Feature: Asian Golf - The New World Class?
Asian golf development has found itself at the heart of the perfect storm. Demand is driving investment from Bangalore to Beijing, while domestic superstars raise the profile of the game across national and cultural boundaries. In simple terms: a proud and diverse continent is geared up to step out on the links.
The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course is a sustainability pioneer in Asia.
And the tools and provisions to respond to this demand are all in place: decades of research available at the click of a mouse; a wealth of knowledge supported by cutting edge technology, global manufacturers and premier suppliers. And as for the special ingredient? With business flat in Europe and North America, the absolute cream of world golf design talent is poised to deliver across Asia. Even a cursory glance at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS) speaker list confirms this to be the case. Quite simply, opportunities to harness the profitability of golf development abound.
So it’s business as usual, right? The growth of Asian golf will be driven by time-tested economic forces: wealthy middle-class professionals and business leaders that seek prestige recreation outside the urbanised cycle of daily life. They are the vital element in a straightforward equation: economic growth fuelled by lifestyles centered on business and recreation.
But in the rush to profit from this demand, is there an opportunity that could be missed? Will a vast pool of knowledge, technology and creative talent be used to its full potential? Or will developers settle meekly for resource-hungry golf courses, gold taps, hardwood lockers and marble floors - the hallmarks of ‘world-class’ golf development circa 1920?
If this is to be the approach, when will we see the next moratoria on Asian golf development? Will the industry be strictly regulated before it comes close to realising its potential?
The scale of the opportunity could not be bigger. Asia is perfectly positioned to seize the baton of progress from US and European developers; to drive the industry forward and realise something golf has thus far failed to secure: unequivocal recognition as a social, economic and environmental asset, driving lifestyles and livelihoods that are profitable and sustainable.
The dynamism at the heart of Asian golf is its critical strength. At present it is the only market that can determine its future sustainability, that can drive forward and redefine the meaning of world-class golf.
John Finisdore of the Washington DC based World Resources Institute believes the pieces of the puzzle are in place: “Of all sports, golf has perhaps the closest affinity with the environment as courses not only impact the environment but depend on it. The industry is increasingly aware that designing courses with the environment in mind can have positive effects on the bottom line.”
And engagement with governments and NGO’s will be vital to the sustainable growth of Asian golf. But these relationships are more effective when channeled through a cohesive industry movement - the type of movement the newly formed Asia Golf Industry Federation is working to establish.
Of course awareness and communications - both internal and external - play a huge role for the sector. Publications and conferences such as Asian Golf Business and the APGS provide a platform for driving performance. The newly formed GEO-RTJII award for environmental leadership will recognise excellence among peers, but public-facing programmes such as GEO Certification are needed to ensure golf’s achievements are valued out with the sector.
The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course is a fantastic example. A community project developed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Hong Kong SAR Government combining a stunning and well-managed natural environment with great social and economic outcomes. As the facility drives on to achieve GEO Certified status, the quality of their performance will be profiled in the public domain and easily accessible for interested parties.
At the root of this new programme lies GEO’s approach to raising golf’s performance: equipping the industry with efficient solutions that drive real-world outcomes, and recognising excellence across new development, facility management and the staging of high-profile events.
And the potential outcome to all this, the massive opportunity? Asia has the chance to recast golf’s core product; to ensure each and every new development is recognised as a social, economic and environmental asset that is unequivocally good for people and the planet.
Gordon Shepherd, Director of International Policy for WWF International believes the industry can fulfill this potential: “Golf can, and indeed should become the leading sport on environmental and social issues. Every development and every event is an opportunity to showcase sustainable lifestyles and sustainable livelihoods.”
The next phases are crucial, but the good news is that Asia has the resources to meet the challenge.
And of course GEO is poised to provide all the support it can. Beyond the provision of efficient solutions for better products, GEO’s model is defined by constructive partnerships. The organisation combines credibility, logic and passion with influential connections in and outside of golf; engagement with governing bodies, industry associations and federations taking place in parallel with frank and constructive NGO dialogue.
As Theodore Oben, Chief, Sport and the Environment for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) makes clear: “UNEP trust and value the objective and scientific insight that GEO provides on golf, and their vision and drive towards a sustainable future for the sport. We are delighted that they continue to shed light on the issues and opportunities that perhaps uniquely rest with golf.”
GEO is ready, willing and able to support Asian golf as it redefines world-class.
