How Singha beer company single-handedly changed the face of golf in Thailand

Last week, an Asian Development Tour event took place in the small town of Nakhon Ratchasima. The tournament was the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship, hosted by and named in honour of the legendary golfer considered by many as the flagbearer of professional golf in Thailand.

The tournament, part of the All Thailand Tour that is revolutionising the sport in the South East Asian country, was won by their most promising player: 16-year-old Phachara Khongwatmai. And the man he beat by one shot on the thrilling final day is the nation’s most successful player, the 47-year-old superstar Thongchai Jaidee.

Throughout all this, there is one common binding thread – Singha. The tournament was actually a microcosm of their immense contribution to golf in Thailand.

Ruangkit was among the first golfers in the country sponsored by the owners of the famous Boon Rawd Brewery. That roster has now grown to include almost every professional golfer in the country, and many promising amateurs as well, including Phachara and Jaidee, as well as their No. 1 lady professional, Pornanong Phatlum, winner of the 2014 Dubai Ladies Masters.

The All Thailand Tour itself is sponsored by Singha, and they were also the main sponsors of the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship. During this year’s Middle East Golf Awards, Singha’s Suang Chantraurai and Jakraphong Thongyai made an eye-opening presentation to the guests on how one company’s efforts have completely changed the face of the sport in their country.

Thongyai spoke of the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club, which is one of the most unique courses in the world because of the ingenious method in which they treat and use effluent water from their adjacent brewery.

The golf course, which employs over 100 people and hosts professional tournaments on the Asian Tour, works on their 3R principle – Reduce, Recycle and Re-use. Each day, the Khon Kaen Brewery discharges 5,000 cubic metres of industrial water, which is used not only in the adjacent rice fields, but also fulfills the entire water requirement of the golf course.

Chantraurai then explained how the entire Singha philosophy works in promoting golf. At the forefront of their effort is the Singha All Thailand Golf Tour. The Tour has been running for more than two decades now with the stated objective of elevating domestic talent to international level.

The Tour comprises 10 tournaments, with each event having separate categories for male and female professionals, as well as amateurs. The prize money through these events is a substantial 2.7 million baht (Dh 2.75m). Chantraurai said Singha’s support works on four guiding principles – long-term support, system development, cultivating key personnel and ‘Pay It Forward’ philosophy.

Boonchu and the All Thai Golf Tour are great examples of long-term support. The golfer and the Tour have been sponsored by Singha from day one.

“We do not drop players because they have had a few bad seasons. That is the time we try and understand if there is something else he needs – that could be in the form of coaching, or providing him extra facilities,” added Chantraurai, revealing that golf sponsorship and development is not part of the overall Singha marketing budget, but a completely separate one.

System development is through organisation of the Tour and development of the Elite Performance Institute. The coaching provided to the players is often in the range of 10-plus years, and amateurs are supported with finances and facilities when they are making the transition to a professional career.

The players are looked after by Singha even after they are done with their playing careers. They are employed through Singha Sport Department and many of them are involved with events as referees and tournament directors. Some of them have been encouraged to become coaches for the new generation of players.

Thongyai said that the whole process is a result of Singha president, Santi Bhirom Bhakdi, dreaming several years ago that he wanted to see Thai players playing a world-class championship live on TV. It is bearing fruit now with three Thai players inside the top-100 in the world – Jaidee leading at No. 28, Kiradech Aphibarnrat at 38 and Prayad Marksaeng at No. 100. Phatlum is 43rd in ladies ranking and plays on the LPGA Tour.

Which leads to the fourth pillar of Singha’s thought – pay it forward. Thongyai explains: “One of our leading players, after establishing himself in world golf and after a very good season, approached our president and asked him if there is anything he could do in return for all that Singha did for him. Our president simply asked him to do something for the up-and-coming golfers in Thailand. And that is how the ‘pay it forward’ thinking came.”

Now, Ruangkit has his own championship, apart from dedicated work with junior golfers, Jaidee has a foundation for under-privileged children and a golf academy, while young Aphibarnrat has also established his own academy. It’s no wonder Thai golf is in such great health.