Danang Focus on Golf Course Conditioning and Tourism
Some 100 attendees from clubs in Vietnam as well as representatives from venues in Cambodia, Myanmar and other countries in Southeast Asia are expected to attend the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF)-organised Vietnam Club and Turfgrass Management Seminar and Club Tours (July 24-26).
The attendees will range in role from general managers to superintendents and course managers and workshop managers to mechanics.
The event will have two education streams serving turfgrass management and club management. The latter will focus on golf tourism with Vietnam emerging a premium tourism destination.
Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We have been running club and turf management events over the past few years in the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City areas. Feedback from the market is that it is time to move the event to Danang, given its rising status as a golf and tourism destination in Asia.”
Lynge said the theme running through the event will be the link between course conditioning and golf tourism. He said: “There is compelling data supporting that the travelling golfer’s first consideration is course condition when choosing their premium golf destinations.
“Having education which focuses both on club and turf management with turf professionals and club professionals in the same venue, discussing their common interest, is a great model which the AGIF has started to employ within our various market in Asia.
“We have established a partnership to promote the event with the Danang Tourism Bureau and the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association. They understand how useful it is to get both club and turf managers together and they appreciate the link between golf course conditioning and inbound tourism.”
At the Club Management Mini Summit, the keynote addresses will be delivered by Mark Siegel, Owner and Managing Director of Golfasian, one of Asia’s most prominent golf tour companies, and Jeff Blunden, Managing Director, Golf Business Advisory Services.
As part of the AGIF’s on-going partnership with Sentosa Golf Club, the grand prize for the lucky draw will be a fully funded trip to the SMBC Singapore Open Volunteer Programme in January, 2020.
The second and third days of the gathering will feature tours to four other outstanding golfing facilities in the Danang area.
On July 25, delegates will visit Laguna Lăng Cô, home to the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, and Ba Na Hills Golf Club. The following day, there will be trips to Montgomerie Links and Vinpearl Hoi An.
Lynge said: “We’re delighted to be able to confirm such high-quality speakers and are extremely grateful also to the management and staff at all of the clubs we’ll be visiting. Delegates will be able to see for themselves just why Danang has become such an attractive golfing destination.
“Furthermore, it’s a reflection of the continued growth in popularity of golf in Vietnam that demand for educational events such as this are ever-increasing.”
In 2018, the AGIF organised Turfgrass Management Seminars and Field Days and Club Management Mini Summits in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
In the first half of this year, in addition to events in Pattaya and Manila, the AGIF has staged Certificate in Greenkeeping modules in Malaysia and Thailand.
*For registrations and enquiries, please email Gwen Ng at gwen.ng@agif.asia
