussing his new Select putters, Cameron explained, “While performance is always the end goal, I first design for aesthetics. Initially, a design has to appeal to the eye. But, when you examine the components, you can appreciate the technology that goes into creating these amazing new putters.” He continued, “I’ve worked with insert ideas for years. This is the culmination of my research, the various inlays we’ve developed for this new line.”

Each new Select putter features advanced stability weighting with two, customizable stainless steel heel-toe weights, stepless steel shafts and supple Red Matador Mid-size grips (Newport 2 Notchback DB employs a 15-inch Dual Balance grip) developed to offer the comfort of a larger grip while maintaining responsiveness and feel.

Feel secure with your game – make a wise investment in a new Scotty Cameron Select putter and watch how your putts work doubly hard to seek out the hole!

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EQUIPMENT FOCUS Titleist Golf Bags

HOW ABOUT A

You know something – a lot of golfers tend to take a golf bag for granted. To most, it is an accessory to carry their precious golf clubs in.

But actually, golf bags do play a very important role in the overall scheme of things when it comes to playing golf. Some bags are too heavy and cumbersome. Some just don’t have enough compartments for those of us who are pack rats and want space to stow-away whatever we think we need to play a game of golf.

And then, there are those amongst us who want a bag that is just right. Well, we believe that we’ve found that perfect bag!

T

he new Titleist 4UP StaDry stand bag – according to the folks at Titleist, this is the lightest bag the company has ever made. It only weighs 3.5 pounds when empty. The “4UP” designation refers to the bag’s performance advantages: Lightweight Durable Waterproof “We are continually improving our designs to ensure that we meet and exceed the needs of dedicated golfers. The new 4UP StaDry stand bag represents this ongoing commitment to delivering the highest performing products throughout the Titleist Golf Gear line,” said Jane Casanta, Director of Marketing, Titleist Golf Gear.

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EQUIPMENT FOCUS Titleist Golf Bags

According to Casanta, “The development of 4UP concentrated on cutting-edge design technologies and materials, quality workmanship and an extensive PGA Professional and player testing process. The result is a stand bag that provides performance distinctly worthy of the Titleist script.”

The 4UP design features a lightweight, durable nylon waterproof shell with a three-way divider, foam-padded straps for comfort and cushioning, as well as ample storage room and protection. The bag’s performancegrade aluminum legs are said to be tough and durable but extremely light, while the new Active Recoil Stand System reduces weight and allows for easy activation.

What do PGA professionals think about the 4UP? Here are some thoughts: “It is refreshing to see that Titleist continues to break new ground in a very important category for us in custom stand bags. We have a better playing membership and the 4UP is a premium, quality product that will be well received.”

“Our members are very sensitive to the demands of our caddies. The 4UP has passed every test.”

“The 4UP stand bag is extremely lightweight and still so structurally sound and sturdy. It is the golf bag that symbolizes the high quality standards and performance embodied by Titleist.”

“I love my new StaDry carry bag. Played today and all three members want one.”

The bag is offered in four-colour combinations, including black/red, charcoal/orange, charcoal/lime and navy/blue.

We are continually improving our designs to ensure that we meet and exceed the needs of dedicated golfers. The new 4UP StaDry stand bag represents this ongoing commitment to delivering the highest performing products throughout the Titleist Golf Gear line.” – Jane Casanta 40

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OWNED AND MANAGED BY THE PENINSULA HOTELS

Thai Country Club www.thaicountryclub.com Tel: +66 (38) 570-234 inquiry@thaicountryclub.com The Peninsula Bangkok www.peninsula.com Tel: +66 (2) 861-2888 pbk@peninsula.com

FASHION TREND ECCO Shoes A Blast From The Past – circa late 1960s. It all started with a man who had a dream of making the world’s most comfortable shoes. That man was Karl Toosbuy, the legendary founder of ECCO, the world renowned manufacturer of quality shoes which are the product of incessant innovation and no compromise! In 1963, Karl and Birte Toosbuy had sold all their possessions and moved to the rural village of Bredebro in Denmark. From humble origins in a single factory building, ECCO soon began to grow, fusing innovative technology, European design and traditional craftsmanship with a profound understanding of the human foot and how it works.

Although Mr. Toosbuy has moved on, he has left behind a legacy that has helped grow a multi-billion dollar shoe empire with manufacturing facilities and tanneries in China, Netherlands, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Portugal and Slovakia. Not bad for a company that started in a small town in Denmark!

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FASHION TREND ECCO Shoes

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t was back in 2013 and the occasion was a milestone in the history of ECCO. That milestone was the 50th anniversary of a company that had grown into a major powerhouse in the production of high quality leather shoes and leather for a myriad of internationally famous high fashion products. ASIAN GOLF was an invited guest to visit ECCO’s sprawling shoe and tannery factory in the ancient city of Ayutthaya in the central plains of Thailand.

It was a major eye-opener because this special trip provided all the answers to how ECCO maintains such uncompromisingly high standards in its finished products. Everything from the selection of rawhide to the curing process to the design and build of an ECCO shoe is handled on a turn-key basis by ECCO in factories owned and operated by ECCO. Four years after that trip and the ECCO shoes bought at the factory outlet by ASIAN GOLF remain in a pristine state which is testimony to both superior quality and workmanship. We had to share this fact with our readers as part of our preamble before leaping into the story that needs to be told.

While ECCO’s range of leather products run the full gambit of formal and casual footwear and accessories, this special feature focuses on ECCO’s range of golf shoes. The company has kicked off 2016 with the

The other stand-out features of the ‘Cage’ is its anatomical outsole design that aligns and moves in unison with the foot’s essential ligaments and muscles. This has to be tried to be believed – it is an amazing technology!

And then, there is the ECCO ‘Freedom Fit’ which combines a snug heel setting with a roomier forefoot area that allows toes to move naturally.” establishment of a full-fledged Golf department in Singapore which is headed up by Jesper Thuen who functions as the Head of Golf – ECCO Asia Pacific. Thuen is no newcomer to the region and to golf as he used to be a successful touring professional before joining ECCO. With the new Golf presence, ECCO has wasted no time to swing into action. It has embarked on an ambitious drive to launch three exciting lines for 2016 which include the revolutionary ECCO ‘Cage’, the casual ‘Hybrid’ and the BIOM ‘Hybrid.

Billed as a true game-changer, the ‘Cage’ according to Thuen “introduces the revolutionary new heel wrap design which is designed to increase a golfer’s stability, flexibility and underfoot comfort”. Just one glance at the ‘Cage” will convince any golfer that it embodies all of those qualities and more as espoused by Thuen.

The ‘Cage’ is a cleated golf shoe that features a fully-integrated DiP wrap system which promotes superior walking comfort immediately out

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To ensure a pleasant walk round after round, the ‘Cage’ is fashioned from lightweight Caldera performance leather. Stain-resistant and easyto-clean, this soft, supple fullgrain cow hide is also exceptionally water-repellant thanks to the proprietary ECCO HYDROMAX™ treatment.”

of the box and for every step thereafter. What is ‘DiP’ in case you are wondering? It is a production process which utilizes the direct-injection process (DiP) that is found across a wide range of ECCO golf shoes. It works by injecting a shock absorbent material directly into the mould allowing the sole and the upper to be bonded directly together without the need for any glue or stitching, giving a more watertight seal.

The other stand-out features of the ‘Cage’ is its anatomical outsole design that aligns and moves in unison with the foot’s essential ligaments and muscles. This has to be tried to be believed – it is an amazing technology! And then, there is the ECCO ‘Freedom Fit’ which combines a snug heel setting with a roomier forefoot area that allows toes to move naturally.

“The ECCO Cage further advances our unrivalled position as the key innovator in golf footwear,” said Thuen who added, “It is a shining example of the distinctive design and performance that every ECCO customer has come to expect.”

To ensure a pleasant walk round after round, the ‘Cage’ is fashioned from lightweight Caldera performance leather. Stain-resistant and easy-to-

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clean, this soft, supple full-grain cow hide is also exceptionally water-repellant thanks to the proprietary ECCO HYDROMAX™ treatment.

The ‘Cage’ is already endorsed and in play worldwide and is used by touring stars like Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Thomas Bjørn, Thongchai Jaidee and many other professionals who demand style, quality, comfort and performance.

Aside from the ‘Cage’, the 2016 launch include the Casual Hybrid Range and the BIOM Hybrid 2 Range “For the Casual Hybrid range for 2016, we are introducing several new colours – these hybrids are available in sleek sneaker and modern-classic brogue versions and the main built-in feature is that these shoes are really designed for the most pleasant walk possible and each shoe also includes a special leather inlay sole that can be added or

removed, allowing for width customization,” said Thuen.

“The pioneering spirit that led us to introduce the first hybrid footwear in golf continues to drive our innovations season after season …. and these exciting new shoes pair Tour-proven technologies with the most attractive designs and richest materials,” Thuen explained.

The final word is reserved for the ECCO BIOM Hybrid 2 Range.

First launched in 2013 the latest models incorporate an understated-yet-athletic look. Striking the perfect balance between inspiring comfort and lightweight performance, the ECCO BIOM Hybrid 2 continues a tradition in comfort that has stood the test of time.

ECCO is of the contention that the BIOM Hybrid 2 which is crafted from luxurious yak leather uppers that are naturally soft, breathable and strong, help to ensure a pleasant walk round after round.

“We’re continuing to expand the audience for ECCO BIOM Hybrid 2 and further its position as one of the world’s most comfortable golf shoes,” according to Thuen who pointed out that, “Globally, this style has been a key driver for our impressive growth curve and will continue to be so in 2016 and beyond.”

Welcome to the region ECCO Golf!

EQUIPMENT FOCUS Wilson Staff

To many golfers, a golf bag is often taken for granted.

It’s just a storage device to keep their golf clubs in.

But this is really not the case because golf bags play a very critical role in the overall scheme of things.

There is technology, science and design that go into the production of a golf bag and ASIAN GOLF felt that the time was right to look into how a golf bag is manufactured. For this, we turned to the company that knows everything there’s to know about golf IHNZ 0[»Z >PSZVU :[HɈ [OL IYHUK [OH[ OHZ ^VU TVYL majors than any other brand and we selected the >PSZVU :[HɈ 7YV IHN MVY [OPZ YL]PL^ 46

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ver the last 100 years, Wilson Staff golf bags have carried the clubs of professional players who have bagged top honours at 61 majors making golf bags from Wilson Staff the most trusted golf bags that bear the distinctive red livery. It was such a stand-out that the Wilson Staff golf bag was also featured in the classic “Caddyshack” movie.

The ubiquitous Wilson Staff golf bag for a long time was manufactured in America, but it was moved to foreign manufacturing locations in Malaysia and China and today, it is manufactured in partnership with vendors across the Asian continent.

One manufacturing location is sited on the Indonesian island of Batam in the Riau

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Our typical manufacturing cycle involves a two year cycle for a new product and this ensures that we have a perfect product by that time before it goes into production – we sort out all issues relating to quality by that time and we have our own quality control team that inspects the factory thoroughly just to be sure that every aspect of the product is built in accordance to social compliance and local regulations”.

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Archipelago. “In Batam we work with our local partner Power Ace to manufacture our line of golf bags,” revealed Jean-Pierre Degembe, Wilson Staff’s global product director for golf hard good accessories.

“Power Ace understand our needs and they work very well with our team and they are really up to speed with the production of our tour bags and have been very successful in producing products of high quality to satisfy the demanding needs of our tour players, caddies and consumers,” according to Degembe.

On the question of the quality of the finished product made in Indonesia, Degembe said, “This is where our partnership is so important as our suppliers are not just manufacturers, they are very much part of our group and they understand our quality standards.” He went on to explain, “Our typical manufacturing cycle involves a two year cycle for a new product and this ensures that we have a perfect product by that time before it goes into production – we sort out all issues relating to quality by that time and we have our own quality control team that inspects the factory thoroughly just to be sure that every aspect of the product is built in accordance to social compliance and local regulations”.

“There is only a handful of factories that are capable of making a tour pro golf bag and our partners in Indonesia do an outstanding all round job for us,” Degembe pointed out.

Golf bags produced in Indonesia are exported all over the world and this is testimony to the high quality that is engineered into a Wilson Staff golf bag regardless of where it is manufactured.

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EQUIPMENT FOCUS Tour Edge

The ‘littlest’ big company in golf is back again doing what it does best – which is to produce amazing golf clubs that perform amazingly well! The company is Tour Edge and it introduced a slew of products as a run-up to the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. Two particular new products caught our eye – one is a three-wood that thinks it is a driver and the other is a magical wedge.

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henever Tour Edge introduces a new product to the market, you better be resigned to the fact that it’s a product that has passed through the careful and discerning ‘Glod’ quality control process. The ‘Glod’ process is a meticulous procedure which was set up by the founder and president of Tour Edge, David Glod who is obsessed with designing golf equipment that work.

His latest is a three-wood from the famous Exotics stable of drivers, woods and hybrids. The EX9 long 3 fairway wood according to Glod has been designed to “explode off the deck with the accuracy of a 3-wood and the distance of a driver”.

With characteristics like this, who wouldn’t want to grab a hold of one and put it to play immediately!

“The Long 3 is the final product of the EX9 family and it is sure to resonate with players who want the accuracy of a 3-wood and the distance of a driver,” declared Glod.

Now that we have established what sort of an animal the ‘Long 3’ is, let’s do a deep-dive on the club. The EX9 Long 3 is highlighted by a deeper face for even greater spring-like effect, and a 185cc club head for confidence in every shot.

“The Tour Edge R&D team paired the prominent club head with a 43.5 inch shaft to deliver driverlike distance and our engineers designed the new EX9 Long

Combo Brezed Titanium Cup Face

Variable Face Thickness maximum launch speed from more points on the face

titanium cup face combo brazed to a hyper-steel body

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The Long 3 is the final product of the EX9 family and it is sure to resonate with players who want the accuracy of a 3-wood and the distance of a driver.”

3 with a 15- 3- 3-3 beta titanium cup face and used combobrazing to combine it with the hyper-steel body for maximum ball speed from anywhere on the face,” explained Glod.

The cup face also embodies a redesigned Variable Face Thickness technology producing better results from more contact points on the face. “It was imperative that the Long 3 fairway wood provide a different performance than the EX9 and the Tour woods,” Glod pointed out.

Speaking with great pride and a sense of discovery, Glod went on to add, “We were able to accomplish that by combining the slightly larger club head, deeper face, and a superresponsive beta titanium cup face with a longer shaft to give golfers fairway wood control with driver-like distance.”

The Exotics SlipStream sole, which has been redesigned for the EX9 series, dramatically reduces the amount of turf interaction. The ‘waves’ are now shorter from front to back resulting in a full-speed explosive impact. In addition to the waves, the Power Grid has been reengineered deeper and much narrower to remove weight close to the face and reposition it in the rear portion of the sole for ideal CG location.

The new club is available in 13 and 15 degree heads and have an adjustable hosel system. The hosel allows players to change launch conditions using eight settings and adding or subtracting one degree of loft. Players dial-in the setting that fits their swing and achieves their desired ball flight.

EQUIPMENT FOCUS Tour Edge

The new Rally wedge has been designed to give players the freedom to be creative around the greens.

“If an approach shot leaves you with a challenging up-and-down, the Rally wedge will get you back to the green, no matter what kind of lie you have.”

The EX9 Long 3 also includes a 9-gram centre changeable weight insert to produce a powerful, penetrating ball flight. The weight screw is adjustable and additional weights can be purchased as a kit or individually. The kit includes 6-gram, 11-gram and 14-gram weights to increase or decrease the swing weight.

Complementing the Long 3 is the company’s new Rally wedge which according to Glod will help golfers ‘hit the shots you’ve been dreaming about’.

The new Rally wedge has been designed to give players the freedom to be creative around the greens. “If an approach shot leaves you with a challenging up-and-down, the Rally wedge will get you back to the green, no matter what kind of lie you have,” Glod revealed.

What makes the Rally work? According to Tour Edge the Rally’s hightoe allows players to open the head for high, soft-landing flop shots. The cambered sole is more rounded for minimal turf interaction regardless of lie conditions. Maximizing versatility, the concave flange incorporates a medium bounce angle for any turf or sand conditions.

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SPECIAL FEATURE Mission Hills 2016-World Ladies Championship

(LEFT-RIGHT) SHI YUTING,NICOLE BROCH LARSENM, JIN-YOUNG KO

I

f there is one professional event that is destined to boost the development of women’s golf in Asia, it has got to be the World Ladies Championship. The five-year old tournament has the track record and the pedigree to stake its claim as a “major�.

The 2016 edition was successfully staged for the first time at Mission Hills Dongguan after having been staged at Mission Hills Haikou for four years. Commenting on the tournament, Tenniel Chu, vice chairman of the Mission Hills Group said, “For more than 20 years, Mission Hills 54

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JIN YOUNG KO

0U H 0U H ZOVY[ ZWHU VM Ă„]L `LHYZ [OL JVTTP[TLU[ HUK YLZVS]L VM 4PZZPVU /PSSZ *OPUH [OL ^VYSKÂťZ SHYNLZ[ NVSM YLZVY[ PU [OL VM 4 ^VYSK OHZ OLSWLK [V NYV^ [OL >VYSK 3HKPLZ *OHTWPVU^VY ZOPW PU[V H ]LY` L_JS\ZP]L L]LU[ [OH[ OHZ ZW\YYLK VU [OL ZOPW NYV^[O HUK KL]LSVWTLU[ VM ^VTLU NVSMLYZ PU (ZPH :[HY[NYV^ LK PU [OL 3HKPLZ ,\YVWLHU ;V\Y 3,; L]LU[ ^HZ Ă„YZ[ LK P WSH`LK H[ 4PZZPVU /PSSZ /HPRV\ VU [OL PZSHUK VM /HPUHU 0[ PZ WSH` WSH`LK HZ IV[O HU PUKP]PK\HS HUK [LHT [V\YUHTLU[ WSH` has been at the forefront of promoting and developing golf in China and the World Ladies Championship is one of the jewels in the crown of our tournament portfolioâ€?. He went on to add, “We see it as a window to showcase China to the world and, with the Olympics in mind, a chance to provide our mainland Chinese players with the opportunity to compete with the game’s finest players.â€?

The World Women’s Championship is a tri-sanctioned tournament involving the Korean LPGA, the China LPGA and the Ladies European Tour (LET). This year’s field was

upsized to 126 competitors and the prize money was boosted to US$800,000 with US$700,000 allocated for the individual stroke-play tournament while the winner’s share was bumped up to US$105,000.

Ivan Khodabakhsh, chief executive officer of the LET describes the tri-sanctioned tournament as, “An event that has quickly become one of the standout tournaments staged across the globe and provides an excellent platform to showcase the strength of the women’s game.�

TK Pen, vice president (honorary) of the China Golf Association and chairman of the

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HAN SOL JI (LEFT) SHAKES HANDS WITH FELICITY JOHNSON

We see it as a window to showcase China to the world and, with the Olympics in mind, a chance to provide our mainland Chinese players with the opportunity to compete with the game’s finest players.”

LEE JUNG-MIN

SPECIAL FEATURE Mission Hills 2016-World Ladies Championship

LIN XIYU

JIN-YOUNG KO

An event that has quickly become one of the standout tournaments staged across the globe and provides an excellent platform to showcase the strength of the women’s game.” – Ivan Khodabakhsh China LPGA Tour, said: “The tournament provides the opportunity for players to earn valuable world ranking points before this year’s Rio Olympics as one of the highlevel international ladies events before the Games.”

The long-term vision of the organisers is to have the World Ladies Championship recognised as the sixth Major event on the women’s international calendar and the first in Asia.

The 2016 championship continued the tradition of Asian players securing the top spots for the fifth straight year. The first winner of the tournament back in 2012 was China’s Shanshan Feng and since then, Asian women have won the individual and team events with Suzann Pettersen being the only non-Asian winner.

The strength of the Asian players was witnessed on the final day of the 2016

tournament when World No.35 Lee JungMin of South Korea stormed to her eighth career title with a one stroke victory over compatriots Lee Seung-Hyun, Kim BoKyung and Ji Han Sol in the World Ladies Championship at Mission Hills Resort Dongguan in China.

There was double cause for celebration as Lee also won the concurrent team competition with partner Ko Jin-Young.

An aggregate score of 12-under-par put the South Korean pair 15 strokes ahead of the French duo Gwladys Nocera and Céline Herbin, with Chinese Taipei duo Lin Tzi-Chi and Kuo Ai-Chen five strokes further behind in third.

One of China’s promising stars Lin Xiyu described the World Ladies Championship as “the ideal warm up for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro where I expect to aim for the individual and national glory’.

LIN TZU-CHI

BO KYUNG KIM

The tournament provides the opportunity for players to earn valuable world ranking points before this year’s Rio Olympics as one of the high-level international ladies events before the Games.” – TK Pen 56

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JI HAN SOL

SPECIAL FEATURE Golf Tournament

How often do senior management personnel in golf clubs in the region get to play golf? From what we know, not very often. How about playing in a tournament where they all come together to compete in an international tournament?

This is an absolute rarity, in fact almost never!

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owever, as of 2015, all this changed with the launch of the Inaugural Asia Pacific Inter-Club Golf Tournament which was held in Singapore in conjunction with the 2015 Asia Pacific Golf Summit.

Last year’s event proved to be a success with some 60 two-man teams from golf clubs in the region vying for the challenge trophy. It could have been better but what seemed to hold back participation could be directly attributable to the “fear factor” on the part of club management. Many felt that they just did not have the game to compete at this level.

“The primary objective of this tournament is to

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provide a platform for club management personnel to network and enjoy themselves playing a round of golf – there is a need to promote more business networking amongst those who operate and manage golf clubs in the region,” explained Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group which is organising and promoting this novel tournament.

The 2016 edition of this tournament will be held in the coastal city of Hua Hin, Thailand and it will be staged at the awardwinning Black Mountain Golf Club, voted the Best Golf Course In The Asia Pacific. “This is a

golf course that has played host to major international golf tournaments and is regarded to be the best championship golf course in the Asia Pacific,” Sebastian pointed out. What better venue than Black Mountain to host a tournament for the men and women who manage some of the best golf courses in the region.

Commenting on the inter-club tournament, Harald Elisson, general manager of Black Mountain said, “We are delighted to host this tournament and I can assure you that what we have planned will be a real treat for the club teams – while we expect

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SPECIAL FEATURE Golf Tournament

the mood to be competitive, we want everyone to enjoy Black Mountain and the hospitality that we will extend to all of our peers from the region.”

The 2016 Asia Pacific Inter-Club Tournament will be held on October 29 and registration will be on a first come first served basis. “We will have provisions for 72 two-man teams and participation in this tournament will come as an automatic entitlement for those who sign up to attend the 2016 Asia Pacific Golf Summit which will also be held in Hua Hin on October 29 and 30,” said Sebastian.

The winning team will raise and keep the challenge trophy. Last year’s winning team came from the Xili Golf and Country Club in China.

Besides the tournament, Black Mountain Golf Club will be hosting a special welcome reception to mark the event and the staging of the 2016 Asia Pacific Golf Summit in the Royal Thai City of Hua Hin.

We are delighted to host this tournament and I can assure you that what we have planned will be a real treat for the club teams – while we expect the mood to be competitive, we want everyone to enjoy Black Mountain and the hospitality that we will extend to all of our peers from the region.” – Harald Elisson

Registration to attend the Summit is now open at 60

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SPECIAL FEATURE Golf Trends

-VY THU` VM `V\ ^OV WSH` [OL NHTL VM NVSM P[ YLHSS` THRLZ UV KPɈLYLUJL ^OL[OLY NVSM PZ NYV^PUN VY PM P[ PZ PU H Z[H[L VM KLJSPUL (UK ^O` ZOV\SK `V\ HU`^H`& (M[LY HSS `V\ get to play golf and that’s all the matters! However, for those in the business of golf, [YLUKZ \W^HYKZ VY KV^U^HYKZ KV TH[[LY ILJH\ZL P[ PZ H TH[[LY VM ^OL[OLY [OL NHTL Z[H`Z OLHS[O` VY JH[JOLZ H ZL]LYL JVSK 5VY[O (TLYPJH [OL TVZ[ TLHZ\YLK JV\U[Y` PU [OL ^VYSK PU [LYTZ VM NVSM YLZLHYJO PZ MHJPUN ZVTL ZJHY` [YLUKZ >OPSL ZWPU KVJ[VYZ OH]L ILLU [Y`PUN [V JO\YU \W WVZP[P]L ZJLUHYPVZ UL^ YLZLHYJO PZ \UYH]LSPUN TVYL ULNH[P]LZ HIV\[ ^OLYL NVSM PZ OLHKLK 6\[ OLYL PU (ZPH H THYRL[ ^P[O YLHSS` UV Z[H[PZ[PJZ ZOVY[ VM ^OH[ [OL (ZPH 7HJPÄJ .VSM .YV\W OHZ KVUL ^P[O P[Z YLJLU[S` YLSLHZLK (ZPHU .VSM 7YVÄSLZ :\Y]L` [YLUKZ HYL HSZV UV[ SVVRPUN NVVK 3L[»Z Z[HY[ ^P[O 5VY[O (TLYPJH

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G

olf Datatech, the nation’s most trusted research agency on golf and a watchdog that’s been around for quite a while, reports that the early statistics for 2016 has gotten off to a tough start.

According to the agency, the number of recreational rounds played in the U.S. in the month of January was down 12.6% compared to 2015. Of particular note, California posted a 20.2% drop, Arizona was down 9.3% and Florida came in 18.2% lower. Note that these are states where the weather is conducive to golf and yet the numbers have tumbled.

All that one can conclude from the Golf Datatech findings is that the drops are serious enough for the industry to sit up and take notice. Another worrying trend is public golf – the findings point to public access venues around the country registering an 11.9% drop, while private clubs registered a 14.3% reduction in January play. It’s all a sea of red ink and this has generally been the case for quite some years.

Out here in Asia, in the absence of continuous monitoring of the industry, the general consensus does make the needle tick and point towards negative trends.

Unlike the U.S., there are many variables to take into consideration for Asia and the

business mood varies in terms of degree from country to country. Japan continues to report a sluggish business cycle in terms of equipment sales. Golf rounds are also generally down across the nation.

South Korea has slowed down somewhat and this is attributed to the market having matured combined with a sluggish national economy. China, because of a central government crackdown on golf, has thrown the industry in that country into a spin although major players like Mission Hills continue to report very high number of rounds being played – much of it related to a healthy golf tourism market.

Elsewhere in Asia, equipment sales are said to be down and rounds are reported to be sluggish. However, in some of the emerging new markets like Vietnam, everything seems to be coming up roses.

As a follow-up to Asian Golf Profiles, an on-line mini-survey was conducted in February 2016 to gauge general perceptions held by golfers in Asia about the game and what was discovered would be of interest to everyone connected with golf regardless of whether you are in the business of golf or play the game.

The survey focused on a limited field of multiple-choice questions relating to how golfers perceive the game and here are the findings:

Out here in Asia, in the absence of continuous monitoring of the industry, the general consensus does make the needle tick and point towards negative trends. Unlike the U.S., there are many variables to take into consideration for Asia and the business mood varies in terms of degree from country to country. Japan continues to report a sluggish business cycle in terms of equipment sales. Golf rounds are also generally down across the nation.”

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Q 63.64% feel that golf takes too long to play.

Q 54.55% think that golf is too costly to play.

Q 36.36% view the rules of golf as being too inflexible.

Q 30% want to see the rules of golf abolished.

Q 54% feel that golf is not representative of the aspirations and values of young people.

Q 50% feel that golf today is an oldfashioned game.

(Source: The Future Of Golf In Asia – February 2016) The feedback is all very relevant to how the game needs to be promoted, especially at the golf club level. The more progressivemined golf clubs in Asia should work with their respective national golf associations to see how they can put the findings to good use because, at the end of the day, it is these very findings that will choke the growth of golf in Asia.

To end on a positive note, surprisingly, all respondents polled agree that golf is a fun game to play. In fact 60% feel that it should be made more fun and engaging to attract new golfers. Well, interpret it any way you want but any positives right now should be capitalized upon!

SPECIAL FEATURE Rio Olympics

By James Graham Prusa

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In 1982 the then reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Juli Inkster was nearly euphoric in commenting on a future possibility of seeing golf return to the Olympics. She exclaimed, “Golf in the Olympics would be awesome. I think it would add a lot to the Olympics. Golf is a very individual sport and it would be a great Summer Olympics sport.” uli then went on to win a third Amateur in ’82 and, later, two U.S. Opens on her way to becoming a Hall of Fame golf legend. Although ecstatic back in 1982, Inkster says her view today on golf in the Olympics has modified, and so has the Olympics’ amateur status diminished.

Another great amateur was Nathaniel Crosby, the son of American crooner Bing Crosby, who won the 1981 United States Amateur Championship and went on to turn professional. In 1982 Crosby wanted golf in the Olympics and explained then, “If there was going to be golf in the 1988 Olympics, I sure as heck would think seriously about

staying amateur until then. I think it would be a very emotional and wonderful experience if I could ever be involved in something like that.” He proclaimed from his heart, “Playing for our country would be a very meaningful experience.”

Olympic golf competition last took place in the 1904 Summer Games held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The individual competition gold medal was taken by Canada’s renown, eight-time, national Canadian Amateur Champion, George Lyon of Ontario - that makes Canada the reigning, 112 year individual gold medalist until August of 2016.

The USA swept everything else in 1904 Olympic golf competitions including the team gold. There was no competition for women in 1904, as the men’s team golf events took the place of the previous women’s competition that was held in 1900. 1900 was the first women’s sports competition ever held in the Olympics with Margaret Abbott of the Chicago Golf Club becoming the first woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal! In 1908 a last minute feud between Scotland and England over

format killed further golf competition in the Olympics – perhaps something to do with the Battle of Falkirk (or was it earlier at Raith)? Nonetheless, Canada yet remains the nation to defend its 112-year old individual gold medal - that duty will now likely fall upon Canadian pros David Hearn and Graham DeLaet.

Since the beginning of the Rio Olympics build-up, the venue has been embroiled in various controversies – and even now with the Zika virus threat. Golf has not escaped unscathed having been also plagued with a gauntlet of issues. The new golf course built for the 2016 Olympics competition faced many challenges including legal issues, construction delays and challenges from environmentalists – even challenges raised about non-indigenous, Asian Zoysia grass used specifically and effectively for sustainability.

There was recently supposed to be a ‘test competition’ to evaluate the readiness of the course and to further tweak its preparations. Arrangements were made and a shiny charter jet was offered gratis to whisk some of the best Tour players in the world down from Florida to Rio to play and report on the new course (requirement by the IOC for all participating sports).

But a little problem popped up on the way to the forum – no Tour player wanted to go on the free charter airliner and the event was

SPECIAL FEATURE Rio Olympics cancelled! Perhaps the Olympic course test event may have been better received if a plane had been jetting down with the best amateur players in the world, motivated virtuously to represent their respective countries, rather than the best professional and highly paid players in the world to compete in the Olympics. Whoa, those sage words of O.B. Keeler “Money, it’s gonna ruin sports”.

The Olympic golf competition will be between the top 60 players of both the men and women based upon the Official World Golf Ranking for men and the Rolex Women’s World Rankings – note that these are ranking systems of non-amateur, paid, professional golfers that evolved from Mark McCormick’s old ranking system of the pros.

Well, scratch off Olympic golf as anything related to amateur sports in the Olympics - not even the immortal amateurs Bobby Jones or Glenna Collett could qualify today.

“I’ve changed my view on that,” Juli Inkster recently told me regarding her 1982 opinion to see golf in the Olympics. She opines today “I don’t think we should be in the Olympics. We play for cash – and I don’t think that the NBA should be there either.

It should be amateur. It only occurs every four years. I just think that having us (professionals) in the Olympics draws away from the sport that need to be recognized.”

Today Nathaniel Crosby also expresses an opinion very similar to Inkster. “What has happened in my opinion since then is that the Olympics really changed. In the efforts to keep up with the Russian athletes that were being subsidized by their government, we opened the doors to professional athletes playing in the Olympics.

“To me golf in the Olympics has finally

I don’t think we should be in the Olympics. We play for cash – and I don’t think that the NBA should be there either. It should be amateur. It only occurs every four years. I just think that having us (professionals) in the Olympics draws away from the sport that need to be recognized.”

– Juli Inkster arrived but not in the format that I had hoped for. Amateur golf will not benefit in any way from professional golfers competing in the Olympics. There will be no true ‘marquee’ for amateur golfers, which will greatly reduce any incentive for highly skilled youths to remain amateur. This is disappointing, because so few players can go on to be successful professionals for any length of time. Trust me – I know first hand!”

On close study Juli and Nat are still speaking from their hearts concerning the Olympics and their views haven’t really changed – but the Olympics have.

Many have touted golf’s return to the 2016 Olympics as being vital to the growth of the game – but it may not likely turn out to be due to the competition amongst the pros, as many will have you think. Rather the greatest gift of vitality for golf that these 2016 Olympic games will provide may well turn out to be the golf course itself and the efforts to make it a sustainable, lower-cost

effective endeavour. The real plague on golf is its current high cost of golf course operations that results in economically prohibiting the masses from enjoying the sport and financially stressing private clubs.

This August in Rio the world will see a good use of low-input, low-cost, Asian Zoysia grass on fairways. If we pay wise attention, all sports played on fields of grass will learn and benefit henceforth with lowered maintenance costs for the future. That could give the people back their ancient game and enthusiasm for golf – and be golf’s great gift to the world.

To me golf in the Olympics has finally arrived but not in the format that I had hoped for. Amateur golf will not benefit in any way from professional golfers competing in the Olympics. There will be no true ‘marquee’ for amateur golfers, which will greatly reduce any incentive for highly skilled youths to remain amateur.

This is disappointing, because so few players can go on to be successful professionals for any length of time. Trust me – I know first hand!” – Nathaniel Crosby 66

67 ASIAN GOLF

With its comprehensive sports and lifestyle facilities and amenities catering to families with discerning tastes, the award-winning Anvaya Cove makes a strong case as an exciting leisure and investment destination.

T

he Philippines’ winning combination of natural beauty and traditional hospitality is what could launch it as the world’s next hotspot for luxury

leisure.

Leading developer Ayala Land, Inc. has long been admired for its full line of real estate products, which range from residential, VIXEMP ERH SJ½GIW XS LSXIPW ERH VIWSVXW ;MXL %RZE]E 'SZI XLI 4LMPMTTMRIW´ ½VWX [SVPH class golf resort and residential community, Ayala Land applies its sterling reputation and I\TIVXMWI MRXS LMKL IRH PIMWYVI HIZIPSTQIRX through its luxury property arm Ayala Land Premier (ALP). %RZE]E 'SZI ER I\GPYWMZI F] membership golf and seaside residential community, boasts a stunning natural setting [MXL XLSYKLXJYPP] HIWMKRIH JEGMPMXMIW JSV discerning families and individuals. Featuring OQ SJ FIEYXMJYP GSEWXPMRI [MXL QEKRM½GIRX ZMI[W XLI LIGXEVI TVIQMIV development has taken the luxury leisure real estate market by storm.

Located in Morong, Bataan, about two and a half hours from Manila, an hour from Clark International Airport and only 20 minutes away from the Subic Bay Freeport, Anvaya Cove offers an accessible escape from the city.

GREAT RETURNS Featuring the highest standards of construction, design, services and amenities — as expected of an ALP development — Anvaya Cove has also emerged as an attractive investment in every sense.

The coastal and hillside location affords residents both the tropical pleasures of a resort setting with the tranquility of a mountain retreat. Here, elegant residences are woven gracefully into the expansive terrain, surrounded by splendid panoramas and verdant forests.

Ayala Land Premier works tirelessly to retain Anvaya Cove’s lush terrain, protecting its status as a nature sanctuary, where migratory birds, sea turtles and other endemic wildlife can thrive. It took

meticulous planning and painstaking efforts to preserve the natural lay of the land and inherent beauty of the site. This is in line with Ayala Land’s commitment to the environment and sustainable practices. &EVIP] XLVII ]IEVW WMRGI MXW SJ½GMEP STIRMRK Anvaya Cove’s centrepiece golf course has already earned accolades. These include the &IWX 2I[ 'SYVWI MR %WME 4EGM½G LSRSYVW given at the highly regarded Asian Golf Awards, VIKEVHIH EW XLI ¹3WGEVW² SJ %WME 4EGM½G´W KSPJ industry and the gold standard for the region’s golf clubs and resorts. In 2015, Asian Golf Awards honoured Anvaya Cove once again as Best Golf Course in the Philippines.

(IWMKRIH F] %QIVMGER KSPJ GSYVWI EVGLMXIGX /IZMR 6EQWI] SJ 'EPMJSVRME FEWIH +SPJTPER 97% XLI GSYVWI´W LSPI ]EVH PE]SYX matches sporting challenge with sheer majesty, ensuring an enjoyable game for golfers of all skill levels.

The dramatic “mountains meet the sea� topography combined

ISSUE 187

We’ve welcomed investors from around the world who’ve chosen to make Anvaya Cove their primary residence or vacation home,” explains Jugo. “With an award-winning golf course and an extensive array of facilities now in place, we anticipate further interest in this sort of investment from what we see as a global market.” with Golfplan’s tour-de-force design results in a course full of character that can’t be experienced just anywhere. Along with being visually striking, the course provides a fun yet mentally stimulating experience. ±;I EVI QSWX TVSYH SJ XLI ½RMWLIH product that is Anvaya Cove, and we want to share the experience with golfers who value that optimum experience,” says Jose Juan Jugo, Ayala Land Premier managing director.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME The quality of the golf, residential, and lifestyle mix has already attracted a slew of esteemed residents eager to experience the best

that nature and Ayala Land Premier has to offer. Excellent shopping and dining options at the bustling, cosmopolitan Subic freeport, and Bataan’s other natural and cultural attractions are also just minutes away. The development has already seen major attention from the international second-home market thanks to the complete, compelling package offered by ALP. “We’ve welcomed investors from around the world who’ve chosen to make Anvaya Cove their primary residence or vacation home,” explains Jugo. “With an award-winning golf course and an extensive array of facilities now in place, we anticipate further interest in

APRIL 2016

this sort of investment from what we see as a global market.”

Anvaya Cove seamlessly combines living and leisure in a thoughtfully- designed, masterplanned community. The private and exclusive ambience encourages family bonding, the word Anvaya is Sanskrit for ‘family’ after all.

Featuring essentially two clubs in one location, members of the Anvaya Cove Golf & Sports Club can also enjoy the amenities at Anvaya Cove Beach & Nature Club, including more than 40 well-appointed guest cottages or casitas. The varied recreational options– with two restaurants, a spa, a watersports pavilion, sports and pool complex, a nature camp and the pristine beach–are always ready to be enjoyed, whether by year-round residents, weekend warriors or seasonal guests.

Anvaya Cove has something special for everyone, ensuring that residents have everything they need for the good life, whether they’re golfers or sportsmen, nature or beach lovers, singles or couples, parents and kids.

GAME IMPROVEMENT

It’s time for water and here in Thailand, it is time to frolic and have fun with water! It is the traditional New Year for Thai people and I would like to have a water-based theme for this issue.

So bring in the buckets guys!

M

y focus is going to be on the short game, especially greenside approach shots.

You’ll probably notice that when most golfers have a less-than-full-swing shot to put the ball on the green, they will reach for a wedge. But is this the right club? Is there a right club for these shots? I’ve seen many junior golfers immediately select their 60 degree wedge for a shot from the fringe because they were told that is the only way to play that shot. This is absolutely wrong!

Given an unlimited number of attempts, any club can be used to put the ball on the green. Some clubs make that task more difficult, but some will make it easier. Let’s look at what clubs make it easier.

First, do this drill. Stand a few paces off the green. With a ball in your hand,

70

71 ASIAN GOLF

ISSUE 187

APRIL 2016

Don’t forget to make sure you accelerate and not decelerate as you would with a bucket of water!”

imagine that you are asked to toss the ball as close to the hole as possible. Would you toss the ball high in the air or low along the ground? Almost every golfer would choose to roll the ball low along the ground to get it as close as possible. Why? The answer is simple but not very obvious.

Our brain has to calculate how much to swing our arm to propel the ball. It is simpler for it to calculate this along a straight line rather than an arc.

That is one reason why players are more likely to get this ball closer to the hole with a putter than with a wedge.

There are two more reasons. When we use a wedge the ball has more backspin. We can never be sure how the green will accept that spin. On some greens is will cause the ball to roll only a short distance while on others, the ball might not roll at all. The other reason the wedge is less predictable is because if the spot on which the ball lands is hard, soft, or angled, the ball will respond very differently.

Don’t forget to make sure you accelerate and not decelerate as you would with a bucket of water!

Trust me, your greenside shots will be easier when you make lower trajectory approach shots. Club selection should be putter first, eight iron second, and wedge last.

We only want to use the wedge when we need to restrict the roll of the ball when there is little green to work with.

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. His signature Black Hat Golf Camps and Schools offered at various clubs in Thailand, including Lotus Valley Golf Resort, portrays the unique curriculum and teaching philosophy. Recently, he co-founded the International Preparatory Golf Academy at The American School of Bangkok, which combines an academic and golf education program for junior golfers. Voted 2015 Top 3 Best Professional Golf Coach in Asia Pacific, he continues to strive to grow the game of golf in Asia. For further information, please visit www.tmggroupasia.com or email to tony@tmggroupasia.com.

www.tmggroupasia.com

GAME IMPROVEMENT Pro Tour Golf College 'HYHORSLQJ FRQÀGHQFH LQ D VRIW ODQGLQJ VKRW ZKHQ WKH SLQ LV WXFNHG LQ FORVH WR WKH HGJH JLYHV \RX D GLVWLQFW DGYDQWDJH RYHU PRVW JROIHUV ZKR JHW QHUYRXV ZKHQ FRQIURQWHG ZLWK WKLV W\SH RI JUHHQVLGH VKRW David Milne (left) and Lawrie Montague (right).

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73 ASIAN GOLF

I

PART 2

t will be helpful to understand that it’s not simply about making the targets as small as possible, but rather, it is to design target sizes that put you under a little bit of pressure by reducing the radius to a scale that stretches your current skill level.

So setting up and performing a simple skill assessment will be helpful because it aids you in determining the ideal target sizes for you to practice that sharpens your shot-making on the golf course.

If you want a more complete process on this, then check out the E.G.I.S. System at http://www.protourgolfcollege.com/elite-golfer-improvement-system.html which will help you to do this.

Now we certainly understand that short game facilities vary greatly from golf range to golf range, so you might have to adapt to some extent the way you set up the greenside targets at your facility.

Greenside Skill # 1. The Chip Shot Assessment Flight to Roll Ratio: Flight of 10 to 30 percent of total shot distance and roll of 70 to 90 percent of the total shot distance from within 3 metres of the edge of the putting surface.

The key to practicing the chip shot for assessment purposes is to first make a circle with tee’s, ball markers or coins around the target (a hole or alignment stick) ranging from a radius of 1m for an elite golfer (Handicap

ISSUE 187

APRIL 2016

www.ProTourGolfCollege.com

Greenside Skill – Chip Shot below 12) to 2m for an average club golfer.

When you practice the chip shot instead of doing what most golfers do placing a pile of balls in the same spot and chip to the same target, we want you to hit 5 or 10 chip shots from random distances around the edge of the green such as 5m to 20m, and make sure you vary the angle and perspective of each shot.

Now, write your scores into a small notebook and create a simple table like we have below noting how many of your shots for the different skills you practice were hit into the scoring zone.

Greenside Skill # 2. The Pitch Shot Flight to Roll Ratio: Flight of 30 to 60 percent of total shot distance, and roll of 40 to 70 percent of the total shot distance

GREENSIDE SKILLS SCORE CARD SKILL

Target Size

1

2

3

Chip Shot

1 metre

×

Pitch Shot

2metres

×

×

Bunker Shot

2 metres

Lob Shot

3metres

4

5

6

×

×

7

8

9

10

Total

×

×

6/10

×

×

×

4/10

3/10 2/10 2/10 1/10

×

×

8/40

×

×

×

5/10

www.ProTourGolfCollege.com

within 25 metres from the edge of the putting surface.

Again make a circle around the hole (or use an alignment stick) like you did with the chip shot, and use the same radius dimensions for the different skill levels.

Pick random distances between 3 metres up to 25 metres and hit 5 or 10

Greenside Skill – Pitch Shot

shots and change the loft of the club for each shot as required. Collate the number of shots you hit that finish inside the target circle, and keep a record of your best score, and also an average score for this skill.

Now write your score into a small notebook noting the length of the shot and how many of your shots you got into the scoring zone.

GAME IMPROVEMENT Pro Tour Golf College

Greenside Skill – Bunker Shot

Greenside Skill # 3. The Bunker Shot

Greenside Skill # 4. The Lob Shot

Flight to Roll Ratio: Flight of 30 to 90 percent of total shot distance and roll of 70 to 10 percent of the total shot distance from inside 25 metres from the edge of the putting surface.

This can be difficult to set up especially if the facility you practice at has limited or no practice bunker or green to hit toward. If there is no green to hit to, hitting from the bunker and landing your shot on the fairway is still a viable option.

Place alignment sticks or markers like wood head covers, range baskets (or get yourself some sport cones) and place them at varying distances 10m, 15m, 20m and 25m.

Instead of measuring where the ball finishes (like you did for chip and pitch shots), this time the target is where the ball first lands (the landing point) for each shot, into the designated zones as shown in the diagram.

Place tees, coins or similar in a circle around the target at a radius of 1 metre for elite golfers and a radius of 2 or more metres for average golfers and hit sets of 5 to 10 shots and keep score to get feedback on the distances you are comfortable with, and those that you need to do more practice on.

Flight to Roll Ratio: Flight of 60 to 90 percent of total shot distance, and roll of 10 to 40 percent of the total shot distance within 20 metres from the edge of the putting surface.

We define lob shots as a high flighted—soft landing shot played from inside 20m of the edge of the green to a pin that is cut 2 to 3 metres from the edge of the green, leaving a shot that has to carry at least 60 percent of the total shot distance from your location around the green.

The lob shot is a skill that most golfers (including elite amateurs and professionals) don’t spend enough time improving on. Developing confidence in a soft landing shot when the pin is tucked in close to the edge gives you a distinct advantage over most golfers who get nervous when confronted with this type of greenside shot.

So get to work on setting up your practice sessions so you can effectively measure your results, and go to your local golf instructor if you need to upgrade one or more of these skills because improving your greenside skills is the best way to make a big dent in your score on the golf course.

As the old saying goes, “You can’t keep doing the same things the same way and expect different results”, so get to work on practicing in an effective way and you will see big improvement in your game.

Make the change and reap the benefits.

Greenside Skill – Lob Shot 74

75 ASIAN GOLF

TAKE THE AGGRESSIVE LINE.

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Š2016 Acushnet Company.

ASIAN GOLF ISSUE 188

A Deep-Dive Look At Golf In China

in China is a much maligned topic with most so-called experts Golfspitting poison at the country and its perceived draconian outlook towards the future of golf. ASIAN GOLF looks into this matter and has come to the conclusion that golf has a healthy future going forward. Read all about the positive trends in the May issue.

A Mega Project For Vietnam Mission Hills China, here comes After Vietnam! Schmidt-Curley Design, the

architects and master-planners behind the hugely successful Mission Hills China project have embarked upon a tencourse project in Vietnam and ASIAN GOLF will bring you the inside story on this development.

golf industry is an industry that iss Theshamelessly showing its age and with th old age comes a tendency to be stubborn and to refuse to accept change. All the supposedly edly brilliant initiatives taken by the self-styled gate-keepers of the industry have basicallyy amounted to nothing. APGS 2016 intends to see how it can revitalize the industry by focuscusing on two vital areas of the business which h concern service and marketing.

For all the latest news and views from the Asian golf scene, subscribe to Asian Golf – Asia’s most powerful golfing voice!

www.asiapacificgolfgroup.com

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