Hong Kong: Golf is primed to benefit from the unstoppable march of technology.

That’s the view of Peter Shaw, Director of Sales – APAC at Golf Genius Software, one of the world’s leading suppliers of tournament management solutions and a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“There’s technology in every part of golf and I think everyone’s realising that by 2030, providing we get through Covid and figure out the new normal, they’ll be a bunch of technology-driven enterprises to get participation, to get education, to get engagement, to get social golf,” said Shaw, speaking during a LinksAsia webinar entitled How Does Golf Use Technology to Appeal to a Younger Generation.

“Technology is helping us to understand the market and grow it globally,” added Brisbane-based Shaw, who predicts a surge in take-up of virtual tournaments.

“I think we’ll see the evolution of these virtual tournaments, with men and women playing together. The R&A and the USGA have introduced the World Handicapping System, which is enabling multi-tee and mixed gender events.

“Your handicap will be portable. So, anyone can play, regardless of whether you’re off different tees or different indexes. You’ll be able to play against players at another golf course. I think that virtual realm will come in and I think everybody’s jockeying for position to have the capabilities to technology,” said Shaw, citing TopTracer and Trackman.

He added: “They’re both great products, and there’s also a lot of mobile scoring tournament management platforms and tee-time systems. I think of it like Reebok and Nike. Back in the day, if you had Reebok pumps, they were the best thing out there when they first came out. Now Nike have all their Jordans and Reebok may be considered slightly under them, depending on your take on the market. Neither is right or wrong.”

Joining Shaw on the webinar panel were Kurt Greve, General Manager at the Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy, a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, and Casper Schonfeldt, General Manager at Trump International Golf Club Dubai. The session was moderated by Kate Burton.

*To view the webinar, please visit https://app.livestorm.co/impact-golf/linksasia