Love ‘em or leave ’em, social networks are now a major part of modern life. Facebookers , tweeters, yelpers, you name it…people today are plugged into the internet in more ways than anyone imagined possible even a decade ago.

The ubiquitous nature of the net is an irresistible force that inevitably draws marketers to take advantage of all those eyeballs on so many screens. To be successful in an increasingly competitive market like the golf industry, golf clubs must learn to adapt to the intricacies of social media marketing.

YouTube offers golf clubs the dream of free viral campaigns that, dollar for dollar, can’t be beat. Just see what it did for Gungnam Style and South Korean mega-star Psy. The ultimate social network today, Facebook, sits on the top of the heap as far as marketing and promotional potential is concerned (Facebook boasts nearly one billion users).

During his 2008 presidential campaign, Barrack Obama used several social media platforms to reach out to young voters in an unprecedented political stratagem. Instead of relying on older, more traditional methods of voter outreach, registration and education, Obama left many of his political rivals in the dust by tapping into modern technology.

Obama used cell phones to text messages directly to voters and used the internet to catalyze his base. By the time his opponents realized the scope of his visionary campaign, it was too late. It is doubtful that any crafty political hopeful will forget this lesson in years to come.

The landscape has changed; there is no doubt about it. Clubs that wish to survive will be forced to adapt to the new environment. The good news is: marketing in the new social media is often comparatively inexpensive and provides access to a vast global community. It also allows golf clubs to reach a more focused audience than ever before. For those with the imagination to exploit the opportunities that the internet offers, members and customers are closer than ever. Like it or lump it, the social network is here to stay. So, learn to live with it and put it to work for you to grow your club’s business!

SHENZHEN, CHINA – (L to R) Helen Wong, HSBC Chief Executive Officer, China, Li Yuyi, Director, Shanghai Administration of Sports, Giles Morgan, HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship and Events, Tim Finchem, PGA Tour Commissioner, Zhang Xiaoning, China Golf Association Executive Vice President and Secretary General, and George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour at a press conference during the final round of the WGC HSBC Champions at the Mission Hills Resort on November 4, 2012 in Shenzhen, China. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Looks like the word “global” has been permanently adopted and indelibly etched into the vocabulary of the PGA Tour of America! Have you noticed that the richest, most powerful and best connected professional tour on the Planet, has quietly gone global? Nothing sinister about it – just plain clever!

The tour that accounts for some US$300 million in terms of total prize money annually and known for transforming unknown journeymen into millionaires overnight, has stretched its octopoid tentacles beyond the legal boundaries of Uncle Sam’s national territory which is the United States of America.

The PGA Tour’s 65-year old commissioner Tim Finchem has cleverly and shrewdly manipulated a well-planned strategy to move into South America and take ownership of the PGA Tour Latino America – CLICK HERE. The “commish” has not stopped there – he has also crossed the border up north to wrest control of the Canadian Tour which is now known as the PGA Tour of Canada – CLICK HERE

The lawyer turned golf mogul is also on a quest to seize and control more turf as evidenced by the PGA Tour’s foray into international grounds – in 2013, the PGA Tour will organise and stage three major international events which include:

• The CIMB Classic in Malaysia
• HSBC World Golf Championship in China
• The OHL Classic in Mayakoba in Mexico

One wonders if these international “incursions” by the PGA serve as a precursor that will lead to more PGA events being staged in Asia. After all, as far as the PGA is concerned, it is all being done in the greater interest of “growing the game of golf globally”! One really wonders if this is the real motive.

After all, the PGA Tour has an extremely powerful brand that can pull sponsors who just can’t wait to grow their footprints in the burgeoning growth markets of Asia. It has the magic wand in its hands – the media exposure, the marketing and promotional arsenal and a very compelling case to draw more cash into its coffers. These are all definitely very good reasons to go global.

What is of concern though is how professional tours that are indigenous to Asia like the Asian Tour and OneAsia can withstand the competition from the American power-house.

While the Asian Tour talks optimistically about its goals – more than US$100 million in prize money and up to 39 events a year by 2023, can it really match the draw of the star-studded American tour?

Coupled with the potential American invasion, are designs cast by the European Tour, a somewhat lesser threat, but enough of a threat to make inroads into Asia (which it has already done).

Like the PGA Tour, the European Tour also has its performing circus made up of star players and media support, albeit a sponsor base that is in a state of decline.

It does not take rocket science to figure out that both these established tours will start bearing down on Asian turf, bent on picking up choice opportunities. Remember, sponsors in Asia will go with the tours that can offer them the best combination of stars and media exposure and this is where the home-grown tours will be at a disadvantage. After all, this is all about money and not about sentimental and emotional causes!

Wouldn’t it be nice if an agreement can be struck whereby there is no territorial encroachment and event poaching by the bigger tours from the Western hemisphere.

Let Asia have its day and let the region and the game grow without distractions. Maybe, this is wishful thinking. Let’s hope that Asia does not get colonised by golf clubs and dimpled balls from the West.

The Green Wall project located in the Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park.

I wonder how many of us in the golf industry are aware of the life-threatening challenges posed by the defoliation of our natural environment, especially in the richly forested tropical rainforest regions of the world. For that matter, how many of us are even aware of the sterling work being carried out by non-profit organisations like Conservation International and the International Sustainability Council to protect the world’s environment and to promote a consciousness of the importance of sustainability.

Asian Golf Business is committed to promoting both causes and it is hoped that through its pages, an awareness can be created amongst all of us in the golf industry and hopefully this will lead to various actions of support forthcoming.

With this as background, I would like to highlight a fantastic initiative undertaken in Indonesia by Conservation International. It is called the Green Wall project and it is a very successful community engagement project which involves the reforestation of the fringes of a forest which is one of the last havens of biodiversity on the island of Java. This forest in the Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park is essential to the livelihoods of hundreds of families that live here, and also serves as the primary water catchment area for over 30 million people living in downstream cities including Jakarta.

The following are the highlights:

• The Green Wall project principally involves the replanting of trees in the buffer zone that surrounds this forest. Already 200 hectares (almost 500 acres) of forest have been restored. This project also includes a tree adoption program, agroforestry, community education and public outreach activities across the island.
• It is described as a “green wall” as it lies on the boundaries of the national park, separating natural and degraded areas,  to protect against encroachment on critical ecosystem services.
• The community directly benefits through conservation agreements, under which in return for their participation in the conservation work, are provided with tools for agroforestry, livestock, fisheries and other provisions to improve health and infrastructure standards. Last year 500 families were supplied with piped water for the first time as part of these conservation agreements.
• This project has been a great success as it focuses on addressing the state of the local population’s livelihoods, health care needs and food security and works on the key understanding that only through attention to these critical livelihood factors we can gain local support for conservation which is essential to the success of such a project.
• The Green Wall project is located in the Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park, 80km from Jakarta. It is home to rare species found nowhere else, such as the silvery Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch) and Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas). These forests also are vital to help to prevent floods and droughts for the millions of people living downstream.

To get a better feel for this wonderful initiative, check out this video: View Video

The golf industry in the Asia Pacific should rally behind this Conservation International project and support it. After all, as a responsible global sporting and recreational activity, we all have a custodial role to play to protect the environment in which we operate in.

It has finally happened! In what can only be considered an unprecedented move, the China-based Mission Hills Group has come forth in full support of junior golf development.

In a historic announcement on January 1, 2013, the golf giant’s Vice Chairman, Tenniel Chu declared that all juniors from any part of the world will be able to play golf at a number of its golf courses in Shenzhen and Haikou for free – ABSOLUTELY FREE! What a bonanza for juniors especially in Asia!

We don’t expect juniors to make a bee-line for Mission Hills to take up on this generous offer but what is significant is that Mission Hills has taken the lead to open up the game to juniors.

We have been advocating this for years and it is most satisfying that finally, juniors have something that will hopefully motivate more youngsters to take up the game of golf.

Call it coincidental but it just so happened that we used a junior golfer to deliver the curtain-raiser at the 2012 Asia Pacific Golf Summit held at the Empire Hotel and Golf Resort last December 11,

In his address, the 13-year old Aaerishna Shahsthy Balakrishnan from the southern Malaysian state of Johor pleaded on behalf of all juniors to help them develop and grow. A multi-title holder in his own right, he called on the golf industry to “help us to grow and help us to bring golf glory to Asia”. The youngster who is also a student at the elite Raffles School in Singapore said, “I have been playing in the Callaway Junior World Championships since I was seven years. I competed well in my age group but after two or three years, I noticed that my American peers just went sailing past me in overall performance. When I enquired why this was so, the answer was simple. Professional and effective coaching … a full calendar of tournaments … and a strong support system from golf clubs, equipment manufacturers etc.”

He went on to emphasise, “We need similar facilities and programmes in Asia. While some of this is available to some extent in parts of Asia, it is my hope that the powers that be, work towards providing world class development programmes. Once we have this in place, not only will we start producing top juniors, but we will have a reasonable pool of world class talent in Asia to take on the world and win!”

He wrapped up his pitch by declaring, “Speaking on behalf of all juniors in Asia, my wish is for the game to have a more universal reach across all social groups in Asia and to give every youngster, boy or girl an opportunity to be the best that they can be in golf! We have it in us. We can make the cut. We need help and most of all, we need a commitment from all concerned that is sustainable”.

Obviously there are some in the world of golf who have been listening to Aaeri’s appeal. It is our hope that more golf course owners follow the classic example set by The Mission Hills Group and come forth to help juniors throughout Asia. The very future of golf in Asia depends on the investment we all make collectively on juniors today.

Missions Hills – on behalf of all juniors, thank you!