Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The Asian Golf Industry Federation’s (AGIF) ground-breaking Certificate in Greenkeeping (CIG) programme will pick up pace in the next fortnight.

This week (September 11-15) sees 21 students return to class for their Progression Course at Malaysia’s Tropicana Golf & Country Resort.

The following week (September 18-20) attention will turn to Vinpearl Golf Hai Phong where 22 students will create a slice of history by becoming the first intake in Vietnam to complete the Confirmation Course.

In so doing, they’ll receive their CIG certificates, jointly issued by the AGIF, The R&A and the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI).

Running concurrently at Vinpearl Golf Hai Phong will be the Introductory Course for the second Vietnam intake (September 18-22).

Richard Walne, AGIF President Emeritus and Chairman of the Federation’s Education and CIG Committee, said: “It’s going to be a busy and productive period for the Certificate in Greenkeeping programme as we look forward to new milestones and increased momentum.

“With the continued support of the NZSTI and with backing from The R&A and our Education Partners – Jacobsen, Jebsen & Jessen, John Deere, Syngenta and Toro – we look forward to further growth in the months and years ahead.”

The growing reach and appeal of the CIG is illustrated by the make-up of students at Tropicana with representatives of clubs from Brunei, India, Malaysia, Oman and Singapore. Enhancing the week will be the ability to access the golf course as part of the training curriculum.

In his opening remarks at the start of this morning’s session, Tropicana General Manager Ravindran Varnagopal urged students to take advantage of every opportunity to learn about their profession.

At Vinpearl Golf Hai Phong, attendees at the Confirmation Course come from a host of prominent clubs in Vietnam.

Soft launched at the AGIF’s Danang Conference in August 2022, the programme received an overwhelming response, teeing-off with a full class at the Introductory Course last November. The Progression Course was staged in March.

In between these courses, students were required to complete online assignments. “This ‘blended’ workplace learning was crafted to allow the students to apply the technical skills and processes learned to a variety of turf situations,” said Walne.

The second Introductory Course is filled with new students from the Vinpearl group of golf courses as well as representatives from Trang An, Laguna Golf Lang Co, Long Bien, Kim Bang, and Sapa Grand. There’s also one student who’s making the journey from Karnataka in India.

“We have just a couple of spots still available. Anyone interested in progressing their career and joining up, get in touch with us as soon as possible,” said PK Ong, the AGIF’s Greenkeeping Education Manager. She can be contacted directly at pkong@agif.asia.

Walne, meanwhile, offered special thanks to AGIF Full Business Members Flagstick and Sports Turf Solutions for volunteering their English-speaking staff to act as interpreters at the two classes in Hai Phong.

“We very much appreciate the support from Flagstick and Sports Turf Solutions and are looking forward to the contributions from Hoang Ngoc Minh (Flagstick Project Co-ordinator) and Pham Tu Tai (STS Vietnam Country Manager),” said Walne.

Flagstick is a leader in golf course construction management with a portfolio of more than 90 golf course construction projects in more than a dozen of countries, while STS is a prominent provider of innovative turfgrass services and solutions.

Martin Moore, President of Flagstick GCCM, said: “This is Flagstick’s contribution as a dedicated member of the AGIF and to help the Asian golf industry’s education and growth.”

In partnership with the NZSTI and The R&A, the CIG was launched in 2018 with the specific aim of improving the professional knowledge of greenkeeping staff and providing an educational framework for the golf greenkeeping industry in the region.

Focusing on the core knowledge and skills required to operate safely and efficiently as a greenkeeper on a golf course, and in a way that protects the turf, prevents damage to the reputation of the course and improves productivity, the CIG is a 12-month programme with five modules.

The Introductory and Progression courses are both held over five days while the Confirmation Course is staged over three days.

*For further details on the CIG, please contact PK Ong at pkong@agif.asia or visit https://agif.asia/certificate-in-greenkeeping/