David Townend receives the Best Overall Golf Experience Award on behalf of The Els Club Teluk Datai from Tuan Hj Zainal Mohd Shah, General Manager of Jebsen & Jessen Technologies Malaysia (left). ParGolf’s Suzannah Gun Palmer looks on.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Two Asian Golf Industry Federation [AGIF] Golf Facility Members have been feted at the 2016 Malaysian Golf Awards.
The Els Club Teluk Datai and Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club added to their long list of accolades at the presentation ceremony, which was staged in conjunction with the Malaysian Amateur Open at Templer Park.
Organised by ParGolf in collaboration with the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA), the awards were presented by Club Car, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
The Els Club Teluk Datai received Malaysia’s ‘Best Overall Golf Experience Award’ while Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club was named as the country’s ‘Best Maintained Golf Course’.
Kota Permai Golf and Country Club, also a member of the AGIF, and The Els Club Teluk Datai were among the five nominees in the ‘Best Maintained Golf Course’ category.
The Malaysian Golf Awards is Malaysia’s only industry-wide golf awards, recognising deserving individuals and organisations that have excelled in various aspects of the golf industry.
The selection of award winners was based on voting by a 50-strong panel comprising MGA committee members, ParGolf personnel and selected golf industry personalities, except for the Special Awards where the winners were selected by ParGolf.
“As the governing body of golf in Malaysia, the MGA is keen to recognise achievements in golf across all aspects of the industry. The Malaysian Golf Awards gives us the chance to do so and we hope that this will spur golfers, golf clubs and everyone involved in the industry to greater heights,” said MGA president YB Senator Admiral Tan Sri Dato’
Setia Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor.
A total of 19 awards were presented in 16 categories to recipients from all facets of the golf industry, from the professional game, elite amateurs and juniors to coaches, golf clubs and corporate sponsors.
There was a poignant moment when the Merit Award for Services to Golf was presented posthumously to Sabah-based Australian coach
Duncan Moodie, who passed away of malaria in March.
Famed for his no-nonsense style, Moodie came to Malaysia in 2005 and was coach of the 2009 Malaysian SEA Games team and the Malaysian Ladies Golf Association’s ‘Golf For Girls’ programme. He set up the Pacific Golf Academy in Kota Kinabalu seven years ago and has coached many of Malaysia’s leading players.
At the time of his passing, Moodie was head coach for the Sabah SUKMA squad.
Suzannah Gun Palmer, Publisher of ParGolf, said: “It’s extremely gratifying for us to able to recognise golf’s top performers and outstanding contributors through the Malaysian Golf Awards. We thank Jebsen & Jessen for their sponsorship and support of this year’s edition, as well as our partners, the Malaysian Golf Association.”