Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Two of the region’s most experienced and respected golf course superintendents head the line-up of speakers for the fourth Golf Course Superintendents Association of Malaysia (GCSAM) and Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) Turfgrass Management Seminar.
Organised under the auspices of the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA), the October 9 seminar and field day at the award-winning TPC Kuala Lumpur is expected to attract more than 80 golf course managers, course superintendents, club managers, greenkeepers and mechanics.
The gathering will tee-off a much-anticipated week in Malaysian golf that will see TPC Kuala Lumpur, a Golf Course Facility Member of the AGIF, also play host to the CIMB Classic, the only PGA Tour event in Southeast Asia.
On TPC Kuala Lumpur’s renovated West Course, Ryder Cup combatants Justin Thomas and Paul Casey will be preparing to lock horns once more.
Meanwhile, taking centre stage at the adjoining East Course and Sime Darby Convention Centre will be Brian Distel, Golf Course Superintendent at Thai Country Club, and Yulius Widodo, Superintendent at Indonesia’s Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Distel, whose 31-year career in golf includes golf course development, turf management, tournament preparation, and golf course design and construction, will deliver a presentation entitled Maximising Efficiency in Your Golf Course Maintenance Department.
Yulius Widodo
He will be followed by Widodo, who is celebrating his 25th year in the golf industry, during which he worked at prominent clubs in Surabaya and Bali before moving to Royale Jakarta in 2010.
Widodo will focus on paspalum, addressing the issue of maintaining fairways and greens as well as explaining how to increase speeds on the putting surfaces.
Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, will then present an overview on the soon-to-be-launched Certificate in Greenkeeping.
Aimed at supporting a formal education programme for golf course maintenance in the region, the initiative is backed by The R&A, which as well as in Asia, governs the sport worldwide, outside the United States and Mexico.
The inaugural event will take place in Thailand in late October with Malaysia to follow at the end of November.
Lynge said: “For our latest Malaysian seminar we are delighted to have secured such high-calibre speakers as Brian and Yulius. It promises to be another educational seminar that complements the imminent launch of the Certificate in Greenkeeping.
“We are grateful for the support we have received from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Malaysia, the Malaysian Golf Association, the staff and management at TPC Kuala Lumpur and all sponsors.
“As ever, October is a hectic month for TPC Kuala Lumpur. We thank them for fitting in the Turfgrass Management Seminar.”
The afternoon field day will feature displays of the latest equipment from a variety of companies including Campey Turf Care Systems, Capillary Concrete, Centaur Asia Pacific, Foley United, Jacobsen, John Deere, Shibaura and Toro.
Abas Ismail
Abas Ismail, the GCSAM’s President, said: “The Malaysia Turfgrass Management Seminar continues to be an important date on the GCSAM’s annual calendar.
“As a national organisation, the GCSAM is committed to continuous education. Through our collaboration with the AGIF in staging seminars such as this, our course superintendents from all over the country are provided with a wonderful opportunity to deepen their knowledge.
“The GCSAM is continuing to work with the MGA towards improving the condition of golf courses throughout Malaysia. That is the ultimate objective.”
Steven Thielke, TPC Kuala Lumpur’s Chief Executive Officer, said the club was pleased to play host to the AGIF’s fourth turfgrass educational seminar in Malaysia, in collaboration with the GCSAM and MGA.
He said: “Enhancing turfgrass manager knowledge and skills in golf course maintenance is a worthy objective for this seminar. With the backing of the AGIF, the GCSAM and MGA, we’re confident that the education seminar will grow bigger in the years ahead.”
Emphasising the AGIF’s aim to support the entire industry, Lynge confirmed that the field day is open to members and non-members of the Federation.
The Malaysian Turfgrass Management Seminar is the fifth event in the AGIF series of Turfgrass Management Seminars and Field Days in 2018.
March saw the staging of the AGIF Turfgrass Management Exposition in Pattaya, Thailand.
The Philippine Golf Course Management Conference took place at The Orchard Golf and Country Club at the start of May and was followed by the Vietnam Turfgrass Management Seminar at the Song Be Golf Resort and August’s ASPGI (Asosiasi Superintendent Padang Golf Indonesia) Turf Management Seminar.
Following on from Malaysia, at least one more event is planned for 2018.
For further information and to register for the TPC Kuala Lumpur seminar, please contact the AGIF Secretariat at pk.ong@agif.asia
The article "TPC Kuala Lumpur Hosts AGIF's Malaysian Turfgrass Management Seminar" was originally published on https://www.agif.asia/2018/10/tpc-kuala-lumpur-hosts-agifs-malaysian-turfgrass-management-seminar/
