Singapore: When it comes to discussing matters related to food outlets, few individuals are able to speak with more authority than Dr Larry Ross.

Retired from a 30-year career as an owner/operator of dozens of restaurants, Dr Ross continues to work as a consultant to the food service industry in the areas of marketing and operations.

Professor Emeritus, The Barnett School of Business & Free Enterprise, Florida Southern College, Dr Ross will tee-off a new Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) series of webinars on Thursday (September 10 at 10 am Singapore time) with a presentation entitled Food Service Health and Safety Protocols During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

“It’s been a pleasure creating such a topical webinar topic for the Asian Golf Industry Federation’s Sustainability Series,” said Dr Ross, a regular visitor to Asia, who has acted as a speaker and facilitator at various AGIF-organised Business Management Institute (BMI) educational events.

“My webinar presentation will, among other things, identify key elements of pandemic-specific food service safety protocols, develop club-specific policies and procedures for managing Covid-19 risks, and highlight five focus areas,” added Dr Ross, who is basing his presentation largely on the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for pandemic protocols for bars and restaurants.

Sponsored by The Toro Company and CLUBmanager: CiMSO, the webinar will include time for discussion and questions from participants.

Dr Ross received both his MBA and Ph.D in marketing from the J. Mack Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University. His bachelor’s degree in business is from Florida State University.

Before arriving at Florida Southern College, he served on the faculty of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State University for 12 years. As well as receiving several awards for teaching excellence, Dr Ross has authored books on marketing research and strategic planning.

Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Dr Ross is an industry legend and we’re honoured that he’ll be the first speaker in our AGIF Sustainability Series. Larry has led several BMI education sessions here in Asia over the years and is very popular with the managers with his approachability, engaging delivery and depth of knowledge.

“Targeted at both turf and club management professionals, the webinars will feature respected speakers and presenters from around the world, all experts in their given fields.

“In addition to the exchange of information, education/association credits can be gained in Club Management Association of America (CMAA), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), PGA of America, PGA of Great Britain and Ireland and PGA of Australia. Attendance will be tracked and a certificate of attendance will be issued, pending attendance for a minimum of one hour on the webinar.”

Three other webinars in the AGIF Sustainable Series have been confirmed.

Organic Matter Management on the Putting Surface, sponsored by Atlas Turf International and The Toro Company, is the subject that will be tackled on September 17 by Roch Gaussoin, PhD, Professor and Extension Co-ordinator, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

On September 24, the topic for Michael Braidwood, General Manager at Qatar’s Education City Golf Club, a Facility Member of the AGIF, is What Gets Measured Gets Done.

Concluding the first batch of AGIF webinars on Thatch/Biomass Management Techniques for Greens will be Roger Goettsch, CGCS, Director of Golf Course Operations at California’s Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club. The webinar is sponsored by The Toro Company.

For further details and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Gwen Ng, the AGIF’s Event and Membership Manager, at gwen.ng@agif.asia  

Schedule of Events

Club Management Series
September 10 (Thursday): 10 am to 11:30 am (Singapore time)
Topic: Food Service Health & Safety Protocols during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Presenter: Dr Larry Ross, Professor Emeritus, Florida Southern College  
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K8I7cvt2SS248uOYXZufUg

Turf Management Series  
September 17 (Thursday): 10 am to 11:30 am (Singapore time)
Topic: Organic Matter Management on the Putting Surface
Presenter: Roch Gaussoin, PhD, Professor & Extension Co-ordinator, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln  
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7kn-kgoeTuqEG4NMRpmfIQ

Club Management Series 
September 24 (Thursday): 4 pm to 5:30 pm (Singapore time)
Topic: What Gets Measured Gets Done
Presenter: Michael Braidwood, General Manager, Education City Golf Club, Qatar  
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y_8zZ3_AQfuXx9aTdcUfNg

Turf Management Series  
October 1 (Thursday): 10 am to 11:30 am (Singapore time)
Topic: Thatch/Biomass Management Techniques for Greens
Presenter: Roger Goettsch, CGCS, Director of Golf Course Operations, Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club, California, US
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mUgApuJ2SuGfybuPYuCChA