MGA plots the way forward
THE Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) is embarking on a couple of programmes that are designed to go a long way to bolstering the general standing of the industry, with a particular slant towards golf clubs and players at large.
The national association will stage its Club & Turf Management seminar next month and has started to gradually phase out the printed handicap cards, in preparation for the introduction of the world handicap system (WHS) mooted by the global governing bodies R&A and the United States Golf Association (USGA), for one common handicap system to be launched in 2020.
According to MGA Education sub-committee chairman Mohd Rom Muslim, Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club in JohorBaru will be the venue for the Club & Turf Management seminar and a field day on Nov 12 and 13.
“We are undertaking this venture in collaboration with Jacobsen and Gulfrich Corporation and decided to organise it in Johor to allow MGA affiliates in Johor and Melaka to take part.
“We successfully organised the Turf seminar in Klang Valley in 2015 and 2016 and Kota Kinabalu in 2017, and a Club Management seminar for the Front Office last April at Kelab Golf Negara Subang (KGNS),” said Mohd Rom.
“The seminar and field day seeks to bring professionals from different golfing arms under one roof to engage on issues pertinent to the industry and golfing community as a whole.
“It will comprise various topics presented by experienced club managers and turf practitioners on productive and innovative methods employed in club and turf management,” he added.
“The seminar will end with a demonstration session of innovative turf equipment from Jacobsen and Gulfrich, Sports Turf Solutions and a few other turf and irrigation companies.
“The Club Management seminar will focus on assisting club employees to communicate better with their members and guests, understanding the challenges in the club industry and how to manage them, as well as incorporating social media to promote and market their club facilities,” said Mohd Rom.
The speakers at the Club Management seminar will include local turf expert and a former club manager Normas Yakin, Mohd Rom himself – a lecturer at the University Utara Malaysia, KGNS general manager Mohammed Ishak, Amphibia Digital Sdn Bhd chief executive offcier Gary Tay, who was also formerly with Leo Burnett and the Sports Ministry’s Mohd Anazem Ibrahim.
Royal Selangor Golf Club course superintendent Jack Cheong, who is also a former president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Malaysia, Normas and a representative from Jacobsen and Gulfrich Corporation are among the speakers for the Turf Seminar.
These three seasoned golf practitioners have a wealth of experience and will share their dos and don’ts in sustainable turf management practices.
Mohd Rom added that the Club Management seminar would also include a session with the Ministry of Youth & Sports on their Certification Programme for Club employees.
Meanwhwile, effective Jan 1, 2019, the NHS index will be produced digitally via a mobile app.
The app named MGA NHS has been crafted to meet current trending technology and also to cater for the transition from existing USGA handicapping system to the World Handicap System (WHS).
MGA NHS is now available for download from both Apple AppStore and Google Play.
From Jan 1 MGA NHS will go live and at the same time handicap card printing will be discontinued.
Key features of the MGA NHS app include a Digital Handicap Card, Official Index & Trend Index, buddies list with QR Code scanning, details of last 20 scores and instant course handicap in any golf club.
The fee for the Club and Turf Management seminar (individually) is RM200 per pax and RM350 for those who attend both seminars.
