Trinka Hails ‘Year of Significant Progress’ for Asian Golf Industry Federation

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Outgoing President Tim Trinka has hailed ‘another year of significant progress’ for the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF).

Trinka, who is stepping down after four years in the post, said he was confident that the Federation will continue to go from strength-to-strength.

In his report to the annual general meeting, Trinka said: “It’s been another year of significant progress for the Asian Golf Industry Federation during which, I believe, we have cemented our position as one of the foremost golfing organisations in the region.

“With our first Chief Executive Officer, Eric Lynge, leading from the front, these past 12 months have seen solid foundations being laid on various fronts that will prove the basis for a successful future.”

Trinka said that education continues to be the main focus of the Federation with a growing number of events both for course superintendents and general managers.

He said: “Eric and the team has been working for the last two years to establish relationships with golf associations, superintendent associations and club management and ownership associations in countries where they are organised with the purpose of partnering with them on turfgrass management and club management education.”

Citing superintendent seminars and field days this year in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, Trinka said: “The AGIF continues to raise the profile and standard of turf grass maintenance in the Asian region by running five turfgrass management seminars and field days in five different countries.”

Meanwhile, 2016 saw the completion of a landmark agreement between the AGIF and the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) to utilise the CMAA’s acclaimed BMI curriculum to deliver similar face-to-face classroom learning to club managers across the Asian region.

“We have the license to run these programmes throughout Asia, outside of China, and have successfully staged the first two modules in Singapore and Thailand,” said Trinka.

Further BMI modules are scheduled for the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in December, Singapore next January and Thailand in March, 2017.

In summing up his four years at the helm, Trinka, who will become General Counsel to the AGIF, said: “It has been my distinct privilege and honour to serve this wonderful organisation and the people associated with it. We have accomplished much over the past four years and I look forward to seeing the AGIF go from strength-to-strength in the months and years ahead.

“These are exciting times for the AGIF, which is uniquely positioned to make an ever greater impact on the entire golf industry in Asia.”