The Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) recently retained the Signature Group of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., to establish the next steps in the development of the organization as an industry leader in the unique and diverse Asian golf marketplace.
“We have determined that working with the Signature Group is a critical step for us in our young history,” said Timothy E. Trinka, President of the AGIF, based in Singapore. “We have managed to generate interest from a lot of people, companies and golf organizations around the world. In order to take the next step and to thrive, we need to have a Strategic Plan that will offer a successful path for our organization to provide long-term benefits to the industry in the region.”
Signature Group will assist in devising a Strategic Plan and a Sponsorship Engagement Program within the next three months with a focus on the initiatives of education, research and growth of the game in an important and rapidly expanding golf market.
“We look forward to working with the AGIF Board of Directors in assembling the blueprint for further development within the 21 countries covered by the AGIF in Asia,” said Bruce Lucker, the President and CEO of the Signature Group. “This is an important initiative for all of us who love the game as we continue to work toward unity and continued expansion in the emerging Asian golf market.”
Trinka said he worked with the Board to determine the next steps and the Signature Group was chosen based on its success at building a consensus.
“We felt Bruce and the Signature team had great experience in taking disparate people and backgrounds and their thoughts and coordinating it all into a coherent and cohesive plan,” Trinka said. “Especially when we talked with current clients of the Signature Group, we were really pleased to hear uniformly their positive feedback. Signature did what they said they would do. That’s a tremendous value. Even though Signature is not based in Asia, they have the necessary and sufficient Asian experience to help us significantly.”
The wave of modern golf development in Asia began in the 1960s, approximately 130 years after the first Asian course was built in India in 1829. Estimates indicate there are currently more than 4,600 courses in Asia, with many new courses in various stages of development, an upward trend in direct contrast to flat market growth through much of the rest of the golf world. China and India are among the world’s largest economies, and within the next decade Asia is expected to have more than 50 percent of the world’s population. Already, more Chinese (39.7 million) are watching golf on television that in the U.S. (24.8 million).
Trinka looks forward to the benefits that Signature’s work can spell out for systematic golf growth.
“My vision is that we will have one pan-Asian organization that will promote the responsible development of golf in Asia,” Trinka said. “And I mean responsible in every sense of the word. That is not only environmentally, but also in terms of education and growth of the game initiatives where the game is not just exclusively set up for wealthy businessmen, but also for juniors and women who are critical to the future of the game. I also envision that we will be the place to go for reliable research and information for the golf industry in Asia.”
Asian Golf Industry Federation www.agif.asia
Signature Group www.thesignature-group.com