AG212 May2018 by Asia Pacific Golf Group

“YOU U K NO NOW W UNDER PR P ES ESSU SURE RE.” - ADAM S SCOTT

“ I T ’S S TH H E C O NS NSI S I S T E N C Y.”

- JO ORDAN DA DAN AN S SP SPI PI PIETH H

WHEN YOU P W “II ’VV E KN K OW W N SI SINC NCEE DAYY ON DA ONE. E” “II T’ T S TH THEE CO C O NT N TTRO RO L. RO L” - SO YEO ON RYU RYU

“H H OW W I T FL F IEE S TH T RO R O UG U H T HEE WI TH W ND D.””

- WEBB WEBB SIMPS SIMPS SON O

- JU JUSTIN ST THO HOMAS MA MAS

“ T H E S O F T E R F E EL.” - RICK KIE FOW KIE FO LER

“II T’ T ’ S TH T H E DI D I ST S TTAN ANC AN CEE ..”” - BROOKE B OOKE HEN BR NDERS ER RSON

“II KNO NOW W BE B E CA C A US U S E I’I’ VEE T RI R I ED RIE ED OTT HER HEE R GO H O LF L F B AL A LLS L LS L S .”” - RU RUSS S SSEL L HE ENLEY LEY Y

PLAY ONE, YOU KNOW.

“IT’ “I T’S S EEVV E RYTT HI HING N .”” NG - IAN IAN POULTE PO P OULTE ER

“ Y OU KNOW WHEN IT SAYY S T H I S .”” -H HENRIK RIK STENSON NSON

titleist.asia

ISSUE

212

MAY 2018

All the pieces seem to be in place for India to take its place on the world stage of golf. Its institutions seem to be pulling together. There seems to be clear strategies and visions in place and most importantly, the leadership looks very focused and sound for golf in India to explode on all fronts – amateur and professional – men’s and ladies alike! A special ASIAN GOLF focus on India.

12 EQUIPMENT FOCUS 44 LOOKING FOR A BUDDY YOU CAN TRUST? Over the years, we’ve come to expect irons from PING that get the job done and one would not be wrong to conclude that the brand’s irons have always been trusted allies of golfers. The manufacturer’s clubs have never been great lookers but they have always delivered performance. However, this has all since changed with the G700 irons.

ASIAN GOLF BUSINESS 100 KEY LESSONS TO BE LEARNT FROM GOLF’S GREATEST! When it comes to going for the green, investors have a lot in common with golfers and as such, have a lot to learn from some of the game’s best.

FASHION TREND 50 IT’S SUMMERTIME – IT’S G/FORE TIME! We have selected a really revolutionary organisation that has stepped out of the conventional boundaries of golf and has introduced some truly scintillating design concepts that are invigoratingly fresh and avant garde. We are proud to shine the spotlight on G/FORE, the brand that is giving golf a new face!

REGULARS 6 EDITORIAL TEAM

8 SHARED THOUGHTS: FROM PUBLISHER | IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE YOUTH!

Ocean Course Hole 8

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL. AFTER TAKING IN THE STUNNING VIEWS. A round on our Ocean Course is a visual treat at every turn, especially at our signature holes. The South China Sea opens up to you at Hole 7. The green at Hole 8 is surrounded by the ocean on three sides. Hole 9 is a rocky outcrop tee off challenge for any golfer. Be totally enchanted at Ria Bintan, awarded Best Course in Indonesia at Asian Golf Awards 2017.

Ria Bintan kicks off its 20th anniversary celebrations with the RB20 promotion! Tell your buddies it's time to golf at because we are giving you 20 off everything! Visit www.riabintan.com/celebrate-rb20/ for more details.

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22 SPECIAL FEATURE 22 DLF GOLF CLUB – INDIA’S CROWN JEWEL OF GOLF Whichever way one looks at the DLF Golf Course, it is a masterpiece. “This is precisely what we wanted in the ﬁrst place and this is what we got – a golf course that is absolutely spectacular and a one-of-a-kind,” exclaimed Aakash Ohri, who is now a senior executive director of the DLF organisation.

36 APGS 2018 – BIGGER, BETTER AND SHARPER!

APGS 2018 will be staged at the brand new ﬁve-star Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel which is centrally located in the heart of bustling Bangkok city. The theme for APGS 2018 is: – Engagement – Golf’s New Engine For Growth! The dates are November 1 – 3. APGS – The 12th edition. Deﬁnitely One Of The Industry’s Best!

58 A DREAM IS REALISED! With four years gone by, Mr Le Van Kiem surveys his latest golf course, the KN Golf Links in Cam Ranh Bay with great pride. In the 72-year old’s vision, this new course is the crown jewel of a mega, multi-billion dollar development that will include a world class resort city made up of luxury hotels, condominiums, villas and leisure and recreational facilities that will be built on an area of 800-hectares that will be known as KN Paradise.

68 IT’S HAPPENING – THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA! Time to forget about past champions and super-stars of golf. They have had their time and it’s now TIME TO MOVE ON! While those guys of the past were good, as the New Millennium gets set to crack the third decade, the world of golf needs to celebrate its new stars.

78 GOLF’S GREATEST ANNUAL SHOWCASE OF THE STARS! An iconic venue, the strongest ﬁeld assembled in the game annually, a growing history with an illustrious list of champions and not to mention, one of the richest prize purses in the world of golf – welcome to THE PLAYERS Championship.

GAME-IMPROVEMENT 86 TWO THUMBS UP! Here’s a new one from our resident golf coach, the guru himself, Tony Meechai. For his latest column, the PGA of America certiﬁed coach will show you how you can get in some great practice swings without going to the driving range. He calls it the “Two Thumbs Up” game booster.

92 THE PERFECT 10: IAIN ROBERTS

This is the ﬁnal part of our ASIAN GOLF exclusive series in which respected coach Iain Roberts teaches golf novice Niall Donnelly to play the game in 10 one-hour sessions. After nine lessons and countless hours of practice, Niall is ﬁnally let loose on a golf course.

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

INTERNATIONAL ROVING EDITORS

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Angela Raymond President [angela@asiapaciﬁcgolfgroup.com]

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JUSTIN THOMAS

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

JON RAHM

JORDAN SPIETH

SI WOO KIM

What is it with the golf industry? We seem to hold on tight to tradition and religiously revere the past. Tradition is ﬁne and so is the past but if we are to progress in an era driven by rapid change and new technology, golf needs to look ahead and embrace what is current and relevant.

achievements of past heroes for posterity for whatever its worth. Society has changed and the pace of life is too fast for anyone to have the time to want to delve into history and draw examples for what the scribes have recorded. In the New Millennium, nothing lingers - achievements are just ﬂashing moments in time and society’s recall is very short-lived in an age of information explosion. With this as a backdrop, ASIAN GOLF calls out to the golf industry at large, especially the bureaucrats who cling on to tradition to change. The future is now

orshipping past heroes of the

and we need to embrace and engage with the stars

game will not help grow the game

of the time to help appeal to the multi-generational

in terms of making it popular with

make-up of the global marketplace.

new generations. Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods

At least the PGA Tour has set the ball in motion with the launch of its latest advertising campaign

were the heroes of their respective generations but

which is both timely and recognitive of the game’s new

let us all learn to move on. This call to move on is

stars. Well done and keep this up and make sure that

not a mark of disrespect to the legends of the game

this push to remain current is not overcome by red

because we already have institutions that record the

tape and bureaucracies!

Golf has had a very colou tory on the sub-Continent the morning, sip on long g of the Indian day. How lon believe that the feather b 1829 which ranks it as the although the game had an another British import, the 100,000 odd golfers in wh Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s golďŹ ng population 1960s, golf has had a path the beginning when it wa of the Indian society. Even armed forces own the hig

rful and chequered past in the ancient land of India. The sport has had a very long hist dating back to the days when the privileged colonial masters were able to play golf in gins during lazy afternoons and venture out on tiger-hunting safaris in the fading twilight ng ago was it when golf made its appearance in the land of the maharajahs? Would you all and wooden clubs made their ďŹ rst appearance at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club back in e oldest golf club in India and the ďŹ rst outside the United Kingdom. Thanks to the colonials, n early start, it has been somewhat of a laggard in a nation that is absolutely crazy over e game of cricket. After nearly 200 years in play, it is estimated that there are only about at is effectively the second most populous nation on the planet. When juxtaposed against n of close to 10 million golfers in a country that was only introduced to golf in the early hetic rate of growth. This could be largely attributed to how the game was introduced in s positioned as a very elite sport accessible only to the colonial occupiers and the cream n today, golf is pretty much enjoyed by members of the armed forces and their families (the ghest number of golf courses in the country) and the upper crust of the Indian population.

top in

it ma SHUBHANKAR SHARMA

and s

is reserv

One is attrib has bee

has all s

venerate

the Unit

and dire SHIV KAPUR

1955, th

no-nons

Comma

earlier, t

sports b

bureauc

new IGU

this and

is a new

in India.

ASI

ANIRBAN LAHIRI

JEEV MILKA SINGH

hile the playing population of golf-

Delhi recently during the staging of the 2018 Indian Open and at

ers is inﬁnitesimal when compared to

this time, we met and spoke with the major movers and shakers

its total population of over 1.3 billion,

of golf in India. What was very noticeable and common to every-

it is surprising to note that India has

one that ASIAN GOLF spoke with was an air of conﬁdence that im-

produced a disproportionate number of

parted a sense of pride and optimism for the future of Indian golf.

ternational class professional golfers. As oxymoronic as

Admitting to the IGU’s past poor record in growing the game, the

y seem, some of the country’s legends in golf have gone

IGU’s Honorary Treasurer, Ishwar Achanta was forthright and did

n to gain international repute on the global stage – players

not mince his words. “We have had a total change in our outlook

like the pioneering Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Jyoti

and it is no longer a parochial mentality,” he said and went on to

Rhandawa, Shiv Kapur and of late, younger stars like Anirban Lahiri and the 21-year old reigning poster boy of Indian golf, Shubhankar Sharma. The fact that they got to as far as they have speaks a lot for the

outline the very pragmatic plans that are in place for golf in India. “The government of India has empowered the IGU to grow golf and they have backed us with all the resources required, including a grant of 50 Crores (which converts to over US$8 mil-

qualities that Indian golfers have – qualities to strive hard

lion) over ﬁve years to develop golf.” Achanta revealed. This is a

shoot for the stars in a country where the highest acclaim

serious commitment on the part of the Indian government and

ved for its star cricketers.

by so doing, it has sent a ﬁrm signal to the IGU that it is in charge

e of the reasons why golf in India has been slow to grow

and that the “buck stops” on its table!

utable to the fact that the administration behind the sport

n fragmented and fractious over the years. However, this

To help realise its development dreams, the IGU has drawn up a strategy that has very clear and measurable visions incor-

since changed. The governing body over golf in India is the

porated in it. Titled the “Tee20” – The Vision Of Indian Golﬁng, it

ed Indian Golf Union (IGU), the counterpart of the R&A in

lays down its three keystone objectives:

ted Kingdom. For many years, this body was without vision

Grow - Expand Horizons

ection and lacked the fortitude to think big. Founded in

Sustain - Golf forever

e IGU is now under the guidance of its new president, a

Excel - Being The Best

sense Indian Air Force ofﬁcer, Wing nder Satish Aparajit. As stated

the IGU was like many aimless

bodies bogged down with its own

THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HAS EMPOWERED THE IGU TO GROW

cratic and red-tape practices. The

GOLF AND THEY HAVE BACKED US WITH ALL

U head has put an abrupt end to

THE RESOURCES REQUIRED, INCLUDING A

under Aparajit’s direction, there

w vision and a bright future for golf

AN GOLF spent a week in New

50 CRORES (WHICH CONVERTS TO OVER US$8 MILLION) OVER FIVE YEARS TO DEVELOP GOLF. – ISHWAR ACHANTA GRANT OF

JYOTI RHANDAWA

“With the government su

corporations, I believe that In

era – an era that is going to n

nentially in India but to also t

world stage of golf,” Achanta

He explained that for the ies involved with the develop

together and this uniﬁed app

growth in India. “The IGU has work with us and to park the

in the greater interest of wor

goal,” he added. In parting, A

big and we’ll get to where we

everyone who has anything to is matching in lock-step!

One of the satellite bodie

Golf Tour of India (PGTI), Indi

ful PGA Tour. Led by the high

ARJUN ATWAL

Gautam Thapar, the PGTI, like the IGU is a highly transformed organisation. From a ﬂedgling body, it has grown into a powerhouse for professional golf and over the years, it has grown the number of its events and prize monies

upport and that of state bodies and

ndian golf is at the cusp of a new

not only grow the game of golf expo-

transform it into a major force on the

a declared.

e ﬁrst time, all of the satellite bod-

ment of golf in India are working

proach will ultimately work for golf’s

for the Indian Tour. According to its chief executive ofﬁcer, Uttam Singh Mundy, a one-time top professional golfer himself. “The Indian Tour has entered a new and exciting phase and one of the most signiﬁcant developments to come will be the world ranking points for our events.” The vision of the PGTI is to create a

GAUTAM THAPAR

platform for its members to play in more tournaments, for more prize money and to take their skillsets to higher levels.

s invited all of them to come and

ir respective egos outside the door

rking together towards a single

Achanta said, “We are now thinking

THE INDIAN TOUR HAS

e want to get to!” So, it seems that

ENTERED A NEW AND EXCITING

o do with the growth of golf in India

es referred to is the Professional a’s version of America’s all power-

hly successful Indian entrepreneur

PHASE AND ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS TO COME WILL BE THE WORLD RANKING POINTS FOR OUR EVENTS.

– UTTAM SINGH MUNDY

ADITI ASHOK

17 – she has since gone on to make a name for herself as a star-performer on the LPGA Tour.” Describing Ashok as having the “Se Ri Pak” effect on Indian ladies golf, Champ said, “Like Se Ri Pak and how she broke the glass ceiling for women golfers from South Korea, I expect Ashok to do likewise and her success on the professional tour is going to have a very positive effect on young Indian girls.” She predicts that before soon, Ashok will have serious company on the LPGA Tour from Indian professionals. All the pieces seem to be in place for India to take its place on the world stage of golf. Its institutions seem to be “The granting of world ranking points and making the

pulling together. There seems to be clear strategies and

tour open will go a long way towards the internationalisa-

visions in place and most importantly, the leadership looks

tion of the Indian Tour,” Mundy added.

very focused and sound for golf in India to explode on all

Making the Indian Tour open to all comers according

fronts – amateur and professional – men’s and ladies alike!

to Mundy is a move in the right direction for the PGTI and

Besides India getting its act together for golf, the coun-

it will go a long way towards producing new heroes for golf

try has also emerged as the fastest growing major economy

and helping to grow the game on the professional front.

in the world and according to the International Monetary

“There is a lot of talent and potential in India and working

Fund (IMF), it is expected to be one of the top three

in concert with all of our partners, we are

economic powers of the world over the

expecting great results going forward.”

next 10-15 years. India’s Gross Domestic

Sharing the optimism of the PGTI is

Product is estimated to have increased

another veteran of Indian golf – Champi-

6.6 per cent in 2017-18 and is expected to

ka Nanda Sayal, secretary general of

grow 7.3 per cent in 2018-19.

the Women’s Golf Association of India.

India’s labour force is expected to

“Champ” as she is known affectionately

touch 160-170 million by 2020 which

to her fans, is one lady who feels that

means to say a bigger market with

Indian women have a more exciting role

disposable income to enjoy golf. It is ex-

to play than just to be seen dancing and

pected to be the third largest consumer

bouncing around in their sarees to the

economy as its consumption may triple to

frenetic rhythm of Bollywood music.

US$ 4 trillion by 2025, and according to

“Our girls can play golf and they can play the game at the highest level,” she said. Citing India’s current female golf sensation, teenage Aditi Ashok, Champ said, “She was the ﬁrst Indian girl to

OUR GIRLS

the Boston Consulting Group’s report, it

CAN PLAY

is estimated to surpass the United States

GOLF AND THEY CAN PLAY THE GAME AT THE

of America to become the second largest economy in terms of purchasing power

HIGHEST LEVEL.

parity by the year 2040, according to

play at the inaugural golf event at the Rio Olympics and she did so at the age of

– CHAMPIKA NANDA SAYAL

Coopers.

another report by Pricewaterhouse

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For those of you who are not familiar with the name DLF, here’s a quick primer on what the three letters represent. It is the largest commercial and real estate developer on the sub-Continent and it’s widely regarded as the multi-billon dollar conglomerate responsible for “Building India”. ASIAN GOLF’s first introduction to this corporation on Indian soil was some years ago when it’s publisher Mike Sebastian visited the much acclaimed Arnold Palmer course which was one of the very first truly international standard golf courses built in India. As we toured the facility, we enquired about what was the original vision behind the course to which the then general manager Aakash Ohri said, “When Mr. Palmer asked our chairman (Mr. K. P. Singh) what he envisioned for a course, Mr. Singh just told him – give me a course that will be better than the best in world!” This set the tone for the template for Palmer’s first signature course in India and the commencement of DLF’s foray into the realm of world class golf courses.

uring this show-around, ASIAN GOLF was

of the golf world both in India and internationally, when

made privy to the “ambitious plans” that

the Black Knight proudly unveiled his signature course.

were in store to develop this golf course

The brand new Gary Player course was met with great ac-

into a one-of-a-kind golf community

claim and not only had Player delivered a truly remarkable

in the world. It was a little difﬁcult to

golf course but a course that stood in a class all its own on

visualise at that time how this grandiose plan was to take

the world stage! This is no idle claim because when ASIAN

shape around the Palmer course and a new nine-hole course that was being worked on

THE BEAUTY OF THE

at that point in time by another legend, the

COURSE WAS SO

South African dynamo, Gary Player. All that we had to go on was a course by Palmer, a

OVERWHELMING AT TIMES THAT

Player course under construction and two

IT INFUSED IN ME A SENSE OF

condominium blocks looking down on the golf

TERROR AT THE THOUGHT OF

courses. The wish of the chairman and his son, the MIT-educated Rajiv Singh, DLF’s vice chairman took shape, and in 2015, the part of the master-plan was delivered to the amazement

PLAYING THE COURSE AND OVERCOMING ITS MANY CHALLENGES, REGARDLESS OF ITS BEAUTY!

– MIKE SEBASTIAN

THE PULSATING HEART OF DLF CYBER CITY! The DLF Golf Club and its golf community is located in the city of Gurgaon, just 30km south of New Delhi. It is one of India’s leading tech hubs and home to some of the world’s biggest brands. Today, Gurgaon is a thriving hub of skyscrapers and luxury apartments. It has been termed a “futuristic commercial hub” and is considered one of the nation’s largest hubs of IT activity.

GOLF set its eyes on the course during the recent Indian Open, it was a jaw-dropping experience. Not only did the course look in its best shape both in terms of its aesthetic appearance and its tournament readiness, it was a sight to behold. There were splashes of ﬂoral colour everywhere symbolic of the

WHICHEVER WAY ONE

DLF GOLF COURSE, IT IS A MASTERPIECE. “THIS IS LOOKS AT THE

PRECISELY WHAT WE

area coming out from a dreary and cold

WANTED IN THE FIRST

winter and heading into spring and summer

PLACE AND THIS IS

mixed in with a spectacular display of local

WHAT WE GOT

birds and migratory ﬂocks that stopped over

– A GOLF COURSE THAT IS ABSO-

to rest their weary wings before continuing

LUTELY SPECTACULAR

with their journey.

AND A ONE-OF-A-KIND.

ASIAN GOLF stood at a vantage point to soak in as much of the spell-binding

– AAKASH OHRI

IT WAS ALWAYS OUR INTENTION TO

panorama that is the DLF Golf Course and while doing so, we could not help but think about the description that Donna Tartt, the Pulitzer award-winning author had to say about beauty – she wrote, “Beauty is terror. Whatever we

CREATE A HIGHLY UNIQUE

call beautiful, we quiver before it.” And this was the effect that it had on ASIAN

ENVIRONMENT FOR GOLF

GOLF’s Mike Sebastian. “The beauty of the course was so overwhelming at

LIVING AND WE BELIEVE THAT

times that it infused in me a sense of terror at the thought of playing the

WE HAVE ACHIEVED THAT OBJECTIVE,”

OHRI POINTED OUT. HE WENT ON TO ADD, “OUR AIM IS TO PROVIDE A WELL-MANAGED, SUSTAINABLE

course and overcoming its many challenges, regardless of its beauty! The Player course squats on a natural landscape that was painstakingly contoured and sculpted by Player’s team and according to Jeff Lawrence, vice president and senior designer with the team, “over 200 million cubic tons of earth was moved and we brought in 27,000 tons of indigenous dholpur (granite boulders) to form rock quarries and stone pillars as a stunning backdrop.” This

AND IDEAL SETTING FOR OUR

in itself was a massive construction task. Testimony to this huge undertak-

RESIDENTS TO LIVE IN, WORK

ing can be seen at the 17th hole (featured on the cover of this issue) which is

AND PLAY.

both awe-inspiring and nerve-wrecking at the same time. Bull-dozers and earth-moving equipment were used to lift and place each and every boulder to ﬁt in with a design scheme that surprisingly looks as though it was part of the original landscape. Incredibly awesome is the only way to describe this setting. “This course is designed to not only create a fun and enjoyable golf outing for the members, but also to host championship events – this is the special

WE WANTED A VERY NATURAL SETTING FOR THE CLUB AND AS SUCH, WE PLANTED THOUSANDS OF TREES TO REDUCE THE CARBON FOOT PRINT,” OHRI EXPLAINED. THE BUNKERS ARE VERY UNCONVENTIONAL LOOKING BECAUSE THE BUNKERS ON THE COURSE ARE GEO-TEXTILE BUNKERS THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO REDUCE MAINTENANCE COSTS. “WE BELIEVE IN TOTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND WE USE RECYCLED TREATED WATER FED FROM TWO GIGANTIC LAKES – ONE IS 13 ACRES IN SIZE WHILE THE OTHER IS 8 ACRES, FOR ALL OF OUR IRRIGATION NEEDS. versatility of the course,” Lawrence said. Although the

world were brought down to their knees by the unforgiving

designer has described it to be fun and exciting, this course

fairways and tricky greens of the course. One on-looker

will most deﬁnitely rank amongst the most difﬁcult in the

commented as a European Tour player missed a double-

world, especially its daunting greens. The Indian Open stood

bogey, “Looks like the greens were set up by disciples of

witness to this as some of the best professionals in the

Satan!,” But to be fair, it is a course that let’s you decide on

how you want to play it – in the ﬁnal analysis, it comes down to how the course is managed and as stated earlier, it can be both fun and exciting and downright terrifying! Whichever way one looks at the DLF Golf Course, it is a masterpiece. “This is precisely what we wanted in the ﬁrst place and this is what we got – a golf course that is absolutely spectacular and a one-ofa-kind,” exclaimed Aakash Ohri, who is now a senior executive director of the DLF organisation. “We wanted a very natural setting for the club and as such, we planted thousands of trees to reduce the carbon foot print,” Ohri explained. The bunkers are very unconventional looking because the bunkers on

IT WAS ALWAYS OUR INTENTION TO CREATE A HIGHLY UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT FOR GOLF LIVING AND WE BELIEVE

condominium blocks have emerged a variety of plush skyscrapers developed by DLF and these exclusive apartment buildings form a majestic backdrop for the golf club. “It was always our intention to create a highly unique

THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED THAT OBJECTIVE,”

environment for golf living and we believe that we have

OHRI POINTED OUT. HE WENT ON TO ADD, “OUR AIM IS TO PROVIDE A WELL-MANAGED,

“Our aim is to provide a well-managed, sustainable and ideal

SUSTAINABLE AND IDEAL SETTING FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO LIVE IN, WORK AND PLAY.

achieved that objective,” Ohri pointed out. He went on to add,

setting for our residents to live in, work and play.” The latest in DLF’s life-style projects is its new development phase called “The Camellias”. Plush and exclusive apartments priced at US$5 million each. Through this and

the course are geo-textile bunkers that have been designed to

its other completed projects, DLF has demonstrated that

reduce maintenance costs. “We believe in total sustainability

property and golf, planned and managed well can become an

and we use recycled treated water fed from two gigantic lakes

extremely viable commercial undertaking.

– one is 13 acres in size while the other is 8 acres, for all of our irrigation needs.” “I believe that we have been very successful in creating a world class golf course that ﬁts in with the natural envi-

With its world class golf courses and its exclusive golf communities, DLF is most deﬁnitely playing a spearheading role in growing the game of golf in India. With a force like DLF and its vision and proven dyna-

ronment and landscape like a glove,” Ohri explained. This

mism, golf in India is set to push ahead to new levels of

has served as an excellent backdrop for DLF’s residential

achievements and success. DLF is the very embodiment of

developments around the course. From the original two

golf at its best. Shabash DLF!

I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN CREATING A WORLD CLASS GOLF COURSE THAT FITS IN WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND LANDSCAPE LIKE A GLOVE.

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The end of the second decade of the 21st Century is just around the corner. It’s a time during which the world has witnessed change and disruption on a scale never experienced before. Dominant old technologies have been unceremoniously dumped making way for new technologies that were never envisioned until recent times. Corporate behemoths like General Motors and IBM have been pushed off their lofty pedestals to make way for fast-charging corporate upstarts like Apple, Amazon and Google. Corporate heroes like GE’s Jack Welch and Dell’s Michael Dell have been bumped off by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX. Names that were once great corporations and legendary business leaders have been condemned to wither away in the ever-expanding graveyard where one-time legends go to rest.

APGS 2018 WILL SERVE AS A PLAT AND COME UP WITH A NEW MINDSET

TION AND EMBRACE REVOLUTIONARY NEW PAT

TRACTIVE, VIABLE AND PROFITABLE ACROSS T

YOUNGER GENERATIONS WHO NEED TO BE SOL NOT GOOD ENOUGH. IT’S TIME TO

ACT AND E

he world and everything on it has been turned on its head. Some call

disruptions in the world of business. L

it cataclysmic change while others refer to it as plain, unadulterated

hammered with declining rounds. The

game-changing disruption. Whichever way one addresses it, it must

decrease although in less sophisticate

be acknowledged that all of the forces of change, have proven one

able market statistics to show growth

way or other, to be for the better. Wave after wave of disruptions have

of your pants!

brought with it change on an unprecedented scale. Those who have beneﬁtted from the winds of change have been smart individu-

All said and done, the pace of cha

needs to seize and engage with great g

als, nimble corporations and far-sighted nations who have been quick off the mark

to compel younger generations to take

to seize and engage with changing trends to create opportunities to take advantage

ing legions of older players from past

of the beneﬁts to be had. Just look at the last decade and beyond - many of the gi-

New formats of play must be expl

ants of business today were mere start-ups whom many from the “old world” never

to appeal to the young; costs of equipm

expected to grow exponentially to dominate today’s business world.

and the cost to play must be reduced.

While it is agreed that the pace of change is sometimes a little too much for everyone to accept but, there are no options available. New technology is omnipresent

and retain new blood. Finding new members and new g

and it is on a constant evolution cycle. It takes no prisoners – to survive, grow and

faced by golf clubs. In Asia, based on t

prosper, one needs to engage with it and put it to work.

ity of club members were above 50 yea

So, what does all of this have to do with the golf industry in general and the

and above bracket. One does not need

golf club industry in particular you may ask? Well, it has a damn lot to do with the

gist to ﬁgure out that this is a scary po

golf industry! For the last two decades of the New Millennium, the golf industry

selling retirement home packages or

across the board has been reeling from business downturns brought about by

By the same token, in the same su

TFORM TO EXPLORE, DISCUSS TO BREAK FREE FROM TRADI-

THWAYS TO MAKE GOLF AT-

THE BOARD AND ESPECIALLY TO

LD ON GOLF!

TALK ALONE IS

ENGAGE!.

Large numbers of golf courses have been

e golﬁng population has also been on a steady

ed markets like parts of Asia, there is no relior decline. It’s the old game of ﬂy by the seat

ange is something that the golf industry

gusto. It needs to ﬁnd new and exciting ways

e up the game and replace the rapidly depletgenerations.

lored; the element of fun must be factored in

ment and apparel must be made affordable Golf needs a new template to draw in, cater

olfers is perhaps the single biggest challenge

the Asian Golf Proﬁles 2017 survey, the major-

ars old, with the highest percentage in the 60 to be a rocket scientist or a master futurolo-

osition for any industry to be in unless you are

nursing home programmes for the aged!

urvey, it was discovered that only an average

Twenty years ago there were lengthy waiting lists to join many golf clubs in Northern Ireland. Today, that trend has reversed to worrying levels. Golf is an increasingly important selling point for Northern Ireland. Tourists from North America, Japan and across Europe want to walk in the footsteps of Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. Why wouldn’t they? Northern Ireland’s leading players have landed six majors between them in the past decade. That’s great for the famous links courses along our coast. They host the biggest events in the game, the Irish Opens and Open Championships of this world sell themselves. But what about the other, mostly inland, clubs? According to the all-island Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) which represents over 430 golf clubs with over 170,000 members - there has been a 30% drop in membership since 2004. This is particularly concerning given that Northern Ireland has never enjoyed more global exposure on the golfing map. Most weeks on the European and PGA tours, an NI player appears on the leaderboard. Golf should be booming here - so why does that not seem to be the case at grassroots level? This is the sort of challenges that will be addressed at APGS 2018. Real problems that require real solutions! (Reproduced from the BBC)

of seven per cent of the mapped golfer population was 35

NEW FORMATS OF PLAY MUST BE EXPLORED; THE ELEMENT OF FUN

years and below. This is a nightmare scenario because it becomes very apparent that there are not enough numbers in the younger age quintiles to ensure that there are sufﬁcient players to replace the loss of older members. This is

MUST BE FACTORED IN TO APPEAL TO THE

a serious problem and something that the golf club industry

YOUNG; COSTS OF EQUIPMENT AND

needs to address with a degree of great urgency. It is not

APPAREL MUST BE MADE AFFORDABLE AND

something that can be swept under the rug and left to

THE COST TO PLAY MUST BE REDUCED.

hopefully go away. This will never happen – just dream on! The time to confront this challenge face on and the time to engage with this issue is NOW! There are numerous challenges like this matter of ageing demographics

GOLF NEEDS A NEW TEMPLATE TO DRAW IN, CATER AND RETAIN NEW BLOOD..

that are currently threatening the growth and survival of

ity,” said Mike Sebastian, chief executive ofﬁcer of the Asia

the golf industry.

Paciﬁc Golf Group, the owner and producer of APGS 2018.

With this as the prime motivating force, the 2018 Asia

APGS 2018 will be staged at the brand new ﬁve-star

Paciﬁc Golf Summit (APGS 2018) will roll up its sleeves

Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel which is centrally

and sit down to identify the numerous challenges and

located in the heart of bustling Bangkok city. Staged in

seek out sustainable solutions. APGS 2018 will serve

conjunction with APGS 2018, will be the 2018 Asian Golf

as a platform to explore, discuss and come up with a

Awards, the 19th staging of the prestigious recognition

new mindset to break free from tradition and embrace

event that is now recognised as the Asia Paciﬁc’s “Oscars”

revolutionary new pathways to make golf attractive, viable

for the golf industry. This will be a gala event where win-

and proﬁtable across the board and especially to younger

ners in more than 50 award categories will be recognised

generations who need to be sold on golf! Talk alone is not

and honoured as the best of breed in the Asia Paciﬁc.

good enough. It’s time to ACT and ENGAGE! APGS 2018 will be the 12th staging of this now inter-

Another highlight of APGS 2018 will be the staging of the 2018 Asia Paciﬁc Inter-Club Golf Tournament. Host

nationally renowned golf business Summit. “It is without

venue for this year will be the award-winning Thai Country

doubt the best in its category and it has earned its stripes

Club, widely regarded as one of the ﬁnest golf clubs in

by being very industry focused and solutions oriented which

Asia. “We are delighted to host this tournament and the

in turn has guaranteed the event’s relevance and longev-

Welcome Reception and we hope to make it a truly outstanding networking opportunity for the participating golf clubs,” said John Blanch, general manager of the club. The theme for APGS 2018 is: – Engagement – Golf’s New Engine For Growth! The dates are November 1 - 3, 2018. Please visit the ofﬁcial website www.golfconference.org for more details. APGS – The 12th edition. Deﬁnitely One Of The Industry’s Best!

GLS Asia Limited, 5/F., BOC Group Life Assurance Tower, 136 Des Voeux Road Central Central, Hong Kong. Tel. +66 (0) 3261 6200 Email. info@gls.asia Web. www.gls.asia

Tof the 21st Century is just around he end of the second decade

the corner. It’s a time during which the world has witnessed change and disruption on a scale never experienced before. Dominant old technologies have been unceremoniously dumped making way for new technologies that were never envisioned until recent times. Corporate behemoths like General Motors and IBM have been pushed off their lofty pedestals to make way for fastcharging corporate upstarts like Apple, Amazon and Google. The world and everything on it has been turned on its head – but it has all proved to be for the better. It has brought about change on an unprecedented scale. Individuals, corporations and nations that have been quick to Ãi âi > ` i }>}i Ü Ì V > } } ÌÀi `Ã] >Ûi Lii Ài>« } Ì i Li iwÌÃ v disruption. The pace of change is something that the golf industry needs to seize and i }>}i Ü Ì }Ài>Ì }ÕÃÌ ° Ì ii`Ã Ì w ` iÜ > ` iÝV Ì } Ü>ÞÃ Ì V «i younger generations to take up the game and replace the rapidly depleting legions of older players from past generations. New formats of play must be

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/ i Ì i Ì i }>}i Ã Üt / i Óä£n ƂÃ > 2018) will serve as a platform to explore, d mindset to break free from tradition and em Ü>ÞÃ Ì > i } v >ÌÌÀ>VÌ Ûi] Û >L i > ` «À Talk alone is not good enough. It’s time to

APGS – The 12th edition. One Of The Industry’s B

e element of fun d in to appeal to the pment and apparel and the cost to play w template to draw in,

*>V wV v -Õ Ì Ƃ* - iscuss and come up with a new mbrace revolutionary new path wÌ>L i >VÀ ÃÃ Ì i L >À`° ACT and ENGAGE!

Best!

Ho Es wo tha iro the

ow often has this question popped up in your mind while playing a round of golf? pecially when you’ve had a few bum shots with your irons – irons that you thought ould be your friend. We’ve all gone through this damning experience and more often an not, we’ve walked off the course frustrated. Is there a solution? Is there a set of ons that can be considered a man’s best friend on the golf course? You bet! And it is e G700 from PING!

ver the years, we’ve come to

and forgiveness by leveraging the advantages of

expect irons from PING that get

a hollow-body design and a thin, maraging steel

the job done and one would not be

face, creating PING’s longest, highest-ﬂying iron to

wrong to conclude that the brand’s

date. And let’s not forget good looks – the G700’s

irons have always been trusted

ooze sex appeal!

allies of golfers. The manufacturer’s clubs have

“The desire for golfers to hit their irons

never been great lookers but they have always

farther continues to grow,” said John K. Solheim,

delivered performance. However, this has all since

president of PING. “We want to provide options

changed with the G700 irons.

that greatly increase distance without sacriﬁcing

In the G700 iron, PING engineers have put a high priority on creating an iron that offers power

other performance attributes, such as consistency, forgiveness and feel. With the G700 iron, we’ve

WE WANT TO PROVIDE OPTIONS THAT GREATLY INCREASE DISTANCE WITHOUT SACRIFICING OTHER PERFORMANCE ATTRIBUTES, SUCH AS CONSISTENCY, FORGIVENESS AND FEEL.

WITH THE

G700 IRON, WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH ALL OF THAT IN A VERY APPEALING DESIGN WITH A SOUND THAT SCREAMS DISTANCE FROM THE MOMENT GOLFERS HIT IT. been able to accomplish all of that in a very ap-

Bose, master ﬁtter at WIN Golf, representing PING

pealing design with a sound that screams distance

said, “The G700 iron is the longest, straightest and

from the moment golfers hit it.”

most forgiving iron PING has produced to date.

The hollow-body construction of the 17-4

It not only delivers exceptional distances, it also

stainless steel head allows for an internal

delivers unparalleled consistency on off-centre

geometry design that positions weight away from

hits and minimal face twisting. The result is a

the face, creating a frame for metal-wood-like

distance iron that boasts of the tightest dispersion

ﬂexing and high COR to greatly increase ball

numbers among all PING iron models ever made.”

speed and produce launch results that will amaze golfers. “We’re seeing signiﬁcant ballspeed increases in the G700 while maintaining the consistency and

He went on to add, “Distance alone does not lower golf scores, especially if it comes with higher dispersion on mishits. For golf scores to come down, golfers’ mishits must not result in wayward dispersion laterally, horizontally and

control golfers need to improve

vertically. Internal toe and heel weights and low-

their iron play,” said Solheim.

ered centre-of-gravity provide unprecedented MOI

“It also has a great overall look,

numbers, higher launch angles and controlled

especially at address, and a

spin delivering game improvement qualities in the

premium ﬁnish. When golfers hit

G700 iron heretofore unseen.”

it, they’ll experience a sensation

If you feel that you are ready to take on a set

and sound that’s unlike any they’ve

of irons that you will shower with love and praise,

ever felt or heard.” Commenting on the G700 irons, Jeffrey

it’s time to check out the PING G700 irons. It will be like falling in love all over again!

Golf is a game that often gets tagged as a very that frowns upon fun in the truest sense of the and predictable colours in golf apparel, shoes some of those whacky items from outďŹ tte Staid and conservative to some and dow With the industry now at the end of th New Millennium, ASIAN GOLF th we pulled out all the stops and and designs that are more re To get us started, we have s organisation that has ste boundaries of golf and has lating design concepts th and avant garde. We spotlight on G/FORE, that is giving go new face!

conservative sport and a game word. Just check out the plain s and accessories (excluding ers like Loudmouth Golf etc). wnright boring to others! he second decade of the hinks that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high time have fun with colours epresentative of the times. selected a really revolutionary pped out of the conventional introduced some truly scintilhat are invigoratingly fresh e are proud to shine the the brand lf a

of ﬂashy

ise what

of golf be

tool, and

“And

he driving force behind G/FORE is Mossimo Gi-

WHEN WE WERE FIRST MAKING THE GLOVES, WE TWEAKED EVERYTHING

annulli (we already love the ring of the name) and he comes from a fashion and business background, but golf’s a true passion for him. Mossimo could quite easily get by as a designer

y Italian thoroughbred sports cars (we can already visualthe cars would look like!). As he puts it, “I love the game

ecause it’s a family sport, a social opportunity, a business

d a personal challenge all in one.”

d G/FORE products aren’t designed in a cubicle and tested in a factory; they’re born out of a desire to express myself while playing,

FROM THE DYE METHOD TO THE STITCHING ON EACH FINGERTIP UNTIL WE HAD A PROD-

I FELT WAS WORTHY OF THE GAME. THIS DETAIL-OBSESSED DEVELOPMENT

UCT THAT

PROCESS STILL HAPPENS WITH EVERY NEW PRODUCT THAT BEARS THE

G/FORE

MARQUE.

and to help inject a little more fun and ﬂair back into the game,” he declared.

on the course and hours at the range. “When we were ﬁrst making the gloves, we tweaked ev-

With passion and ﬂair

erything from the dye method to the stitching on each ﬁngertip

that is reserved only

until we had a product that I felt was worthy of the game. This

for Italian design-

detail-obsessed development process still happens with every

ers, Mossimo is a perfectionist who tests prototypes himself, putting in countless rounds

new product that bears the G/FORE marque,” he pointed out proudly. When you slip on a G/FORE golf glove, you’d understand precisely what Mossimo means. Mossimo is most certainly a one-of-kind in golf and he is going to be a change agent of the highest order. You can bet on this especially now that his venerated company is part of the prestigious and distinguished elite life-style brand, Peter Millar. Peter Millar and G/FORE are great brands because they’re different. Different in the sense that the former appeals to the traditionalist while G/FORE appeals to the younger golfer who’s not afraid to wear high tops and break some rules.

G/FORE has a full complement of products ranging from

PETER MILLAR AND G/FORE

golf shoes (really snazzy looking), golf gloves with colours to

ARE GREAT BRANDS BECAUSE

match virtually any top or bottom, and accessories that are ul-

THEY’RE DIFFERENT.

DIFFERENT IN THE

SENSE THAT THE FORMER APPEALS TO THE TRADITIONALIST WHILE

G/FORE

APPEALS TO THE YOUNGER GOLFER WHO’S NOT AFRAID TO WEAR HIGH TOPS AND BREAK SOME RULES.

tra cool and trendy. In fact, everything that G/FORE has to offer is the sort of product that will appeal to the new age golfer and let’s hope that this brand injects a much-needed shot in the arm for an industry that needs to draw large numbers of younger demographics to the game.

Commenting on the take-over of G/FORE, Peter Millar’s

also lean on the G/FORE brand to round out its offerings in a

CEO Scott Mahoney said, “Our intent is to let Moss express his

broader way, sending the more avant garde golfer to them for

creative genius for design, branding and marketing while we

high-end performance golf fashion.

build a solid foundation for the business with our back-end

So, golf fans out in Asia, watch out as the Peter Millar

expertise.” Mahoney went on to add, “Moss has the rare com-

and G/FORE brands make their presence felt. It’s about time

bination of experience, design vision and name recognition

that Asian golfers can wear and experience the gloves and

that will enable us to take this brand worldwide.”

hats, and shoes worn by Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson and

The beneﬁts for G/FORE are pretty clear. The com-

Si Woo Kim.

pany can gain access to the kind of material sourcing, inventory maintenance, ﬁnancing, forecasting and e-commerce functions Peter Millar and its parent Richemont have in place. For Peter Millar, the beneﬁt is that the company has a complementary brand to collaborate with on future projects. They can

Editors Note: ASIAN GOLF will have a special feature on Peter Millar in the June edition.

A truly stunning golf vista that undulating landscape.

White frothy lined waves rolli onto a brilliant white sandy b gently rolling hills.

Running through this gift from ticulously manicured green tu and native shrubbery. A mast

KN Royal Golf Links Ca Hotline: (+84) 0989 79787

t rises and falls in an almost never-ending

ing in from the South China Sea lapping each set against a distant backdrop of

m the heavens are verdant pathways of meurf carefully punctuated by pockets of sand terful tapestry of a classic work of art.

The artist behind this spell-binding creation is one of golf’s greatest legends – champion golfer and golf course architect extraordinaire Greg Norman. One look at this landscape was all that Norman needed to transform it into Asia’s only true links golf course. A course that is already destined to earn its right to be ranked amongst the world’s best. KN Royal Golf Links Cam Ranh – opening soon for play. The game the way it should be played in the true traditions of links golf.

am Ranh - Long Beach, Northern Peninsula Cam Ranh - Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. 78 | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Camranhlinks/

It was some four years ago when ASIAN GOLF was made privy to what were very prelim plans to build a golf course that would go down as one of the ﬁnest to be built in the Rep of Vietnam. The site for this course was ﬁrst visited by ASIAN GOLF’s Mike Sebastian ba 1967 during the height of the Vietnam War. Amidst the hectic military tactical activities a site which was crowded with grey-coloured American battle ships, what stood out as a ing feature was the stunning azure waters of the bay. The site was Cam Ranh Bay, a dee water bay situated on the south-eastern coast of Vietnam. Who would have ever though one day, this bay would serve as a spectacular backdrop for an equally striking golf cou

minary public ack in at the strikepht that urse.

he man who had this dream was renowned

pride. In the 72-year old’s vision, this new course is the

Vietnamese labour hero and one of the na-

crown jewel of a mega, multi-billion development world

tion’s most successful post-war entrepre-

class resort city made up of luxury hotels, condominiums,

neurs. Le Van Kiem, chairman of the KN

villas, leisure and recreational facilities that will be built on

Investment Group, is without doubt one of

an area of 800-hectares that will be known as KN Paradise.

Vietnam’s pioneers in golf and the proud owner of two

With just weeks to go before the new course opens

award winning golf courses in the country – the famous

its doors to golfers, Mr. Kiem recently invited the man who

Long Thanh Golf Resort in Ho Chi Minh City and the Long

breathed life into his dream and to transform it into a links

Vien Golf Club in Vientiane in neighbouring Laos.

course of the highest standard. That man is the famed

With four years gone by, Mr Kiem surveys his latest golf course, the KN Golf Links in Cam Ranh Bay with great

champion golfer and course designer, Greg Norman aka The Great White Shark.

IT PLAYS LINKS BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF UP AND DOWN AND NATURAL CONTOURING TO THE LAYOUT, SO YOU GET THESE SENSATIONAL VISUALS FROM TEE BOXES ESPECIALLY AND REALLY COOL RUN-OFF AREAS WHERE THE BALL CAN ROLL AND TURN. IT’S A LOT OF FUN ALREADY.

– GREG NORMAN.

THE SCALE AND NATURAL TOPOGRAPHY OF THE PROPERTY LENDS ITSELF BEAUTIFULLY TO A GREAT VARIETY OF GOLF HOLES.

Standing with Mr. Kiem on one of the course’s

is located at the southernmost end of a coastal strip of

highest point, Norman said, “The scale and natural topog-

land that is dominated by spectacular white sand dunes

raphy of the property lends itself beautifully to a great

and is within minutes of an international airport with a

variety of golf holes.”.

US$163 million terminal building which is slated to open

“It plays links because there’s a lot of up and down and natural contouring to the layout, so you get these

by this May. Scheduled to ofﬁcially open later this year, KN Golf

sensational visuals from tee boxes especially and really

Links Cam Ranh will be Norman’s third course in Vietnam

cool run-off areas where the ball can roll and turn. It’s a

and the ﬁrst in Cam Ranh, a new resort destination tak-

lot of fun already,” exclaimed Norman.

ing shape along an 8-kilometer stretch of incomparable

This new course is Norman’s 104th creation and it

coastline less than an hour’s ﬂight from Ho Chi Minh City.

KN Golf Links Cam Ranh is routed through land where the height of some of the terrain makes for

par-72 layout is its playability. “You can make a course difﬁcult, but you can also

several remarkable vantage points. Two of Norman’s

make it, so people can get around on their own skills,”

favorites are at the 10th and 15th holes, a pair of

remarked Norman. “What’s clear to me here, especially

par-4s that play downhill toward brilliant aquamarine

after observing a range of players have a go at it, is that

ocean waters and three small islands about 10 kilome-

anyone can play all 18 holes.”

ters offshore. Although Norman has designed and built numer-

Commenting on the new course after a round with Norman, Mr. Kiem said, “There is a reason Greg Norman

ous golf courses all over the world, the one thing that

Golf Course Design is recognized as the premier signa-

impresses him most is the lay-out of the 7,165-yard,

ture golf course design ﬁrm in the world.”

YOU CAN MAKE A COURSE DIFFICULT, BUT YOU CAN ALSO MAKE IT, SO PEOPLE CAN GET AROUND ON THEIR OWN SKILLS,” REMARKED

NORMAN. “WHAT’S CLEAR TO ME HERE, ESPECIALLY AFTER OBSERVING A RANGE OF PLAYERS HAVE A GO AT IT, IS THAT ANYONE CAN PLAY ALL HOLES.

HIS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY OF ‘LEAST DISTURBANCE’ — WHEREBY HE EFFECTIVELY UTILIZES THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT WHILE HIGHLIGHTING NATURAL

— HAS GIVEN GOLFERS SO MANY WORLD-CLASS COURSES AND KN GOLF LINKS CAM RANH IS NORMAN’S LATEST MASTERPIECE, AND PERHAPS HIS MOST DISTINCT LINKS-STYLE GOLF COURSE IN ASIA, IF NOT THE WORLD, – LE VAN KIEM FEATURES

“His design philosophy of ‘least disturbance’ — whereby he effectively utilizes the surrounding environment while highlighting natural features — has given golfers so many world-class courses and KN Golf Links Cam Ranh is Norman’s latest masterpiece, and perhaps his most distinct linksstyle golf course in Asia, if not the world, “ added Mr. Kiem who represented Vietnam in golf in the 1999 SEA Games at age 53. Taking another long look at the stunning panorama in front of him, Mr. Kiem declared, “I could not be more pleased with how this project is coming together …. it ﬁlls me with pride and I cannot wait for the rest of the world to see it and experience it.” Watch this space for details relating to the launch of Vietnam’s most exciting all links golf course!

ECCO BIOM® HYBRID 3 WITH TRI-FI-GRIP ™ AND GORE-TEX ® CONSTRUCTION

ROTATIONAL SUPP OR T · STABILIT Y · DURA BILIT Y

100% waterproof GORE-TEX®

ECCO Tri-Fi-Grip ® outsole technology

ECCO YAK leather upper

construction and

for excellent grip, stability,

for increased breathability

HYDROMAX® treated leather.

durability & flexibility.

and durability.

Time to forget about past champions and super-stars of golf. They have had their time and it’s now TIME TO MOVE ON! While those guys of the past were good, as the New Millennium gets set to crack the third decade, the world of golf needs to celebrate its new stars.

he PGA Tour, the world’s richest professional tour has not been sitting on its hands. With a new Commissioner, Jay Monahan on board and with a bevy of sparkling new stars, the tour has rolled out an exciting advertising programme that looks at the tour and its stars in a refreshingly new spotlight that captures the vitality of the moment! The PGA Tour has taken on a whole new swagger and this is reﬂected in its new advertising campaign which is designed to capture and celebrate the energy and spirit of today’s TOUR. Titled

“Live Under Par,” the campaign plays on golf’s unique scoring language to portray the relentless pursuit of excellence by TOUR players, both competitively and in how they embrace the values of the game like sportsmanship and respect, as well as the PGA TOUR’s ingrained mission of giving back. This dramatic change has come after 20 years and the new battle-cry of “Live Under Par” immerses spectators into the contagious excitement of the sport, showcasing its vast 360-degree impact both inside and outside the ropes. As part of the current integrated marketing strategy of the TOUR, the campaign aims to reach beyond the core

golf fan and a to the sport. F for dedicated game and inv The PGA marketing pl beyond the co time fan cons to further un where target One of t der the fans-ﬁ and social me

attract new and diverse fan segments Further, it will serve as a call to action golf fans to share their passion for the vite newcomers to “join the PGA TOUR.” A TOUR has been proactively shaping ans through a fans-first lens to reach ore fan. The TOUR has analyzed realsumption across all media platforms derstand and enhance the areas segments are most engaged. he first initiatives the TOUR made unfirst approach was relaxing cell phone edia guidelines at tournaments – pro-

viding both fans and players with the opportunity to create and share personally captured content. “Live Under Par” is a testament to the success of those changes and prominently features fan-captured content throughout the exhilarating commercial spot debuting in conjunction with the campaign. The new campaign celebrating the new stars of the game could not have come at a better time – the 2018 Masters was testimony to the New Age in golf when the top ﬁve placings were swept up by stars under the age of 30. Well done PGA TOUR – this is the best thing that has happened to grow the game of golf globally!

JOR DAN SPIE TH

RIC

L OW F E I

RORY MCILROY

JUSTIN THOMAS

HM RA N JO

TONY FINAU

An iconic venue, the strongest field assembled in the game annually, a growing history with an illustrious list of champions and not to mention, one of the richest prize purses in the world of golf – welcome to THE PLAYERS Championship. The PGA TOUR’s flagship tournament has grown so much in stature since its inauguration in 1974 that golf commentators and players have openly labelled it as the unofficial ‘fifth major’ in the men’s game, outside the Masters Tournament, Open Championship, U.S. Open and PGA Championship. While the accolades and praise pour in every year for the event which has singularly marked its place in the game for exemplifying excellence in everything that it does, in reality, THE PLAYERS Championship should probably be best known simply as THE PLAYERS Championship. In fact, its name is stylized in caps for a purpose which is to show that it stands above the rest.

JACK NICKLAUS

ADAM SCOTT

TIGER WOODS

JASON DAY

PHIL MICKELSON asiangolf asia sia s iia ango ngol gol go g o ollf 200 200 20 0

50 0

Over the years, the roll of honour and the myriad of champions who have been celebrated at TPC Sawgrass include the greats of the game such as Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Adam Scott, Nick Price, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, K.J. Choi, Rickie Fowler and last year’s winner, Si Woo Kim.

o become THE PLAYERS champion, you

ship like this, on an extremely demanding golf course,

need to ultimately beat the strongest ﬁeld

with probably the best ﬁeld assembled in all of golf - all

in the game as the tournament does not in-

of golf for the entire year. It is extremely rewarding to do

clude amateurs, qualiﬁers, sponsor exemp-

that. And like everybody is saying, it’s probably the ﬁfth

tions or club professionals. In short, it’s just

major,” said Woods.

the very best golfers in the world going toe-to-toe to battle for the right to be known as THE PLAYERS champions. A player’s capabilities and character will be tested to

Those yet to have their names enshrined on the Roll of Honour are driven to do so as it provides the added gloss to their CV. Jordan Spieth, a four-time major winner

the limit by the Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass which

and the FedExCup champion in 2015, is amongst those

many players believe is the truest test in the game. It

gunning for success this May. “It is the toughest tourna-

doesn’t favour any type of golfer and tests all the clubs in

ment to win in golf, and recognizing that makes you know

your golf bag.

who you’re playing against, and at this stage, and this is a

With a prize purse of US$10.5 million, this showpiece

major championship,” said Spieth.

event on the PGA TOUR certainly glitters amongst the rest and exempliﬁes excellence and prestige with an equal importance in delivering a Fans’ First experience. From May 10 to 13, the who’s who in men’s golf will gather at TPC Sawgrass to vie for the champion’s cheque of US$1.89 million plus other perks including a ﬁve-year exemption on the PGA TOUR. And best part is probably earning bragging rights to be known as THE PLAYERS champion. Rickie Fowler, winner of the tournament in 2016, said: “It’s one of the toughest courses we play all year. Probably

IT’S ONE OF THE TOUGHEST COURSES WE PLAY ALL YEAR.

PROBABLY THE TOUGHEST FIELD THAT SO, YOU GOT TO BE - I MEAN WHOEVER IS WINNING IS TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS, BEATING THE BEST PLAYERS AT THE TIME AND CONWE PLAY ALL YEAR.

the toughest ﬁeld that we play all year. So, you got to be - I

QUERING ONE OF THE TOUGHEST COURSES

mean whoever is winning is taking care of business, beat-

THAT WE PLAY.”

ing the best players at the time and conquering one of the toughest courses that we play.” “The ﬁeld is as strong as any ﬁeld in the game of

Its depth in ﬁeld is probably the reason why no player has succeeded in defending his title in the history of the

golf,” professed Adam Scott, THE PLAYERS champion in

tournament. South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who stunned an

2004. “The tournament has gained stature throughout the

elite ﬁeld last year to emerge as the youngest PLAYERS

years.”

champion, will take another stab at history. “I would like to

When 14-time major winner Tiger Woods claimed the ﬁrst of his two PLAYERS Championship in 2001, he was over the moon. “It is special to be able to win a champion-

51 5 1

– RICKIE FOWLER

ma m may ay 2 ay 201 20 2017 01 017 0 17 1 7

change that,” he said. Aside from contending against the crème de la crème, players have to negotiate an ultra-demanding Stadium

ITS DEPTH IN FIELD IS PROBABLY THE REASON WHY NO PLAYER HAS SUCCEEDED IN DEFENDING HIS TITLE IN THE HISTORY OF THE TOURNAMENT.

SOUTH KOREA’S SI WOO KIM, WHO STUNNED AN ELITE FIELD LAST YEAR TO EMERGE AS THE YOUNGEST PLAYERS CHAMPION, WILL TAKE ANOTHER STAB AT HISTORY. “I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE THAT. Course, which some says simply messes with golfers’

every facet of this event. And we do that so that you all and

heads.

our fans can talk about its signiﬁcance. This is one of the

David Duval, champion in 1999 and now a TV pundit, warned: “It tests basically everything from a mechanical

greatest championships in the world, and we’re excited about it.

and hitting standpoint, as well as to a mental approach.

“Our focus is making it the best championship it can

This golf course is tough. You’ve got to have all facets of

possibly be, the best championship in the world, and how

your game working if you want to contend around here.”

people assess it, how the media assess it, how our play-

One of the key features of the Pete Dye-designed

ers, what their perspective on it, that’s part of the public

Stadium course is the fact that it was created with the

discourse. But we think we’re going to compete like

fan experience built into its DNA. This fan friendli-

heck to continue to do everything we can to raise

ness spreads throughout the tournament experience

the proﬁle of this great championship.”

including all the modern amenities and technology that today’s fans expect, but the highlight by far is the views of golf which are unlike any other tournament in the world. The closing stretch of holes including the famous island-green par 3, 17th hole have become as familiar as any on the golf calendar. Food, fun, charity and junior golf initiatives, golf merchandise, kids’ zone, dedicated autograph zones, recycling efforts and even a church chapel service form the many activities and services surrounding THE PLAYERS Championship. More than 200,000 fans have come through the turnstiles annually. PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan has often been asked how he would deﬁne the status of THE PLAYERS Championship. “It’s our showcase of excellence. We continue to do everything we can to enhance

OUR FOCUS IS MAKING IT THE BEST CHAMPIONSHIP IT CAN POSSIBLY BE, THE BEST CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE WORLD, AND HOW PEOPLE ASSESS IT, HOW THE MEDIA ASSESS IT, HOW OUR PLAYERS, WHAT THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON IT, THAT’S PART OF THE PUBLIC DISCOURSE. BUT WE THINK WE’RE GOING TO COMPETE LIKE HECK TO CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF THIS GREAT CHAMPIONSHIP.

JORDAN SPIETH

SI WOO KIM

K.J. CHOI

RICKIE FOWLER

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You’ve got to hand it to our resident golf coach. In many ways, he is a one-of-a-kind golf coach and many of his coaching techniques are both contrarian, unorthodox and revolutionary. Tony Meechai can never be called a copy-cat – he is always thinking up of new and exciting ways to teach golf and what’s especially striking about his methods is that it is never confusing. He keeps everything simple with the end objective of helping everyone play better golf. For this month, Tony dons the “director’s cap” and becomes a movie director. He has been walking around showing the two thumbs up sign to every golfer in his daily classes and it seems to be having a real box-ofﬁce impact. Take it away Tony – the show is all yours!

K – all hands on deck – Lig Cameras …. Action! What going to share with you is fun tip that you can use fo

of your life as a golfer. I ca

“Two Thumbs Up” game-booster. Essentia sign is universally recognized as a symbol

indicate excellence and I will show you how use it to your advantage in golf. Here’s how I apply it to game improve

is important to understand that overall gam

can’t improve if you don’t dedicate some ti

to train, especially when it comes to the pr

So, what can you do? This is where the

The “Two Thumbs Up” drill requires no clu anywhere!

ghts …. I am really a

r the rest

all it the

ally, this or sign to

w you can

THE “TWO THUMBS UP” DRILL REQUIRES NO CLUB AND THERE IS NO NEED TO HIT BALLS.

YOU CAN DO

IT ANYWHERE!

ment. It

me improvement does not happen overnight. One me to training. Most of us, do not have enough time

ractice of hitting golf balls at the driving range.

e “Two Thumbs Up” game booster comes into play.

ub and there is no need to hit balls. You can do it

The objective is to make sure that

right shoulder. Then, swing both

IT’S TRULY A

you always train your body to produce a

arms forward bringing both thumbs

GREAT WAY TO

swinging motion.

over your left shoulder all the way

IMPROVE YOUR SWING WITHOUT REALLY

to a follow-through position. Here’s how it’s done:

You can perform this drill anytime

Take a regular stance and create

and anywhere. For instance, before

BREAKING A SWEAT ON

the thumbs up gesture with both

you take your shower in the morning,

THE DRIVING RANGE.

hands.

make about 20 swings. Or, if you have

Now, take one hand and place it on

a mirror in your house, make 50 swings

top of the other.

and notice how SYMMETRICAL your

Move both arms back so that your

swing will start looking.

SO, GIVE YOURSELF A HUGE DOSE OF HELP

“TWO THUMBS UP” GAME BOOSTER. IT REALLY WORKS! WITH THE

2. 3.

thumbs are pointing skywards. 4.

It’s truly a great way to improve

Swing both arms forward and

your swing without really breaking a

again, make sure that the thumbs

sweat on the driving range. So, give

are pointing skyward.

yourself a huge dose of help with the

Continue swinging both arms back

“Two Thumbs Up” game booster. It

bringing both thumbs over your

really works!

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 PGA Professional Golf Management, he has made a name for himself in Asia over the past decade, during which 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 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 Club-Focused Instruction curriculum and teaching philosophy. Voted 2015 and 2016 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 tony@tmggroupasia.com. Like Black Hat Golf Tips page on facebook.

PRACTICE COMPLETED, ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OFF TO THE FIRST HOLE.

Welcome to the ﬁnal part of our ASIAN GOLF exclusive series in which respected coach Iain Roberts teaches golf novice Niall Donnelly to play the game in 10 one-hour sessions. After nine lessons and countless hours of practice, Niall is ﬁnally let loose on a golf course.

ere we are at the magniﬁcent Xili Golf and Country Club near Shenzhen in southern China. We’ve crossed the border from Hong Kong for my ﬁrst golf course experience. And though I’m slightly nervous, I can’t wait. Over coffee in the clubhouse, Iain explains that we’ll be

spending most of our time at the driving range and short game area and my debut “round” of golf will only about 30 minutes, or two holes. His explanation for this is, typically for Iain, rooted in logic and commonsense. “The vast majority of new players who go on a course for the ﬁrst time do so with experienced golfers and they play 18 holes, with scoring. They lose about 10 balls and shoot something around 140. It hammers their conﬁdence and sets them back months,” he explains.

Better to get ready in the practice areas and then have a couple of holes as a gentle introduction, is Iain’s sage advice. So that’s what we do. Out to the driving range for warm-up exercises followed by 30 minutes of shots with the 7-iron, pitching wedge and driver. Then over to the short game area for bunker practice and putting. Xili has four nine-hole courses, A to D, and is designed so that golfers can choose a combination of any two to play 18 holes. The club management have kindly freed up the first two holes on Course A, a par-five followed by a par-four, for my golfing debut. My first drive lands right in the middle of the fairway. Except it’s not the correct fairway. Full of nerves, I’ve sliced it horribly and the ball has disappeared through some bushes and onto an adjoining hole. Not a problem, Iain assures me, and we march down to the middle of the correct fairway, where he drops a ball and invites me to hit my “second” shot. I get out the trusty 7-iron, take aim and swing. This one is much straighter and finishes within good sight of the green, leav-

BACKSWING …

AND FOLLOW-THROUGH. THE B HAS GONE RIGHT. VERY RIGHT.

BALL

HITTING THE “SECOND” SHOT FROM THE CORRECT FAIRWAY – BACKSWING …

AND FOLLOW-THROUGH, THIS ONE IS MUCH BETTER.

ALL SMILES AFTER PITCHING OVER A BUNKER TO THE GREEN.

ing me with a 50-yard pitch to FIRST TASTE OF PUTTING ON A GOLF COURSE.

shot of the day – actually, the J. NEARLY FINISHED, SO IAIN CAN START RELAXING.

the bunker and stopping the b pleased than I am. I three-pu

On to the second hole an

approach, though well hit, go

another three-putt. A bogey o

We could play on, but Iain

play nine holes, and then onc

ing anytime soon. You need to doing that.”

So there we are, 10 golf l

And what have I learned? Gol

and plenty of practice you can it’s gone and thank Iain for hi club!”

IAIN TRIES TO ENSURE NIALL’S SECOND DRIVER IS STRAIGHTER.

MASTER AND PUPIL – IT’S BEEN A FUN FEW WEEKS.

o the pin over a daunting bunker. Heroically, I produce my best best shot of my short golﬁng life to date – pitching high over

ball on the front edge of the green. If anything, Iain is more

tt from there.

nd my drive is better, this one lands on the correct fairway. My es left and ﬁnishes on the edge of the green. From there, it’s

on my second golf hole – not bad, Iain agrees.

n thinks we’ve done enough. “The next couple of times, we’ll e you’re ready, we can do 18,” he says. “But we won’t be scor-

o get totally comfortable and familiar with the game before

lessons, from absolute beginner to being out on a course. f is a steep learning curve, obviously, but with good coaching

n get to grips with it reasonably quickly. I’m delighted at how

ABOUT IAIN ROBERTS A Iain Roberts has spent a lifetime in golf since ﬁrst picking up a club at the age of 14. As player, coach, retailer, administrator and ssenior executive, he has vast experience in the g game. His outstanding contribution to golf was g given the ultimate recognition in 2015 when tthe PGA of Great Britain and Ireland awarded him Master Professional status. Iain is founder a and operator of the Iain Roberts Golf School – www.iainrobertsgolfschool.com – which o operates from three locations in Hong Kong.

s brilliant tutoring. “My pleasure,” he says. “Welcome to the

www.iainrobertsgolfschool.com

I am Johan Edfors 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. ČąÂ&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x;Â&#x17D;ČąÂ&#x2022;Â&#x2019;Â?Â&#x17D;ČąÂ&#x160;Â&#x2014;Â?Čą Â&#x2022;Â&#x160;Â&#x152;Â&#x201D;Čą Â&#x2DC;Â&#x17E;Â&#x2014;Â?Â&#x160;Â&#x2019;Â&#x2014;ČąÂ&#x2DC;Ä&#x203A;Â&#x17D;Â&#x203A;Â&#x153;ČąÂ?Â&#x2018;Â&#x17D;ČąÂ&#x2019;Â?Â&#x17D;Â&#x160;Â&#x2022;ČąÂ&#x153;Â&#x17D;Ä´Â&#x2019;Â&#x2014;Â?ČąÂ?Â&#x2DC;Â&#x203A;ČąÂ&#x161;Â&#x17E;Â&#x160;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2019;Â?Â˘ČąÂ&#x2022;Â&#x2019;Â&#x;Â&#x2019;Â&#x2014;Â?ČąÂ&#x2019;Â&#x2014;ČąÂ&#x160;ČąÂ&#x2122;Â&#x17D;Â&#x203A;fectly 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. Black Mountain Golf Club â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a small piece of heaven on earth.

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In the month of April, ASIAN GOLF launched a new series of special reports that aim to useful information to golfers regarding the complex topic of ďŹ nance and investing. It is o that golfers are generally from the higher quintiles of income earners and as such, they more of a penchant on how to invest smartly and increase their respective assets. The r that will appear in the next few months have been produced in collaboration with Aggre Asset Management (https://www.aggregate.com.sg/). For this month, we look at how in can learn from golfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greats

provide our belief have reports egate nvestors

K.J. CHOI

When it comes to going for the green, investors have a lot in common with golfers and as such, have a lot to learn from some of the game’s best. There’s always a Golden Bear to discover, even when the market’s down.

ack Nicklaus, is possibly the greatest golfer of all time. To date, his record of 18 major championships remains untouchable and few golfers, with the exception of Tiger Woods, coming near his trophy tally. What is most impressive however, are the last few majors Nicklaus won. In the sunset of his career, many commentators and members of the press had labelled the famed Golden Bear as “done, washed up [and] through” when he wrapped up the 1979 season without a win for the ﬁrst time. And yet, Nicklaus continued to keep the crowds in awe as he took home three green jackets while in his forties. Looking back, the fundamentals were still there. While he was not in peak form – Nicklaus described his short game during this season as poor and even recalls “putting around bunkers” – he still had the strategy and

know-how to finish second in the British Open. What investors can take away here is the importance of going back to fundamental indicators. Instead of picking stocks with excitement and hype, return to basics and look at the metrics that matter before determining if the investment is a right fit. Investors taking this approach may even come across undervalued stocks and find opportunities to capitalise onto.

Playing the long game makes sense. If you are driving for a big win, look no further than Ernie Els and Michelle Wie. Otherwise known as The Big Easy and Wiesy, both of these golfers are long and hard hitters. When it comes to teeing off strong, they are recognised for their ability to zero in on the target ahead to drive killer results. Investors should develop a similar focus too when using a value investing strategy and should avoid being too influenced by market swings. Once they have done their homework and determined that a stock has

asiangolf a asi as asia sia s si iia an ngo ng ngol gol g olf 209 ol 200 20 2 00

102 1 02 002 50 5

strong fundamentals, play the long game. At the end of the day, finding success with a buyand-hold strategy comes back to good planning. Instead of going up to the tee box, swinging and hoping for the best, better golfers like Els and Wie, play the game with a “backward strategy”. This involves golfers mapping out their shots from the hole to the tee, in order to plan for a stronger finish. Similarly, investors will achieve the best results when they begin with a firm goal in mind and commit to a specific time horizon.

Focus like Tiger Woods and make bank It would be hard to talk about the game’s most impressive golfers without mentioning Tiger Woods. As one of the game’s biggest and brightest stars, Woods won 14 majors and throughout his career, 25 percent of the events he played in. Not to mention, he wowed the world when he won the 2000 U.S. Open with just 15 strokes. Yet, when it comes to taking home the trophy, it

103 10 1 03 50 51 13

ffebruary ma may m ay 20 ay 2017 01 0 17 1 y7201 2 2018 01 0 18

seems that Woods’ biggest successes have been his ﬁnancial wins off the course. Despite earning 68% less than what he was getting in his peak, Woods still remains as one of the highest paid professional golfers this year and maintains his position as the second highest paid athlete of all time. How does he do it? Through a healthy pipeline of appearances, a course design business and multiple endorsement deals. Likewise, investors should focus on building a stock portfolio which will reap returns even when the course is not in their favour. Overall, a well-diversiﬁed portfolio results in lower volatility and helps to deliver a consistent performance in the long run.

Learning from the best Perhaps one of the best lessons investors can learn from golfers is that becoming a master takes time, hard work and dedication. By taking a memo from golf’s best players, investors can get one step closer to getting that hole in one.

A First Class Tradition

Owned and managed by The Peninsula Hotels and often voted as possessing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Clubhouse in Asiaâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Course in Thailandâ&#x20AC;?, Thai Country Club is less than 45 minutes from downtown Bangkok and is renowned for having the friendliest staff of professionals in the Kingdom committed to providing the Ultimate Golfing Experience. For registered guests of The Peninsula Bangkok, We are happy to arrange a tee-time at a substantial reduction from our normal visitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rate. Extend your business trip in Bangkok, or book a get-away golfing package. When it comes to exclusive golfing with impeccable hospitality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we play off scratch.

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