Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: With an ever-growing number of golf clubs implementing a compulsory golf buggy policy, fleet management is becoming increasingly important.
For some golf establishments it’s viewed as an additional revenue stream. For others, the necessity for golf buggies is directly related to aging memberships who are less inclined, or able, to walk around the course in blistering heat and humidity.
An on-going hot topic in golf, Fleet Management was among the main themes at the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF)-organised Club Management Mini Summit at TPC Kuala Lumpur.
Staged in partnership with the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA), the Golf Club Managers Association of Malaysia (GCMAM) and TPC Kuala Lumpur, the Mini Summit was held on the eve of the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic.
Sponsored by Club Car and Aspen, the Mini Summit followed on from the fourth Golf Course Superintendents Association of Malaysia (GCSAM) and AGIF Turfgrass Management Seminar and field day.
After a welcome address from Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, Farroul Hossey, Club Manager at TPC Kuala Lumpur, teed-off proceedings with a segment on Fleet Management. There was then a panel discussion on the subject with a question-and-answer session.
The post-lunch programme featured presentations from P. Gomathi, a Freelance Digital Marketing Consultant, and Robert Bird, Director at SKCFE Ltd, an Executive Search and Leisure Consultancy based in Hong Kong.
While Gomathi discussed digital marketing, Bird, former General Manager at Sentosa Golf Club and Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (now renamed TPC Kuala Lumpur), talked about data sharing in the club industry and specifically about a Salaries and Benefits Survey for clubs.
Lynge said: “Thanks to our speakers and sponsors for their contributions, which ensured the success in the latest in our series of Mini Summits.
“We are grateful, too, for the support of the delegates, who included senior management from many of Malaysia’s best-known golf clubs.
“Appreciation also goes to Steven Thielke, Farroul and their team at TPC Kuala Lumpur for hosting us during this especially busy time at the club, when they are staging the CIMB Classic, Southeast Asia’s only PGA Tour event.”
The TPC Kuala Lumpur event was the fourth in a series of Mini Summits staged by the AGIF this year with previous events having been held in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.