Beijing, China: In a bold effort to cement its position as the region’s umbrella golfing body, the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) has revised its membership categories to include golf facilities within the region.
At an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in the Chinese capital, attendees unanimously approved the Board’s recommendation to implement new membership categories and amend the Federation’s Constitution accordingly.
Tim Trinka.
Tim Trinka, President, AGIF, said: “This is an important development for the Federation. As we approach our fifth anniversary this is further clear evidence of the AGIF’s commitment to adopt a ‘big tent’ approach and embrace all those within the industry.”
Trinka said amendments to the membership structure and pricing have been made ‘to reflect changing times within the industry’; ‘to create new categories of membership’; ‘to do away with entrance/joining fee’ and ‘to ensure the AGIF is an all-inclusive body’.
The annual fee for a Golf Facility member has been set at US$250 for which clubs will receive a number of media benefits as well as being entitled to nominate four designees to receive benefits of AGIF educational programmes.
“Golf Facility Members will consist of public or private golf facilities, driving ranges and/or screen golf facilities,” said Trinka. “Golf facilities represent an enormous part of our industry and we very much look forward to welcoming many of them into the AGIF family.”
In other changes to the Federation’s structure, existing membership categories are all to be replaced.
At the top tier will be Executive Members while there will be two sub-categories under Business Members – Full Business Members (companies with 11 or more employees) and Associate Business Members (companies with 10 or less employees).
Any company with 10 or less employees will be entitled to join as either a Full Business Member or Executive Member.
The category of Allied Members is reserved for not-for-profit golf organisations, government entities and accredited academic institutions such as the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, The R&A and the Golf Environment Organisation. They, too, will have the option of join as a Full Business Member, Associate Business Member or Executive Member.
Trinka said that in recognition of the fact that ‘this is a time of transition within the AGIF’, existing Special Members and Supporting Members will have the right to continue their memberships for the next year at no additional charge.
Thereafter, they will have to choose which kind of membership they require.
Many of the biggest and most influential companies in golf are among the current members of the AGIF, including golf club manufacturers Acushnet and Callaway, industry heavyweights ClubCar, Jacobsen, Rain Bird, Syngenta and Toro, golf club management firms IMG and Troon Golf and golf course architects Robert Trent Jones II, Schmidt-Curley Design, Golfplan and Greg Norman Design.