Vietnam Turfgrass Management Seminar Enjoys Top-Level Support

High-profile golf course maintenance product brands will be to the fore at this week’s Vietnam Turfgrass Management Education Seminar.

More than 50 superintendents, course managers, workshop managers and mechanics from some 20 Vietnamese golf clubs will attend the event Song Be Golf Resort on Thursday (May 10).

The gathering is being organised by the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) and supported by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and Club Managers Association of America (CMAA).

Supporting organisations for the event are Toro, John Deere, Jacobsen, Rain Bird, Capillary Concrete, Foley United and Sustane.

Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our gratitude goes to all of the sponsors and their respective distributors for supporting what has become an important annual gathering on the Vietnamese golfing calendar.

“Without this kind of backing it would not be possible to stage events like this on such a large scale.

“Our appreciation also goes to the management and staff at Song Be for their outstanding support and commitment to raise industry standards.”

Located 22 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City in the fast-developing Bin Duong District, opposite Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park, Song Be was opened in 1994.

Featuring three nine-hole layouts – Lotus Course, Palm Course and the Desert Course, the most challenging of the trio – Song Be is well known for its commitment to the environment, having been awarded Audobon International Certification.

Focusing on topical turfgrass issues, the seminar features a trio of respected industry individuals, all of whom boast experience of working in Vietnam – Adam Calver, Director of Golf at Laguna Lăng Cô in Hue, Son Vu Minh, Course Superintendent at Hanoi’s Vantri Golf Club, and Dan Brown, Construction Manager with Linksshape.

Brown will make a presentation on the Hoi An South Development Project, while Calver will discuss why greens fail … and recovery tactics to bring them back to life. Son will present a case study on Bermuda grass removal at Vantri Golf Club as well as touching on course set-up and tournament preparation.

Following the morning classroom session, attendees will head to the Song Be course for an afternoon Field Day at which the very latest in golf course machinery and equipment will be showcased.

Emphasising the AGIF’s aim to support the entire industry, the field day was open to members and non-members of the Federation.

Meanwhile, May 11 will see the staging of a Club Management Mini Summit at which the central theme will be Growing Golf Tourism.

Featuring an array of high-profile speakers, the AGIF-organised event in Ho Chi Minh City will be attended by a mixture of club managers and industry professionals.

In 2017, the AGIF organised Turfgrass Management Seminars and Field Days in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

In addition to March’s Turfgrass Management Exposition in Pattaya, last week’s Philippine Golf Course Management Conference and the Vietnam Turfgrass Management Seminar and Field Day, the AGIF plans to run at least another three events in 2018.

For further information and to book exhibition space, please contact the AGIF Secretariat at pk.ong@agif.asia