Asian Golf 198 - March2017 Issue

PLEASE VISIT : http://media.apggnews.com/ezines/AG/AG198-March2017/index.html

C H O O S E T H E B E ST FASHION TREND FO R YO U R G A M E.

REGULARS

6 EDITORIAL TEAM

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8 SHARED THOUGHTS | FROM PUBLISHER

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44 FOOTJOY CONTOURFIT UPS THE ANTE The world’s number one name in golf shoes, FootJoy has hit the road running for 2017. It has launched its latest the FootJoy ContourFIT. The Contour franchise is said to be the best-selling shoe franchise of all time. It was originally created with an emphasis on comfort.

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PECIAL FEATURE

STIN THOMAS – WHAT MORE WE SAY!

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WATCH VIDEO

GAME-IMPROVEMENT

25,000 junior golfers through its doors during the year.

T H E N E W P R O V 1 A N D P R O V 82 1 xHOW .

IMPORTANT IS

ASIAN GOLF are only happy that we 62 IT’S XTREME PETTICOAT POWER ad a front row seat to Now witness the technologically advanced golf balls in the game are even better. New Pro V1 and Pro V1x bothYOUR the most provide BUTT WHEN FOR PXG s of this golf phenom unfold right in PLAYING exceptional distance, even more consistent flight, Drop-and-Stop control and long lasting durability.

This along with GOLF? Bucking all trends in the world of profesour eyes. It’s been spell-bindingly We promise you that sional golf, Parsons Xtreme Golf has unmatched quality, golf ball to golf ball, dozen to dozen.

Comparing models, new Pro V1 has a lower flight and softer me! this feel article is strictly taken a bold decision to hedge its bets on ongame. the level and it has than the Pro V1x.

So whether you choose the total performance of the V or the X, you are making the best choice for your more top players. However, PXG’s strategy G – THE BATON nothing to do with for 2017 is a real game-changer – it is EEN PASSED anything vulgar! In not looking at the guys but instead has its olf industry, we have been fortunate fact, many golfers eyes glued to some of the biggest stars on ess the successful transition of a don’t realise the role the highly popular LPGA Tour. from the founder to his eldest son that the rear end see the process repeat itself with plays in golf. Believe 76 LEGAL EAGLE WITH AN EYE FOR d generation. The company in focus me, by the time you’re GOLF AND CLASSIC CARS world renowned PING Corporation, done reading this arFor years, ASIAN GOLF has been bringing acturer of some of the finest golf ticle and watching the you news about professional golfers, ent in the world and the family is accompanying video, great golf equipment and the companies heim clan which has managed the you will be sold on the that call the shots in the golf industry. business since its formation by the importance of the role Starting with 2017, we thought we’d break ary Karsten Solheim who passed in your butt plays! away from convention and look at adding the ripe old age of 88. a new dimension to our coverage of the SSION HILLS DREAMS BIG! game of golf in the region. So, it is with great pleasure that we are launching nt Mission Hills Group of China em“Celebrity Corner” with this issue of n a massive dream project to grow ASIAN GOLF. The spotlight falls on golf. In commemoration of its 25th a top corporate lawyer, football rsary (Mission Hills was founded in ©2017 Acushnet Company supremo, golfer and classic car he world’s largest golf resort has collector. lf a target of welcoming more than

ISSUE

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MARCH 2017

Settle For Nothing Less Than A Maverick The cogs have started turning for the staging of the 11th edition of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS). We have found the perfect keynote speaker to help set the tone for the second decade of APGS. That man is none other than the charismatic Bob Parsons, founder and inexhaustible driving force behind the upstart, kick-ass golf brand PXG aka Parsons Xtreme Golf.

16 SPECIAL FEATURE 42 MOBILE APPS – TIME TO WAKE UP! This is a call to all golf clubs in the region to start thinking about mobile applications. With the rapid advent of smartphones, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the opportunities a smartphone brings in marketing and promoting a course to new and existing customers.

64 A PERFECT SETTING FOR A MASTERPIECE Watch Halong Bay in Vietnam. There’s a masterpiece of a golf course being built at this idyllic location and according to its architect, Brian Curley, principal of the awardwinning firm of Schmidt Curley Design, the new course “will be a world-class destination resort in the heart of the city, providing a very unique golfing experience”.

70 MEET HIDEKI MATSUYAMA – GOLF’S ULTRAMAN! A Ninja is a good comparison with Hideki Matsuyama.

But we believe that Matsuyama is more than a Ninja. He is a super-hero in the making. Golf’s answer to Japan’s greatest force against everything evil – Ultraman! Like the Ninja, Ultraman goes about his work without saying much. He takes on monsters, robots and bad guys and he is always all-conquering.

GAME-IMPROVEMENT 76 JUNIORS – WANT A PATHWAY VIA GOLF TO COLLEGE? Getting your child involved in junior golf has the potential to provide them with entry into the US college education system. Junior golfers excelling at golf have a good chance to secure a partial or full scholarship at a college in the United States. Find out how it works from ASIAN GOLF’S junior golf guru, David Milne.

82 BLACK HAT TIPS: I LOVE PING PONG! Our golf coaching guru Tony Meechai has fallen head over heels in love with the game of ping pong.

Ping pong is his current romance but he seems to have a very valid reason for this sudden attachment with ping pong. See how he draws analogous similarities between the paddle game and golf.

EQUIPMENT FOCUS 24 ONE MILLION GOLF BALLS A DAY! This is the staggering number of golf balls produced by Titleist in one day at its global manufacturing locations. ASIAN GOLF visited one such facility located in Thailand and we felt that a special report on the company’s manufacturing prowess needed to be told. Check out our report on the world’s biggest, wholly-owned golf ball manufacturing power-house.

34 ALL OF A SUDDEN IT’S RAINING PUTTERS! There’s only one word to describe the load of PING putters that have just landed in golf retail outlets all over the world. And that word is prolific! Would you believe that there are a total of sixteen (16) PING Sigma G putters, some are established models that have been “modernized” while the others are brand new to the market.

48 PING’S GLIDE 2.0 – A BUNCH OF REAL SMOOTHIES PING has rolled out the new Glide 2.0 wedges, leading to more precise short-game performance from all conditions. These wedges have precisionmilled faces with sharper groove edges than any previous PING wedge model and this results in dramatically increased spin rates and trajectory control.

54 THE WIZARDRY OF SCOTTY CAMERON This philosophy of creating game-changing putters is best embodied in the 2017 Scotty Cameron range. For the new season, there are two families that include a total of eight putters under the Futura and the Select Newport 3 brands.

REGULARS 6 EDITORIAL TEAM 8

SHARED THOUGHTS FROM THE PUBLISHER Ever since Tiger Woods attempted a five-tournament come-back, the golf industry and the golf media has been plunged into a state of mass hysteria awaiting an epiphany which has yet to happen. ASIAN GOLF took a stand two years ago that the one-time world number one would never again ascend to the absolute pinnacle of professional golf. For those who wait with clenched fists and bated breath in anticipation of a miracle, we tell you – FORGET IT!

Mike Sebastian Editor/Chief Executive Officer [mike@asiapacificgolfgroup.com]

INTERNATIONAL ROVING EDITORS

James Graham Prusa Correspondent

Angela Raymond President [angela@asiapacificgolfgroup.com]

Alan Campbell (China/Middle East) Correspondent

Andy Stangenberg Club Services Advisor

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Raquel Arcega

Tony Meechai (Black Hat Golf Tips -Thailand)

Executive Creative Art Director [raquel@asiapacificgolfgroup.com]

(Pro Tour College)

David Milne & Lawrie Montague

INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES

Alice Ho Business Executive [alice@asiapacificgolfgroup.com]

Alice Ho Email: alice@asiapacificgolfgroup.com

ASIA PACIFIC GOLF GROUP(2014) PTE LTD

Wayne Lwee Head, Digital Network/Video Editor [wayne@asiapacificgolfgroup.com]

1 Yishun Industrial Street 1, #07-23 A’posh Bizhub, Singapore 768160 Tel: +65 6323 2800 | Fax: +65 6323 2838 Company Registration No.: 201405689G

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Myra Paras Accounts Executive [myra@asiapacificgolfgroup.com]

No part of Asian Golf may be reproduced in any other publications, printed or published without the written permission of the publisher. Opinions in Asian Golf are the writers’ and are not necessarily endorsed by Asian Golf. Asian Golf accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies or other materials. Manuscripts, photographs and artwork will not be returned unless accompanied by appropriate postage.

REGULARS 6 EDITORIAL TEAM

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FASHION TREND 8 SHARED THOUGHTS | FROM PUBLISHER

The world’s number one name in golf shoes, FootJoy has hit the road running for 2017. It has launched its latest the FootJoy ContourFIT. The Contour franchise is said to be the best-selling shoe franchise of all time. It was originally created with an emphasis on comfort.

COMFORT 36 THAT NEVER QUITS.

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PECIAL FEATURE

STIN THOMAS – WHAT MORE WE SAY!

ASIAN GOLF are only happy that we ad a front row seat to witness the s of this golf phenom unfold right in our eyes. It’s been spell-bindingly me!

G – THE BATON EEN PASSED

44 FOOTJOY CONTOURFIT UPS THE ANTE

SOFT & COMFORTABLE ACHILLES PAD

GAME-IMPROVEMENT 25,000 junior golfers through its doors during the year.

62 IT’S XTREME PETTICOAT POWER FOR PXG Bucking all trends in the world of professional golf, Parsons Xtreme Golf has taken a bold decision to hedge its bets on more top players. However, PXG’s strategy for 2017 is a real game-changer – it is not looking at the guys but instead has its eyes glued to some of the biggest stars on the highly popular LPGA Tour.

olf industry, we have been fortunate ess the successful transition of a from Building the founder to his eldest on the successful heritageson see the process repeat itself with of the best-selling Contour Series 76 LEGAL EAGLE WITH AN EYE FOR d generation.

TheContourFIT companywas in focus line of shoes, born GOLF AND CLASSIC CARS world from renowned PING with Corporation, an obsession comfort so For years, ASIAN GOLF has been bringing acturer some of experience the finestComfort golf That theof golfer could you news about professional golfers, ent in theQuits. world and the family is Never great golf equipment and the companies heim clan which has managed the From the new comfortable and flexible DynaFlex that call the shots in the golf industry. business since its formation by the outsole to the new combination fully waterproof Starting with 2017, we thought we’d break ary Karsten Solheim who passed in upper, and loads of features in between, once you try away from convention and look at adding the ripe old age of 88. on the new ContourFIT, you may never quit playing. a new dimension to our coverage of the SSION HILLS DREAMS BIG! CONTOURFIT - COMFORT THAT NEVER QUITS game of golf in the region. So, it is with great pleasure that we are launching nt Mission Hills Group of China em“Celebrity Corner” with this issue of n a massive dream project to grow ASIAN GOLF. The spotlight falls on golf. In commemoration of its 25th a top corporate rsary (Mission Hills was founded in www.footjoy.com.sg FootJoy SEA lawyer, football supremo, golfer and classic car he world’s largest golf resort has ©2017 Acushnet Company collector. lf a target of welcoming more than

WATERPROOF LEATHER / SYNTHETIC 82 HOW COMBINATION UPPERIS IMPORTANT

YOUR BUTT WHEN PLAYING GOLF? We promise you that this article is strictly on the level and it has nothing to do with anything vulgar! In GREEN-FRIENDLY fact, many golfers LOW-PROFILE don’t realise the role CLEATS that the rear end plays in golf. Believe me, by the time you’re done reading this article and watching the accompanying video, you will be sold on the importance FOOT FORMINGof the role your butt plays!

EXTRA THICK

FITBED

FROM THE PUBLISHER SHARED THOUGHTS

Ever since Tiger Woods attempted a five-tournament come-back, the golf industry and the golf media have been plunged into a state of mass hysteria awaiting an epiphany which has yet to happen. ASIAN GOLF took a stand two years ago that the one-time world number one would never again ascend to the absolute pinnacle of professional golf. For those who wait with clenched fists and bated breath in anticipation of a miracle, we tell you – FORGET IT!

W

e do not mean any disrespect to Tiger. In fact, we have placed him on the highest pedestal and we have installed him as the greatest golfer of all time, regardless of whether he has been able to beat the number of Majors won

by Jack Nicklaus. Tiger is not about winning majors and golf tournaments. He is messianic in that what he has done for golf since he appeared on the golf stage at age 19, has been nothing short of being god-like.

He transformed golf into a pulsating, adrenaasiangolf

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line-charged spectator-sport. His deft shots were spell-binding – shots that would have completely stumped and baffled mere mortals. Shots that defied the best of skills, were mystifyingly converted by Tiger. It was spectacular moments like these that left spectators gasping for more. To golf fans, Tiger was more than entertainment – he was a god to be worshipped and revered. This was the reaction that Tiger produced wherever he plied his game when he was at his peak.

Golf’s gate-keepers, the administrators of the professional game were ecstatic every time Tiger made an appearance at a tournament – he packed the gates and sent television viewership sky-rocketing. These eyeballs were good for the bureaucrats because it all translated into cash and it was good for golf.

Equipment manufacturers rode on the coat-tails of Tiger-mania

and the fever that this man generated drew new players in droves to the amateur game which in turn helped pump up golf equipment, apparel and accessories sales to record levels. It was all due to the Tiger-effect which sucked an entire industry along as he rode his chariot of success.

Now you can understand why everyone – the industry, the golf bureaucrats and the media want Tiger back. It’s never going to come back! We ask you to take a look at the graphic on the adjacent page which shows an injury-scarred Tiger with surgical re-sets that have helped him function normally. However, he is not the man and player who enthralled and fist-pumped his way to historic victories on the world’s fairways and greens.

One does not have to be a surgical wizard to conclude that Tiger’s body with all the battlescars, can ever perform at a level that would make him competitive against the young guns who dominate the professional game today. These very young guns were the kids who were inspired

by Tiger and who modelled themselves on the “new game” that Tiger introduced to the sport.

You must also remember that Tiger is now 41 years old and combined with the patchwork that has been done to his body, the force and energy that once made him the best the world has ever seen, has sadly deserted him.

Tiger has openly admitted this when he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this

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TIGER – YOU HAVE BEEN THE BEST, WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE BEST AND YOU WILL TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE SUPERLATIVE, THE BEST! year and declared that he will “never feel great again.”

“I feel good, not great. I don’t think I will ever feel great because it’s three back surgeries, four knee operations,” was what Tiger revealed in an interview with Peter Dawson, the former chief executive of the R&A. All that is now left to be said is that Tiger’s reign has been epic. We would venture to say that what the man

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has done for golf will never be repeated in this life-time or for that matter, in many more life-times to come. Let us not force Tiger to subject himself to more pain, more injury and more humiliation. Let us remember him as The Greatest Sportsman Who Ever Lived!

Tiger – you have been the best, will be remembered as the best and you will take ownership of the superlative, THE BEST!

I am RIKARD KALBERG and my life revolves around Black Mountain. As a professional golfer, I have constant access to a world class golf course that helps me stay at the top of my game.

I love life and Black Mountain offers the ideal setting for quality living in a perfectly managed and well-balanced environment.

As a family man, Black Mountain is safe and a perfect place to grow my family.

What more can I ask for? Come and be part of Black Mountain.

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DISTANCE WITH PRECISION High-launching, distance generating long irons and compact, precise short irons give golfers full command of their shot making.

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Get fit today and choose from a variety of high-performance, no-upcharge aftermarket shafts to match your ball flight and feel preferences.

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SOFT, POWERFUL FEEL A muscle-stabilizing bar and deeper, longer tuning port harmonize with a thinner, faster face to create a powerful feel and sound.

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SHARPEN YOUR SHORT GAME.

Soft, 431 stainless steel head with hydropearl chrome finish.

Our extremely precise wheel-cut milling process creates our sharpest grooves ever. The result: significantly higher spin rates and precise trajectory control so you can play with greater accuracy and confidence.

With four sole grinds, there’s a Glide 2.0 wedge to fit every golfer.

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* Compared to original Glide

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COVER STORY

PXG GOLF

The cogs have started turning for the staging of the 11th edition of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS). It is the only international summit of its kind in Asia and over the duration of its existence, all the big luminaries in the golf industry have spoken at the event. This includes names like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Annika Sorenstam and the list is a litany of men and women who drive the golf industry. When an international business conference like APGS has had the privilege and honour to stage the most powerful in the industry, what does it do for an encore?

I

t is a huge challenge to match what the Summit has achieved in its first decade especially when one considers that nothing like it has ever been ventured successfully and sustained for so many years.

APGS has set standards and milestones and against an impressive backdrop like what it has attained, raising the bar in itself is not going to be enough. As APGS enters its next decade, new standards need to be set. New hope and vitality need to be injected into the industry against a scenario of epic changes and paradigm shifts.

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The golf club industry is not spared by this seismic revolution taking place across all fields of human endeavour and bull-dozing this charge for change is digital technologies. The next decade for APGS must be driven by disruptive innovations as therein lies the future of both the golf and golf club industries. To help capture and project this spirit, we need something very special.

We need an individual or an organization that embodies all the qualities of disruptive innovation.

Fortunately, we did not need to go on an exhaustive hunt to find someone to fit the bill. There is only one man who is the perfect fit. Somebody who has the

proven capacity to think big, the panache to breathe life into a bold vision and the derring-do to change the boundaries of the accepted norm.

That man is none other than the charismatic Bob Parsons, the founder and inexhaustible driving force behind the upstart, kick-ass golf brand PXG aka Parsons Xtreme Golf.

He is a true Maverick. A self-made man who has built a business empire that straddles a multitude of industries. He is a billionaire extraordinaire, a philanthropist and a decent human being. He and his wife have donated US$72 million to charity in the past three years and in December 2013, they joined The Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet that requires signators to commit at least half of their fortunes to charity.

Mr. Parsons has graciously accepted the invitation to be the keynote speaker at the 2017 Asia Pacific Golf Summit and given his experiences across so many fields of human endeavour, he will be a treat to listen to.

Parsons is the grand master of DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION. Through disruptive innovation, he has helped create a new market and value network. With a personal net worth in excess

HE IS A TRUE MAVERICK. A SEL

MAN WHO HAS BUILT A BUSINESS

THAT STRADDLES A MULTITUDE OF INDUST

HE IS A BILLIONAIRE EXTRAORDINAIRE, A THROPIST AND A DECENT HUMAN BEING.

of US$2 billion, one wonders why Parsons opted to start u equipment company especially given the rocky times that sector is experiencing. “I love the game of golf – and I hav been interested in the difference the right equipment can in the enjoyment of the game,” is how he explains himsel regards to the formation of PXG. “For a number of years, I personally hit just about ever golf club released and tested every shaft combination. I’d ty spend about a quarter of a million (U.S. dollars) a year just ment so I came to know what worked and what didn’t, and d ideas about what I’d like and how I’d like to see golf clubs m Parsons is given to very direct speak and does not be around the bush and this is something one would expect

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I LOVE THE GAME OF GOLF – AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN THE DIFFERENCE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT CAN MAKE IN THE ENJOYMENT OF THE GAME. man who fought the Vietnam War and was decorated with a Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon. He is a big numbers man having built multi-billion dollar corporations and with this track record behind him, Parsons feels that for PXG, now is actually a great time to enter the golf equipment market because the segment it serves has been starved for something new and innovative. “We cater to golfers who are not only passionate (maybe obsessed is a better word) about the sport, but who are willing to strike a check if they believe the equipment will improve their game,” he explained.

Parsons is an entrepreneur with the proverbial Midas Touch. After stepping down as the founder of Web-hosting giant GoDaddy, he shifted his focus in 2014 to philanthropy and other business ventures. Today, he owns nine shopping malls, three motorcycle dealerships, an advertising agency, Scottsdale National Golf Club and PXG. A motorcycle enthusiast, he is well on his way to

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building the world’s largest HarleyDavidson dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona. This has a bearing on how he intends to grow PXG because it provides an insight into the man’s vision and his outlook of the future. He is undeniably a hands-on boss who believes that the buck stops at his desk!

Referring to the formation of PXG, Parsons said, “We wouldn’t bring the clubs to market if I didn’t believe that they are the absolute best.” Parsons continued, “We set out to create the finest golf equipment in the world and I believe we have done that. I told the PXG staff right from the outset that we would not go to market unless I wanted to play our clubs and felt they were better than anything else.” And guess what, he is a man of conviction: “Now, not only do I play our equipment exclusively but the difference is so noticeable I can’t stand to hit anything else!”

One observation of Parsons is that he is a bold man very accustomed to playing the big numbers game and is not fazed by large financial invest-

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ments to back a business. “You know, if you focus on the dollars and cents you’re never going to create something truly special. When you commit yourself to developing the best possible product without arbitrary limits, your people are more creative.”

Not only are the fanatics going bananas over PXG’s clubs - even tour players are waxing lyrical about Parson’s equipment. The latest star to become a PXG brand ambassador is Lydia Ko, the LPGA’s number one player. Parsons is obviously doing something right – he has turned the entire golf industry on its head and he is piloting his company to take the lead towards new and challenging directions for golf.

Delegates who attend APGS 2017 are not only going to be privileged to listen to an extraordinary man but a man who understands business right to its core. As a

world class entrepreneur, a golf course owner and the manufacturer of the finest golf equipment around. He is inspirational and soon, he will be leaving his indelible imprimatur in Vietnam.

APGS 2017 will be staged in Danang, the third largest city in Vietnam - a vibrant metropolis that is often compared with Singapore for its modern outlook. It is the perfect venue and setting for a conference that has set its sights on exploring growth and expansion opportunities for the golf club industry. Hence, the theme “NEW DIRECTIONS”.

APGS 2017 will be hosted by the Vietnamese golf conglomerate, the BRG Group which is headed up by one of the country’s top business entrepreneurs, Madame Nguyen Thi Nga who is also widely regarded as the most powerful woman in Asian golf.

“I promise you a very exciting stay in Danang and together with the Asia Pacific Golf Group, we will make the 2017 APGS the best to date,” said Madame Nga. Commenting on APGS 2017, Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner and producer of the event said, “Vietnam is a very special venue for APGS because it represents the emergence of a new force in golf in Asia – today, this Southeast Asian country is a hot bed of golf course development and the general development of the game of golf.” More details will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead relating to the programme for APGS. The dedicated website for APGS 2017 is http://www.golfconference.org

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INDULGE YOURSELF IN GOLFING HEAVEN

T

he IMG-managed Ba Na Hills Golf Club is set in the foothills and native forests of the famed Ba Na Hills, only 25 minutes from Da Nang City, Vietnam. This stunning property is set among some of the most impressive mountain ranges in the region complementing the inaugural Luke Donald designed course. Ba Na Hills Golf Club was also awarded “World’s Best New Golf Course” at the World Golf Awards 2016.

The spectacular course that nature provided was found by the design team to provide a great experience for golfers of every level.

Book now to enjoy one of the world’s best courses.

SPECIAL FEATURE EQUIPMENT HIDEKI FOCUS “ULTRAMAN” TITLEIST MATSUYAMA GOLF BALLS

When a m tion, there show you accepted of the wo Thailand exclusive

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manufacturer sends out an “exclusive” invitation to visit their manufacturing locae’s got to be a good reason behind it. Whatever the reason may be, any offer to u around what is normally “off limits” especially to the media, is always eagerly , exclusive or otherwise! The manufacturer in this case was Titleist, the makers rld renowned Pro V1 and Pro V1X golf balls and the factory was their operation in which is referred to as “Ball Plant 4”. The report that you are about to read is not ely about the Thai operation but of Titleist’s global ball manufacturing operations.

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e know that this is a whole bunch of golf balls. But wait till you see the number that rolls out in a year – a simple arithmetic exercise will produce a stunning number -

365,000,000 million golf balls. That’s a whole lot of synthetic rubber, urethane and paint! This level of production is simply humongous!

By our reckoning, this staggering production output must most definitely leave the competition smelling the exhaust fumes of the Titleist golf ball

express as it races along to dominate the global market for golf balls, especially the demand for its top-of-the-line performance balls – the Pro V1 and the Pro V1X. This huge market share is without doubt, a pot of gold for Titleist and quite naturally, the company guards and protects this share like a deadly fire-breathing dragon.

There must be an office-full of lawyers to protect the brand and its patents – at last count, the company owned the industry’s largest portfolio of golf ball intellectual property with more than 1,000 patents. Incredible!

This will floor you - since 2010, Titleist has been awarded nearly 50 percent of all golf ball patents issued in

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TITLEIST WANT GOLFERS TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE IN TOTAL CONTROL OF – THEY ARE FIERCELY PROTECTIVE OF THE FACT THAT EVERY SINGLE TITLEIST GOLF BALL IS DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED

BY TITLEIST OWNED AND OPERATED MANUFACTURING FACILITIES. THE PRODUCTION OF EACH GOLF BALL

the United States! Now, can there be any doubt in your mind why Titleist is the number one name in golf balls?

Industry leadership is not just about production numbers. It is also about brain-power and Titleist packs a killer punch in this area – the company has in its employ over 80 chemists, physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and technicians. That’s a small army of whitecloaked brainy guys who jealously guard and protect some 120 process and product quality checks just for the Pro V1x and a further 90 process and product quality checks for the Pro V1.

Get out here! No one would go to

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such lengths just to produce a golf ball you may say. But hell yeah ….Titleist is dead serious about their business and their work. The company is not about producing golf balls. It is an organization that just happens to produce the Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls – the world’s winningest golf balls. And you better believe it! At the time of writing (16/02/17), Titleist’s 2017 worldwide ball count stood at 2819 leaving its nearest competitor huffing and puffing with 442. If this is not a measure of product quality, excellence and consumer demand, what else is?

Since this report is about the manufacturing pro cess for Titleist golf balls, we’d like to get another pl in for the brand. It’s a no nonsense company that has

best-of-breed processes in place committed to turni out only the very best product.

This commitment to excellence is deeply rooted

the beliefs of the company’s founding fathers. The pa

ent company of Titleist is Acushnet which was found by an MIT graduate who answered to the name Phill

W. “Skipper” Young. Company lore has it that Young a real fondness for, and frustration with, the game of

golf. He was absolutely flabbergasted by the inaccur of his golf shots that one day he decided to x-ray som

olug s ng

in ared ip had f racy me

golf balls to see if the cores were properly centered. Lo and behold, to his astonishment, Young found that most were well off the mark and prone to erratic shots. As a result, he decided to develop a better golf ball (see X-ray image).

After a seemingly long preamble, let’s now dive into the plants that produce a better golf ball, or shall we say, the best golf ball. Titleist owns and operates three state-of-the-art golf ball manufacturing plants, as well as one custom golf ball facility. Labelled as Ball Plant 2, Ball Plant 3 and Plant C, a customs operation facility - all are located within miles of each other in Massachusetts; U.S.A. Ball Plant 4 operates out of Thailand.

Our focus is on Ball Plant 4 which is said to be a replica of Ball Plant 3 in the U.S. Based on our observation, the plant in Thailand is a mirror image of the American facility and engages the same manufacturing technology and operational standards. This all adds up to very stringent quality control throughout the manufacturing process.

Just in case you are wondering, the golf balls produced in Thailand are for global consumption and the plant only manufactures Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls. Again, this says a lot for quality control standards – Titleist keeps a tight grip on quality and for good reason because top players swear by the company’s golf

WE DO NOT MAKE GOLF BALLS FOR ANYONE ELSE AND WE DO NOT BUY GOLF BALLS FROM ANYONE ELSE.

OUR ASSOCIATES TAKE

ENORMOUS PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT THEY MAKE THE

NUMBER ONE BALL IN GOLF THUS ENSURING

THAT EVERY TIME YOU TEE UP A GOLF BALL

TITLEIST SCRIPT, YOU ARE GETTING THE PERFORMANCE, QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY THAT YOU EXPECT. MARKED WITH THE

balls. Two out of every three golfers across the major worldwide professional tours play the Pro V1 or Pro V1x Need we say more!

As a company, Titleist waxes lyrical about the Thai plant. The powers that be in the company take great pri that their Thai staff went through an intense selection process with key managers and technical staff having spent over six months in the U.S. for process training.

Furthermore, American process experts spent months

Thailand assisting with training to ensure that the plant and staff were up to the Titleist mark of excellence.

Before we forget, the folks at Titleist want golfers to know that they are in total control of the production o

each golf ball – they are fiercely protective of the fact th

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every single Titleist golf ball is designed and manufactured by Titleist owned and operated manufacturing facilities. Before we left the Thai plant, every effort was made by Titleist staff to emphatically communicate one message: “We do not make golf balls for anyone else and we do not buy golf balls from anyone else. Our associates take enormous pride in the fact that they make the Number One ball in golf thus ensuring that every time you tee up a golf ball marked with the Titleist script, you are getting the performance, quality and consistency that you expect.”

Well folks, you’ve heard it from Titleist. They don’t monkey around when it comes to shooting for the stars.

Only being at the very top of the pinnacle of excel-

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lence is good enough! This fervent belief is validated by numbers that will leave you amazed – the list is too long to produce, but this one fact will prove why Titleist is the best - only 1 out of every 10,000,000 golf balls produced is returned. Now, try and match that!

Walter R. Uihlein, president and chief executive officer of Acushnet – you have done well to nurture an organization built on a solid bedrock of excellence and you have led a team that has been successful in spreading this enviable reputation to Thailand without any loss in product quality or human pride. No wonder you are Number One, all round!

NOVEMBER 14 – 16, 2017 | DANANG, VIETNAM The 2017 Asia Pacific Golf Summit will be the eleventh in the series and it is the longest running golf business and knowledge conference in Asia. Details will be available effective March 1, 2017 PRODUCED BY THE ASIA PACIFIC GOLF GROUP (2014) PTE LTD. Suite 07-23 A’posh Bizhub, 1 Yishun Industrial Street 1, Singapore 768160 /i \ʳÈxÊÈÎÓÎÊÓnääÊUÊ >Ý\ʳÈxÊÈÎÓÎÊÓnÎnÊ7iLà Ìi\ÊÜÜÜ°>à >«>V wV} v}À Õ«°V

Working Towards Growing The Game Of Golf In A

Ë Asia is poised for steady growth in golf tourism which will be more or less internally driven with the growth being led

by China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia which collectively account for nearly 2 billion people and a generally youthful and economically mobile population. ËhThe professional tours (PGA Tour/European Tour/Asian Tour will all be ramping up more tournaments in Asia. The PGA Tour, the world’s largest, already has offices in Japan, Korea, China and Malaysia with mega events like the CIMB Classic (Malaysia US$7 million); Korea - US$9.25 million etc. ËhGolf clubs in Asia need to re-position to deliver a more engaging, attractively packaged and appealing proposition to a wide audience made up of Millenials, Gen Xers, Gen Ys and Gen Z. A new direction is urgently needed. The old adage applies - golf is not my father’s game - it needs to be re-engineered and made revelant to rapidly changing times. ËhVietnam, as the fastest emerging nation on the Planet with HOST SPONSOR:

Asia!

regards to golf will playing a major role in the development of golf and will provide a new direction for the growth of golf.

PING PUTTERS EQUIPMENT FOCUS

How many of us golfers really kn the sound generated upon conta legendary and visionary mechan equipment companies. He was t used to win more than 1,800 prof legend, Ely Callaway, the founde clubs that varied from conventio

now how PING got its name? Would you believe that the name actually was derived from act with a ball by an early PING putter. The man who invented the PING putter was the nical engineer, Karsten Solheim who went on to establish one of the most successful golf the first to develop perimeter-weight irons, and his popular brand of putters have been fessional events around the world. When he passed away in 2000, another great golf er of Callaway Golf said this of the man, “He was a great pioneer. He designed the first onal golf club design. He changed it all, and we give him a lot of credit for that.”

P

erhaps no individual has had as profound an impact on the golf industry as Karsten Solheim. The tradition that he established and the culture

he built around the perpetual quest in search of new designs and technologies for golf clubs continues today. A good example of how this tradition manifests itself can be seen in the line of putters that PING has just released for the 2017 season.

There’s only one word to describe the load of putters that have just landed in golf retail outlets all over the world. And that word is prolific! Would you believe that there are a total of sixteen (16) PING putters, some are established models that have been “modernized” while the others are brand new to the market.

The new line has been launched under the new PING Sigma putter brand. The putters feature a multi-piece face technology inspired by the soles of athletic shoes and advancements to PING’s

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THE SIGMA G PUTTERS REPRESENT AN EXCITING NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT CONTINUES OUR LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO ENGINEERING PUTTERS THAT FEEL AND LOOK GREAT BUT PERFORM EVEN BETTER. patented True Roll Face Technology. These advancements have led to significant improvements in feel and overall putting performance of the new putters.

“The Sigma G putters represent an exciting new technology that continues our long-standing commitment to engineering putters that feel and look great but perform even better,” said John A. Solheim, PING chairman and chief executive officer. “The combination of the high-grade elastomer and fully machined aerospace-grade aluminum over the entire face delivers an amazing feel and sound,” he explained.

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The Pebax elastomer, a material commonly used in the soles of athletic shoes for its elasticity properties, is a lightweight, high-energy return compound that delivers a uniquely soft yet responsive feel. The new True Roll Face Technology covers the entire face to provide confidence and full-face forgiveness. Precision milled from 6061 aerospace-grade aluminum, the new pattern varies in depth and pitch to improve performance and touch on putts of every length.

Impact stability in every Sigma G model is increased as a result of the larger face insert cavities that allow weight savings to be re-distributed farther toward the perimeter to increase the MOI. Optimally placed CG positions help reduce skid and initiate forward roll.

According to PING, with the improved ball-speed consistency and forgiveness, golfers will make more putts than ever. “We’re also introducing several new designs that offer a variety of looks to fit every golfer’s stroke and eye,” Solheim added.

In player testing, data showed an overwhelming preference for the feel and performance of the Sigma G models and the innovative face technology.

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EQUIPMENT FOCUS BET BBETTINARDI T ARD TIN ARDI RDII GOLF GOLF

THE COMBINATION OF THE HIGH-GRADE ELASTOMER AND FULLY MACHINED AEROSPACE-GRADE ALUMINUM OVER THE ENTIRE FACE DELIVERS AN AMAZING FEEL AND SOUND.

A variety of blades, mid-mallets and mallets are available to ďŹ t any stroke type and preferred look and alignment style. Proven performers like the Anser, B60, Kushin, Darby, Shea H, D66, Tess and Piper 3 have been modernized and are joined by several new high-performance designs, including three versions of the Kinloch design, the Ketsch B and three extremely high-MOI, alignment models: Tyne, Wolverine T and the counter-balanced Doon. asiangolf

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THE RISE OF TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL FEATURE

Early Adopters? It’s a term to describe an organisation or an individual who starts using a p technology as soon as it becomes available. Easy enough to understand, right? Let’s take th of a mobile application aimed at bringing the whole golf club experience up to speed with w shaking up the world. Mobile applications are not the wave of the future. It’s a phenomenon already very pervasive and it impacts all of our lives and it plays out on the ubiquitous smar

W

ho needs the conventional telephone! Dump your fax machines! Your personal computers – put these contraptions in the cold store. Today, a vast majority of us are using smartphones to access social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and a myriad of mobile applications. The newly elected President of the United States of America, Donald Trump proved the power of a smartphone and mobile applications when he bypassed mainstream media and went the Twitter route. The outcome of that decision is now history!

The time has now come for golf clubs in the region to seriously embark on programmes to embrace mobile applications to engage with and stay in touch with their most important customers – their members and the users of their club services. There needs to be the realisation that the day is soon coming when using a desktop computer that resides in a large box, attached to a bulky monitor, will be the domain of specialists and the laggards of the technol-

ogy adoption lifecycle - everyone else will use a smart nothing else.

It is widely known that Southeast Asia is a large a ing market for mobile technologies and the main drive smartphone growth. It has been observed that Southea consumers are increasingly moving away from feature to smartphones. In 2017, the burgeoning Southeast As alone is expected to rival North America’s. Among the markets are Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Soaring smartphone ownership and usage is pres ing a huge mobile commerce opportunity in the region this growth picks up momentum, mobile commerce w increasingly critical role in shaping the future of retail Asia where smartphone owners are relatively receptive advertising. With such a highly developed smartphone Southeast Asia proves to be an ideal market for golf co

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THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS FEATURE IS TO BRING TO THE ATTENTION OF GOLF COURSE OWNERS, OPERATORS AND CLUB MANAGERS IN THE REGION THAT THE TIME HAS COME FOR THEM TO NOT JUST CONSIDER HAVING A MOBILE APP – IT’S TIME TO ACT AND IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT SHOULD BE SEIZED AND IMPLEMENTED POST-HASTE. IT CAN ONLY MEAN GOOD AND WHAT’S THERE TO LOSE!

and operators to launch new services to help improve the total club experience for their members and golfers in general.

Before we dive into mobile applications for golf clubs, let’s look at how this trend is affecting anyone who is selling something. For a restaurant operator, mobile is how people are deciding where to have lunch and dinner.

Banking has been turned on its head with customers wanting to do more with their mobile app than just check their bank balance. People are using mobile devices to do everything they do, and if there is something they can’t do on their mobile phone, they’re frustrated and ready to leap to the first offering that comes along.

Now that we have established the importance of going mobile and the burgeoning importance of the smartphone, let’s examine why golf clubs should not wait to start thinking about mobile applications. It wasn’t so long ago that having a professional web site was essential for all golf courses, in the same way that you need to ensure your club house food and beverage menu is refreshed regularly. Now that most club members and golfers (if not all) have a smartphone, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the opportunities a smartphone brings in marketing and promoting your course to new and existing customers.

Typically referred to as an “app”, it is like an interactive brochure that functions like a web site on a personal computer, with the added benefit that a member or customer can access this information anywhere, including

on the golf course via his smartphone.

The benefits of having a mobile app are varied and among some of the features include: On-line booking Course flyovers and yardage guides Adding a food ordering system linked to GPS that reminds golfers to order food when they reach the ninth hole can add to restaurant revenues.

Continuing on the benefits, a mobile app can help clubs create daily, weekly or monthly leader boards from the individual scores entered in the player’s scorecard. An events calendar is another example that would provide the facility for members and guests to book or reserve social and other club activities. Other features could include a latest news page, information on the latest weather conditions, and a text message delivery service for news alerts and club promotions that would be delivered to the user even if the app wasn’t running.

As the introduction of a mobile app for golf clubs in the region is a matter of paramount importance, ASIAN GOLF reached out to an international expert for guidance on this matter. We spoke with Adam Harris, managing director at Advanced Digital Ltd and Golf2Win and the first

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thing he addressed was to provide a clear explanation of what a mobile app is: “Being constantly visible and having easy access to your club, an app is constantly visible as an icon on the smartphone screen, so even subconsciously it is there in the user’s mind and available whenever they access their phone. The app and its content is just one tap away, unlike your website which your golfer will need to access the site URL and probably multiple taps to get around.” That’s putting it across very succinctly!

He went on to explain, “Imagine driving into your golf club’s car park and a message pops up on your smartphone welcoming you to a great day of golf ahead, by name! Imagine reaching the 17th hole and a message pops up on your screen reminding you to order your food for when you finish your round.”

Unlike a website, where one

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always needs access to the Internet. “However, a native mobile app is designed to be self-contained and once downloaded on your smartphone, it does not need to connect to any live information, requiring only a minimum signal for bytes of information to be sent and received,” Harris added.

The primary objective of this feature is to bring to the attention of golf course owners, operators and club managers in the region that the time has come for them to not just consider having a mobile app – it’s time to ACT and it is an opportunity that should be seized and implemented post-haste. It can only mean good and what’s there to lose!

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PING Glide 2.0 EQUIPMENT FOCUS

Wedges – how much attention do you pay to these of fourteen clubs permitted in a golf bag. Oftentime sand wedge and perhaps a third club – an approa trate on wedges – these tools are the scoring m you end up paying for the beers at the 19th hole lies, with the right shaft length and flex, all cus swi ave Hen

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clubs? To most golfers, wedges make up the prerequisite number es, the most common wedges are the standard pitching wedge and ach or lob wedge. It’s not surprising that most golfers don’t concenachines in a golf game. These are the clubs that determine whether e. If you have the correct set of golf wedges, in the right lofts and stom ďŹ tted to you, you do not require brute strength and/or a high ng speed to master these shots. With technique and practice, the erage golfer can compete with the pros and lower their scores. nce, wedges are the most important clubs in your bag.

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fter the validation of wedges and the role these important clubs play in one’s golf game, let’s check out the hottest new wedges on the market. PING has rolled out the new Glide 2.0 wedges, leading to more precise shortgame performance from all conditions. These wedges have precision-milled faces with sharper groove edges than any previous PING wedge model and this results in dramatically increased spin rates and trajectory control.

In describing the Glide 2.0, John A. Solheim, PING’s chairman and chief executive officer said, “The Glide 2.0 wedges represent a major breakthrough in performance for a number of reasons, but it’s the new grooves that are most exciting.” Solheim knows a thing or two about grooves as he was once locked in a bitter battle over the issue of grooves with the USGA. “We worked closely with our tour staff to improve every aspect of the wedges. The players have been very pleased with the increase in spin rates, overall trajectory control, including lower ball flights, and the consistency of the carry distances.” He went on to point out, “Around the greens, they’re impressed with the

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turf interaction an give them the pre One thing tha 2.0 is its physical which has a very the club down - w around the green Plus, the feel and “Most of our tour Oosthuizen, have Together with the 2.0 wedges offer a improve their sho An extremely oped by PING’s en ables grooves wit

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OST OF OUR TOUR PLAYERS, INCLUDING

BUBBA WATSON AND LOUIS OOSTIZEN, HAVE ALREADY CONVERTED TO THE NEW WEDGES. TOGETHER WITH LE SOLE GRIND OPTIONS, THE NEW GLIDE 2.0 WEDGES OFFER ALL GOLFERS OUS OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THEIR SHORT GAMES.

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interaction with the cover of the ball at impact, creating more friction for improved spin and trajectory control.

The wedges come in the following specifications - 46°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58° & 60°. A variety of grinds are also available and this includes the:

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SS GRIND WS GRIND TS GRIND ES GRIND

So, by now you would have gathered that wedges play a very important and complex part of your golf game. Because from 150 yards in is where every golfer, male or female, no matter how good their game is, can be as good as anyone who plays the game. And if you want some of the best wedges money can buy, check out the PING Glide 2.0.

LEARN MORE

nd how the ball is reacting off the face to ecision they need to hit it closer.” at becomes very apparent with the Glide appearance and the aesthetics of the club refined and compact look. “When you set whether it’s a full swing or a touch shot - you’re confident you can play the shot. sound are incredible,” Solheim said. players, including Bubba Watson and Louis already converted to the new wedges. e multiple sole grind options, the new Glide all golfers a tremendous opportunity to ort games.” y precise wheel-cut milling process develngineering and manufacturing teams enh a sharper edge radius, which increases

BANYAN THE RESORT, HUA HIN Award-winning golf resort now an icon in Thailand Named Golf Resort of the Year - Resort of the World in the prestigious 2016 IAGTO Awards and winner of the Luxury Golf Resort and Best General Manager honors for Asia in the 2015 Luxury Hotel Awards, Banyan The Resort is the ideal holiday destination for families, couples and golfers and is located minutes from the centre of Hua Hin in a beautiful landscaped environment.

The idyllic resort comprises luxurious villas, tropical gardens, swimming pools, spa, fitness and five-star dining venues serving Thai and International cuisine. Activities such as cycling around the resort and monthly events enhance a stay. Golfers enjoy preferred rates playing the Banyan Golf Club course.

Accommodation Enticing pool villas offer guests a "home away from home" ambience in onebedroom or two-bedroom Pool Jacuzzi Villas, overlooking a tropical garden and an infinite pool with private Jacuzzi, or one-bedroom Pool Villas.

Dining Coral Restaurant is an all-day dining restaurant serving international favorites, from international buffet selections at breakfast to an extensive a la carte menu for lunch and dinner. Take your dining experience to the next level with a private, full service poolside barbecue in your villa, for as few as two people or up to a group of 10 or more.

Spa experience and massage treatments Enjoy a relaxing beauty and spa experience, being pampered with a selection of services at The Spa Villa. A variety of massage treatments guarantee that after a round of golf, a tour of the town or a swim at the beach, your body will be relieved of pain and stress.

Get around by tram Take our courtesy tram to go to your villa, the golf club or just get around.

Banyan The Resort is Hua Hin's only resort to have this in-resort transportation.

BANYAN GOLF CLUB, HUA HIN THE BEST GOLF CLUB EXPERIENCE IN ASIA PACIFIC Opened in 2008, the golf course was named Best New Golf Course in Asia Pacific in its first year and has won many more top awards since then.

The 18-hole championship course was designed and built by Thailand's leading golf course architect, Pirapon Namatra, Managing Director of Golf East. It is acknowledged by the R&A as a best practice case study for being well maintained, designed and built.

. . . .

Total distance: 7,361 yards, par 72 Practice range and two large practice greens with bunkers Grass types - tee boxes: Paspalum; fairways & rough: Zoysia; greens: TifEagle Signature hole: 15th, 139 yards, par 3 with ocean views to Singtoh Island This world-class facility offers golfers an outstanding golf experience. The golf course is in immaculate condition all year round. The club is one of the best-managed operations in the region and is perfectly complemented the team's dedicated five-star service and Thai hospitality.

Spectacular sunset views of the Burmese mountains from the clubhouse make the per fect "wish you were here" tweet or Facebook post to friends.

Banyan has become and icon for golf in Thailand and TripAdvisor has ranked it as Hua Hin's top tours attraction.

A visit is highly recommended, whether you are going to Hua Hin to play golf or just on a relaxing a holiday.

Banyan is your Number One Golf, Resort and Lifestyle Destination in Thailand

www.banyanthailand.com Resort

+66 (0) 3253 8888, booking@banyanthailand.com Facebook.com/BanyanTheResortHuaHin Instragram: banyantheresorthuahin

Golf

+66 (0) 3261 6200, reservations@banyanthailand.com Facebook.com/BanyanGolfClubHuaHin Twitter: @banyan_thailand

EQUIPMENT FOCUS SCOTTY CAMERON

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Like in most sports, golf has its stars, its heroes and its legends. Luminaries like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Gary Player are constantly placed on pedestals and venerated like idols and gods. While these men rightfully deserve the recognition and adulation that comes with success, let us not forget that there is another parallel world of stars and legends. It is the world of golf equipment – the apparatus that the stars depend upon to bring them fame and glory in golf. One such legend in the world of golf equipment is Scotty Cameron, the man whose products are the absolute epitome of putters! The American is like a conductor of a philharmonic orchestra but instead of delivering master-pieces of orchestral music, he fuses and blends art and engineering to produce putters that are perhaps the most sought after piece of equipment by top professional golfers and amateurs alike. For this issue, ASIAN GOLF has decided to focus the spotlight on Scotty Cameron’s 2017 line-up of new putters.

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THIS NEW FUTURA LINE BLENDS MY IDEAS ABOUT HIGH-PERFORMANCE PUTTER DESIGNS WITH MY LONGSTANDING IDEALS THAT HIGH-TECH SHOULD ALWAYS BE HIGH-QUALITY.

WHAT WE’VE PIONEERED WITH

OUR MULTI-MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS ME TO DESIGN PROPERLY-WEIGHTED LARGER PUTTER HEADS FOR MORE STABLE SETUPS TO GIVE MALLET PLAYERS MORE CONFIDENCE OVER PUTTS.

I

t’s always a special treat to write about golf equipment that pushes the boundaries of perfection and excellence. And when it involves the name Scotty Cameron, the treat takes on even greater proportions. This legendary inventor, designer, dreamer of golf putters lives and operates by a simple credo in life – his only desire is to make the best putters in the world and that’s what he has been doing since the 1960s when he started tinkering around with his father in the family garage. The obsession then as it is today, has not changed – he is on a constant quest and is always looking for a better way to make a better putter.

This philosophy of creating game-changing putters is best embodied in the 2017 Scotty Cameron range. For the new season, there are two families that include a total of eight putters under the Futura and the Select Newport 3 brands.

According to Cameron, “This new Futura line blends my ideas about high-performance putter designs with my longstanding ideals that high-tech should always be high-quality.

What we’ve pioneered with our multi-material technology

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allows me to design properly-weighted larger putter heads for more stable setups to give mallet players more confidence over putts.”

The 2017 Futura family melds the best design characteristics of the previous generation GOLO and Futura X lines with Scotty Cameron’s continued innovation in multi-material putter constructions. The result is a cohesive lineup of tour-proven shapes and configurations which include: Futura 5CB Futura 5MB, 5W and 5S Futura 6M and 6M Dual Balance Futura 7M. The common characteristics that run through all the putters are that each product offers enhanced stability and forgiveness, improved alignment features, and responsive feel and feedback.

“Fans of the brand may remember the original Futura putter released over a dozen years ago, which was viewed as an experimental design that then went on to be trusted to win several titles. It’s this focus on making putters for the best players in the game that drives me to continue to innovate, experiment and push the boundaries of what we offer to all dedicated golfers. Similar to the world of motorsport, what we prove on Sundays on the worldwide professional golf tours goes into every putter we bring to market,” Cam-

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FANS OF THE BRAND MAY REMEMBER THE ORIGINAL FUTURA PUTTER RELEASED OVER A DOZEN YEARS AGO, WHICH WAS VIEWED AS AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN THAT THEN WENT ON TO BE TRUSTED TO WIN SEVERAL TITLES. IT’S THIS FOCUS ON MAKING PUTTERS FOR THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE GAME THAT DRIVES ME TO CONTINUE TO INNOVATE, EXPERIMENT AND PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT WE OFFER TO ALL DEDICATED GOLFERS.

SIMILAR TO THE WORLD OF MOTORSPORT, SUNDAYS ON THE WORLDWIDE PROFESSIONAL GOLF TOURS GOES INTO EVERY PUTTER WE BRING TO MARKET, WHAT WE PROVE ON

eron explained. “The Futura name validates the decades of design performance my team and I bring to the high-tech putter market and celebrates that early innovation standing the test of time.”

The new Futura models are identified by shape and size using a 5, 6 and 7 numbering system.

Higher numbers indicate larger sizes.

Futura 5CB and Futura 5MB are elegant, rounded mid-mallets that blend Cameron’s decades long design aesthetic that a putter “should melt into the ground” with multi-material face-sole technology.

Futura 5CB (“cavity back”) features a pop-through black anodized 6061 aircraft aluminum flange plate and single milled sight line on the topline. Futura 5MB (“muscle back”) features a refined, rounded 303 stainless steel back flange with a Silver Mist finish and a single milled sight line.

Futura 5W and Futura 5S improve upon the popular aspects of the prior generation Futura X5 and Futura X7M models. The Futura 5W (“W” for “wing”) is shaped similarly to the Futura X5, but now has full wrap-around multi-material face-sole technology and enhanced dual purpose alignment features that frame the ball and aligns the sweet spot with white flange lines placed parallel to each wing. Futura 5S (“S” for “straight shaft”) is a more compact and stylistically updated version of Futura X7M with a straight shaft setup inspired by tour feedback, and dualpurpose alignment.

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Inspired by Cameron’s work w

6M (“M” for “MOI”) introduces the bes

original Futura X model in conjunction the Futura X7M, combining a pop-throu heel-toe weights for the ultimate in forgi at impact. A new Futura 6M Dual Balan those players who need maximum stability ance models, the Futura 6M DB has a 50-gra counterweight in the grip end of the shaft.

The Futura 7M improves upon the Futu the back wings, including the stainless steel “bar the putter face for added forgiveness, along with du Aesthetics is always an important consideratio Futura series, he has given the line’s raw stainles finish with a unique bead blast for a radiant yet gla aluminum sole plates have been anodized in black cosmetics display the familiar three bright transluc with engraved typography befitting this modern, hig Like the Futura line and in keeping with the hig Cameron demands, the new Select Newport 3 exten model designed for players seeking a smaller roun and forgiveness. Commenting on the Select New you look at the entire Select family, the Newpo mallet that just fits in conceptually between th mallets.” He went on to add, “We’ve extended multi-material technology to include the aircra allows me to design more of the weight into th as get the sweet feel the inlay produces. The re extension to the Select family that pulls toget entire line.”

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with Adam Scott, the Futura st MOI-enhancing traits of the n with design cues expressed in ugh “bar back” design with deep iveness and resistance to twisting nce model is also available for in their stroke. Like all Dual Balam heavier head and a 50-gram

ura X7M with refined shaping of r back” that moves weight behind al-purpose alignment. on with Cameron and for the s steel surfaces a Silver Mist are-resistant appearance. All k. Additionally, the Tour-inspired cent red dots in the back cavity gh-performance line. gh quality standards that nds the popular line with a d mallet with additional toe flow wport 3, Cameron said, “When rt 3 is the perfect, curvy small he Newport 2 Notchback and the the methodology of our proven aft grade aluminum inlay, which e sculpted back flange, as well esult is an her the

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THE FUTURA NAME VALIDATES THE DECADES OF DESIGN PERFORMANCE MY TEAM AND I BRING TO THE HIGH-TECH PUTTER MARKET AND CELEBRATES THAT EARLY INNOVATION STANDING THE TEST OF TIME. Some of the stand-out features of the Newport 3 is that it includes advanced stability weighting with two removable, customizable stainless steel heel-toe weights, a stepless steel shaft engineered for optimal flex and performance, and a supple Red Matador Mid-size grip developed to offer the comfort of a larger grip while maintaining responsiveness and feel.

These putters come with a raw stainless steel finish called Silver Mist, which involves a unique glass bead blast for a radiant, yet glare resistant, appearance.

Additionally, the Tour-inspired graphics blend the familiar three bright red translucent “cherry bombs” with engraved typography that represents this modern, high-tech line.

There’s no denying the fact that the Futura and Select Newport 3 reflect the thinking and philosophy of Scotty Cameron which is simply embodied in this expressive statement: “I didn’t set out to change the game of golf. I just wanted to make the best putter possible.”

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

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FIRST CLASS TRADITION

Owned and managed by The Peninsula Hotels and often voted as possessing the “Best Clubhouse in Asia” and “Best Course in Thailand”, Thai Country Club is less than 45 minutes from KV^U[V^U HUK PZ YLUV^ULK MVY OH]PUN [OL MYPLUKSPLZ[ Z[HɈ VM WYVMLZZPVUHSZ PU [OL 2PUNKVT JVTTP[[LK [V WYV]PKPUN [OL <S[PTH[L .VSÄUN ,_WLYPLUJL For registered guests of The Peninsula Bangkok, >L HYL OHWW` [V HYYHUNL H [LL [PTL H[ H Z\IZ[HU[PHS YLK\J[PVU MYVT V\Y UVYTHS ]PZP[VY»Z YH[L ,_[LUK `V\Y I\ZPULZZ [YPW PU )HUNRVR VY IVVR H NL[ H^H` NVSÄUN WHJRHNL >OLU P[ JVTLZ [V L_JS\ZP]L NVSÄUN ^P[O PTWLJJHISL OVZWP[HSP[` ¶ ^L WSH` VɈ ZJYH[JO

1997 Winner: Tiger Woods

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2005 Winner: Shiv Kapur

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1998 Winner: Vijay Singh

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

HALONG BAY SPECIAL FEATURE

There are many places on this Planet that get by on their good looks, offer climate and sce oceans, rockbound or with palm trees. But there is almost no place to match the spellbind Bay generates. Images of this Vietnamese treasure conjures up a sense of heavenly bliss has had the opportunity of visiting this serene place almost always comes away feeling th la. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a one of a kind and imagine Halong Bay being home to a spectacular golf course th and showcase its awe-inspiring natural beauty. Sounds like a golf course for the gods to e

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enery, views of mountains or ding setting and aura that Halong and tranquillity and anyone who hat they have discovered Shangriat is being designed to capture enjoy a spot of heavenly golf!

BRIAN CURLEY Schmidt Curley Design

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he man who ha to be the artist new golf cours ments Halong course architec with a tremendous track rec some of the most spectacu in Asia. The task of visualis course that promises to be great courses of the world Brian Curley and Lee Sch firm of Schmidt Curley De “Halong Bay is simp away,” is how Curley des terpiece. Curley is a very thought process and wh one can rest assured th bergasted. The last tim was when he undertoo volcanic lava rocks and That was the Blacksto golf resort on the isla “When I first saw visualised a giant wit

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ANIMATION BY HARRIS KALINKA

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as been charged HEN FIRST SAW THE LAND IT WAS FOREBODING TO SAY THE t to dream up the LEAST BUT VISUALISED A GIANT WITH A HUGE DRUM OF GREEN se that compleBay is a golf PAINT POURING THE PAINT ONTO THE GROUND AND ALLOWING IT TO GRAVITY ct who comes FEED THROUGH THE ROUGH TERRAIN AND WHERE THE PAINT FLOWED INSPIRED cord of creating ME TO WORK WITH THE TERRAIN AND PRODUCE A COURSE THAT HAS GONE ON lar golf courses sing a golf TO WIN VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL AWARDS – BRIAN CURLEY e one of the true d is Brian Curley, one-half of the world renowned the ground and allowing it to gravity feed through the rough terrain and midt partnership of the multi-award winning design where the paint flowed inspired me to work with the terrain and produce esign (SCD). a course that has gone on to win various international awards,” Curley ly awesome – first sight of it just takes your breath explained. scribed the canvas for his next architectural masThe transformation of a natural setting into a breath-taking finished y exuberant man when he indulges in the creative product is how Curley works. He is all about working with the environment en he runs out of superlatives to describe a place, and enhancing the natural assets and beauty of the land he has to work hat it has left him absolutely and positively flabwith. And the project at Halong Bay is yet another unique tapestry that will me that the affable American was at a loss for words be moulded and sculptured into another living tribute to the creative touch ok the transformation of a waste-land strewn with of Schmidt Curley Design and its master-craftsman, Brian Curley. d transformed it into an award winning golf course.

Halong, according to Vietnamese folklore, apparently translates to one Golf Course, the jewel of Mission Hills sprawling “where the dragon descends.” Local legend has it that the bay’s islands and of Hainan, China. were formed when a dragon charged from the mountains towards the w the land, it was foreboding to say the least but I coast. Its tail carved out valleys and crevasses until the dragon hit the h a huge drum of green paint pouring the paint onto water, flooding the area and leaving nothing but peaks visible.

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The bay sits off Vietnam’s north-eastern coast, F YOU TELL SOMEONE GOLFER OR and it is awash with incredibly serene emerald waters that is home to a multitude of small limestone NON GOLFER THERE ARE TEN islands covered by rain forests. It is a UNESCO World PLACES IN THE WORLD THAT YOU MUST VISIT Heritage-listed region.

According to Curley, the a site above the city was FOR THE VIEWS THIS WOULD BE ONE OF THEM set aside for a golf course years ago and it is now fiHROW IN A YEAR ROUND RESORT WITH GOLF nally being developed by the Hanoi-based FLC Group, which is developing golf resorts along Vietnam’s AND THERE S NO DOUBT THIS WILL BE ON 3260-kilometre coast EVERY GOLFER S WISH LIST “There are four holes facing Halong Bay while the others flow along the ridge of a steep valley and which offer 180-degree vistas over Halong Bay, with two this will provide golfers with a rare, dream-setting, with (the eighth and 12th) likely to be compared to the iconic views to die for,” exclaimed Curley.

7th hole at Pebble Beach, California.

When finished, the new facility will have a hotel, con“We have deliberately created sufficient width to vention centre and villas for sale. A million cubic metres of make it a ‘find-your-ball course’,” Curley explained. “As earth was cut to serve as infill and this is transforming the a resort course, we don’t want players to get beaten up, site into what Curley says will be “a world-class destinaalthough it won’t be a pushover either.” tion resort in the heart of the city, providing a very unique Several million foreign visitors come to Halong Bay golfing experience”. “It’s rare to find a property so good each year, as well as many more Vietnamese to experiwith such close proximity to a large population base. We ence the 2000 limestone karsts formed over 20 million are literally atop the heart of the city. And I’m very excited years and jutting majestically from the 1553 squareabout the way the course is shaping up,” Curley added. kilometre bay.

“If you tell someone – golfer or non-golfer – there are Most make the three-hour road journey from Vietten places in the world that you must visit for the views, nam’s capital, Hanoi, while some enter on cruise ships this would be one of them. Throw in a year-round resort that make a beeline for one of the world’s “New 7 Wonders with golf and there’s no doubt this will be on every golfer’s of Nature”. wish-list,” said Curley.

ASIAN GOLF will do a thorough review of this extraorThe course will be some 6800 yards from the “tips” dinary course when it is completed. One thing you can be and 6200-6300 yards from the white tees – relatively short sure of is that this Halong Bay golf course will soon rise to by modern standards. There are five par-3 holes, three of stake its claim amongst the world’s best golf courses!

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WATCH VIDEO

HIDEKI “ULTRAMAN” MATSUYAMA SPECIAL FEATURE The Quiet Ninja Assassin – have you ever heard a Ninja say anything? He is a lethal assassin who conducts his attack with great precision and stealth.

Nothing is left to chance – every blow is delivered with the intent to kill. Every weapon utilized is designed to maim and destroy. The Ninja is a machine – on a mission to seek, attack, destroy and kill!

The description of a Ninja fits the current rage on the world’s golf stage, a young Japanese professional golfer who is scorching the world’s fairways with his unorthodox game. Like the Ninja, the Japanese golfing phenom is quiet, deliberate, calculating and precise when he pulls the trigger. His tolerance for mistakes is almost at zero-level and when he makes a mistake, he shows tremendous resilience and an almost instant bounce-back capability, ready to take on the next attack. One can’t help but analogize between the Ninja and this Japanese golfing sensation. Both are merchants of attack and they are both sworn to a special code of ethics with its roots steeped in ancient tradition. asiangolf

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A Ninja is a good comparison with Hideki Matsuyama. But we believe that Matsuyama is more than a Ninja. He is a super-hero in the making. Golf’s answer to Japan’s greatest force against everything evil – Ultraman! Like the Ninja, Ultraman goes about his work without saying much. He takes on monsters, robots and bad guys and he is always all-conquering.

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atsuyama is beginning to look like Ultraman – he takes on all comers, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and whips them all up.

At the rate that he unleashes his incredible power, the 24-year old Matsuyama holds out tremendous promise that he is the man who is godsent to set the game of golf on fire again!

Just look at his trail-blazing performances in the past few months - he has won five worldwide events in the last four months.

He took the World Golf Championship in China, two tournaments in Japan and the Tiger Woods’ unofficial Hero World Challenge. Earlier in February, he raced to his second PGA Tour title of the season, the boisterous Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.

At this explosive rate, Matsuyama has the potential to dominate professional golf for some time to come. He has everything going for him. He has a terrific game, superhero-strong in the head and enduring muscles to last for the long and demanding haul in professional golf.

He is a study of a zen-like state of focus and concentration – nothing distracts him – he is all about focus and getting the job done. As top Australian professional Adam Scott observed, “He takes it very seriously ….he has big dreams. I like that about him.”

This emerging super-hero has another special side to him. Unlike almost all professional golfers on tour, he has no “swing coach”. He is on his own because he understands his game and he is a master of his own swing dynamics. When things go awry, he sets it right – that’s Matsuyama – Ninja and Ultraman combined and very comfortable in his own skin!

Stay focused on Matsuyama – he is well on his way to the stairway of golf’s ultimate kingdom of glory.

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LEARN MORE

PRO TOUR GOLF COLLEGE GAME IMPROVEMENT

It sounds like a scam deal but trust me when I tell you that I know of a great way to get to an American college using the golf ticket.

You see, in the many years that I have been coaching juniors, many have had the good fortune of moving on to college in America. Going to college in America is not it – what is special is that most of them secure a golf scholarship to attend college and what a great way to a great education and top flight coaching in golf. Talk about a win-win proposition – this has got to be it!

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nterest in junior golf—particularly in South East Asia, is experiencing a surge with parents eager to introduce their children to golf. One of the reasons for this build-up is attributable to the fact that kids don’t have to be particularly strong, or athletic to play golf, and it’s a relatively inexpensive, non-contact sport that appeals to their strong sense of safety and well-being.

If you are a parent reading this article and you are keen on introducing your child to golf, you are looking at a wonderful gift for the kid. Golf is a game your kid can play for life, and playing golf shapes a junior golfer’s character like no other sport can.

Also, getting your child involved in junior golf has the potential to provide them with entry into the US college education system. Junior golfers excelling at golf have a good chance to secure a partial or full scholarship to a college in the United States.

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ENROLLING YOUR CHILD IN THE PERFORMANCE PYRAMID MODEL PROGRAMME AT THE AGE OF TWELVE COULD SEE THEM AT THE CHAMPION LEVEL BETWEEN THE AGES OF FIFTEEN TO SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE, WHICH IS THE IDEAL AGE FOR PREPARING TO ATTEND A COLLEGE PROGRAMME IN THE

U.S.

Every year colleges throughout the U.S.A. provide scholarships to junior golfers from countries outside of the United States who excel at golf. To give your kid a chance, parents should ensure that the junior golf programme can develop their game to a standard where they can score in the low 70’s consistently in junior tournaments by the age of sixteen.

So, what’s a good programme? Don’t look at quick-fix programmes because they don’t help one bit. The G.A.S.S model is a programme that parents should try and avoid.

This popular teaching model normally follows this format; 1. How to grip the golf club.

2. How to aim the golf club and your body.

3. How to make a stance and establish your posture.

4. How to develop your basic swing.

This teaching model is popular with golf academies because of its simplicity, however it can become too repetitive with your child spending too much time hitting

from a practice mat with next to no time on the golf course, so they soon become bored and want to stop taking lessons.

The G.A.S.S. model’s cyclic nature means that your child doesn’t experience enough variation in their skill development, so parents usually move them on to another facility. In fact we know of parents who have taken their son or daughter to five or more facilities over a three-year period looking for the ideal junior development model.

This is one of the main problems with this model— not to mention the fact that instructors teaching the G.A.S.S. model come from very different philosophical perspectives, which means your child can be exposed to conflicting and confusing ideas from one instructor to the next.

Instead, parents should look at the “Long-Term Performance Pyramid Model”. This programme has been designed to take your child through five defined development levels over a three to five-year period covering all aspects of skill building, playing skills on the golf course, through to competing in junior tournaments.

We call this programme the Performance Pyramid Model, and it has five defined levels. The base level is the stroke capability level where your child learns to develop all the stroke skills they need from the shortest stroke – putting, through to the longest stroke – the driver, as well as all the specialty skills for playing trouble shots.

The skill capability level is incorporated into the level above it – the confidence level, which is the mental skills level, so as they learn each skill it is supported with confidence and focus building techniques coupled with communication strategies based on your child’s preferred

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learning style.

The third level of the pyramid is the competition level where your child is now competing in junior tournaments whilst still developing level’s one and two. At they enter this level your child will learn tournament preparation skills and have regular lessons on the golf course incorporating the rules of golf into their play.

The fourth level of the pyramid is the contending level where your child is now scoring well enough to be contending in the junior tournaments on a regular basis.

At this level, they have moved into advanced skill building skills on and off the golf course, and the focus is on developing their scoring skills for lower score averages in tournaments.

The fifth level is the champion level where your child is playing well enough in tournaments to contend regularly at regional, national and international level. This

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is the level where college coaches will start to pay attention to your child as a potential recruit for their golf teams.

In our experience, junior golfers using the performance pyramid model will take approximately three to five years to get to level five. A condition is that they regularly attend weekly training sessions with their instructor, practicing daily, and competing regularly in junior tournaments.

Enrolling your child in the Performance Pyramid Model programme at the age of twelve could see them at the champion level between the ages of fifteen to seventeen years of age, which is the ideal age for preparing to attend a college programme in the U.S. So, keep an eye out for our next article in ASIAN GOLF where we will take you step-by-step through the Performance Pyramid Model as we work with junior golfers in our U.S College Prep Programme in Jakarta to develop their golf to U.S. college scholarship level.

LAWRIE MONTAGUE AND DAVID MILNE are the joint principals of Pro

DAVID MILNE

LAWRIE MONTAGUE

Tour Golf College, Jakarta

BLACK HAT GOLF TIPS GAME IMPROVEMENT

Has our acclaimed golf guru gone nuts! We pay the guy to talk about golf and how to learn to play better golf and there he goes talking about ping pong! We put him on the carpet when he started raving about ping pong and what a fun game it was. We thought that he just needed a change from talking golf 24/7 and wanted some sort of relief. But heck no!

He wanted to just talk ping pong and he was adamant about it. So, for this month, we have decided to indulge him and give him some space to freak out and do his thing with ping pong! Over to you Tony Meechai, golfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new paddle king!

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IT’S INCREDIBLE HOW ONE ACTION FROM A TOTALLY UNRELATED GAME CAN HELP WITH ANOTHER GAME.

SO - CHANGE

YOUR SWING THOUGHTS AND THAT ALONE WILL HELP CHANGE YOUR GAME!

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TRUST ME!

eriously, I love ping pong and I love playing it because it’s perfect for hand-eye coordination and it is simply fun!

Many of my golfing friends and students love the game.

During our Black Hat Golf Camps, students play ping pong after dinner and least do they realise that it is all part of my golf training programme!

With that said, the ping pong PADDLE can help you with understanding the swinging motion which comes into play when you play golf, especially with chipping around the greens!

I have always berated players that too much “active wrist” in a simple chip shot is dangerous and not recommended. And, to my dismay, many times I discover even the better players like to ‘scoop’ the ball with a wedge in their hands.

It’s simple to change your mindset and get back to a correct “swinging motion” for better, consistent shots! Now, you will start understanding and appreciating why I love ping pong. There are lessons to be drawn!

Let’s now take a closer look: In my demonstration, I take a ping pong paddle and hold it in between my hands with the handle pointing at the ground.

Then I ask the player to move the paddle back and forth focusing on keeping the handle pointing to the target line.

I make it more effective by asking the player to swing the paddle through the impact zone to the follow-through, noticing the handle is pointing the target.

You’ll notice the wrists are NOT active and there is no scooping action.

Again, it’s simple and easy. Thanks to ping pong – it’s incredible how one action from a totally unrelated game can help with another game. So - change your swing thoughts and that alone will help change your game! Trust me!”

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.

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