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2015 Philippine Golf Course Management Conference
In previous trips to the Philippines I had the good fortune to spend time with Steve Wilson, a Canadian, who resides in Manila and represents Bernhard & Co throughout the Pacific Rim. I also spent time with Conrad Benitez, the vice president of the Federation of Golf Clubs of the Philippines and Storm Lupier the new superintendent at nearby The Country Club. All of these people were kind enough to give me some background and history of both the country and golf in the area.
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands and the total area of the country is about the size of Arizona. One can only imagine how long it would take to visit every island. Golf courses exist on a dozen or more islands that I am aware of. Asian golf sources say that The Philippines shows great promise as an area of growth for golf in the decades ahead. There are plenty of sites with great opportunities for exquisite layouts.
Most successful conferences start with a formal and organized association as their anchor. A variety of associations were involved in the organization, management and operation of the conference. Those groups included:
- Asian Golf Industry Federation – The Presenter
- Federation of Golf Clubs Philippines, INC. - Organizer
- National Golf Association of the Philippines - Organizer
- Philippine Sports Commission – Supporter
- The R&A – Supporter
- GCSAA – Supporter
- Orchard Golf & Country Club – Host
An event of this magnitude requires a host and The Orchard Golf and Country Club was a wonderful venue. Conrad Benitez is the club's president and operates as its general manager. Conrad knows the value of education and the necessity of it in growing the industry and the game. The hospitality was superb and there was no shortage of staff providing food and beverage at the highest level.
Over 125 delegates were attentive to presentations on a variety of topics including:
- Proactive Maintenance on a Limited Budget Golf Course
- The Art of Application of Chemicals to Optimize Efficacy and Performance
- Golf Course Drainage and Bunker Solutions
- Communicating Maintenance Programs with Members
- Environmental Compliance on Golf Courses in The Philippines
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A nice broad spectrum of speakers from The Philippines and Asia was the core of the presenters. While I enjoy participating I do think it is important that all countries develop their own talent and who better can speak to the problems that local superintendents encounter than those that live it day in and day out.
The second day of the conference was a field day and took place on the driving range. Participants had a variety of stops in which they could learn more about:
- Irrigation
- Aeration
- Sprayer Calibration
- Greens Grooming
- Reel Grinding and Bedknife Sharpening
Attendees seemed to ignore the tropical weather and organizers and the host made sure there was plenty of water and fluids to keep all hydrated.
After a nice lunch it was time for recreation and many headed out to the Palmer Course for a nice competitive round of golf. Part of that round entailed seeing the Orchard Eco-Projects and Environmentally Sensitive Areas that the club has been working on for the last few years.
Most conferences in Asia end with a dinner and this was no exception. The Closing Appreciation Dinner had great food, good camaraderie and a couple of Orchard Country Club ladies that sang like they could be on The Voice! It was a great conference and in his closing remarks, Conrad Benitez said he would welcome the conference back again next year. Golf is fortunate to have people like Conrad supporting golf course superintendents as he knows the value they bring to the game.
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HANOI
Last year I made my first visit to Vietnam. It was for an AGIF event in Denang and I knew I had to get back to see more of this country. My first entrance into Vietnam was not a graceful one as I apparently did not have all the proper paperwork to get my on-site tourist visa. As you might imagine if you have no visa you don’t enter the country so I was turned around and put back on a flight to Hong Kong. By the next morning it was all straightened out and I entered Vietnam with ease. This trip was an easy entry because I think I had at least 3 copies of any and all paperwork in my hands for the immigration officers.
Most of America is aware of the Vietnam War and unless people served in Vietnam there is little knowledge beyond that of this wonderful country. It has been 55 years since that war and the country has grown and prospered in that period. Yes it took quite a while to rebuild but the US has helped with that. There are many Americans that remained in Vietnam and so there is quite an expatriate community there. English is the second language and spoken by many in the major cities.
One of the first things one notices in the big cities is the plethora of motor scooters. There are few cars and many scooters or mopeds that are used to get people around. Those two wheelers are mixed in with bicycles and also pedestrians. It does take a while to get accustomed to the constant beep, beep, beep of the scooters. I am not exactly sure how the traffic flows so well but it does. There are few traffic officers and also few traffic signals but there are quite a few major traffic circles. The best advice I got was when crossing a street, in traffic, don’t stop! The traffic will flow around you as you cross the street. However, if you stop then drivers don’t know what to do and that causes accidents. Trust me on this……don’t question why but it does work.
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2015 ASIAN GOLF INDUSTRY FEDERATION TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT SEMINAR IN VIETNAM
As compared to the previous event in The Philippines this event was solely presented by the AGIF but was supported by the R&A. Vietnam is a long country and the superintendents are not as well organized as in countries like The Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. However, my sources again indicate that Vietnam is a growth area for golf. Overall tourism is big in Vietnam and golf will surely be a part of it. There is a lot of coastline that is undeveloped and I would expect a couple of dozen golf courses to be built in the next decade. Hopefully it will be controlled growth and that others will learn from the USA about overbuilding and using real estate as the anchor. Asian golf tourism will grow at a steady pace and not only continue to be popular for Asians and Australians but also for Americans and Europeans.
This conference followed a similar pattern to the earlier Manila educational offerings. The first day was filled with speakers and the second day had a morning of field station stops to discuss topics of interest in this locale.
Eric Lynge, CEO of AGIF welcomed attendees and shared the progress of the AGIF and some future programs for 2015. It was my good fortune to be the first speaker of the day and presenting "Effective Ways to Communicate Maintenance Programs with your Golfers, Owners and Customers."
One of the more interesting presentations was a very nicely done tag team talk on Irrigation Efficiency and Maintenance. Most of us have seen such presentations by Toro or Rain Bird but seldom both companies at the same time.
Chris Gray from Rain Bird and Andrew Price from Toro did a fine job of presenting without being commercial. Tough job to do that but these co-presenters were excellent and they might deserve a few kudos for injecting their humor into this topic.
Brad Burgess spoke to The Benefits of zoysiagrass and how it would become a big player in the local market. Michael He presented "Better Grass for Less Money" and that talk spoke to the value of having high-quality blades and bedknives sharpened properly.
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Additional presentations throughout the two days included Gavin Reid speaking on "Greens Renovation- A Case Study from Hanoi 2015." This was quite a nice presentation in which a fellow had to work with local materials to get a course built in the area.
A Toro representative, Garry Price, spoke to the importance of an overall maintenance program for your department. I can assure you this is much needed in all of Asia. Chris Chase, who represents Witgang in the area, and spoke on grass selection criteria. Chris provided all the options available and what was working best and why. I finished the day with a presentation on daily and tournament course setup and rules.
The educational sessions and equipment displays were enjoyed by close to 100 delegates. The vibe was strong and I anticipate that this event will grow again next year. Hats off to the AGIF for organizing and managing the event.