Kuala Lumpur; June 7: Many golfers may not be aware of the existence of the Golf Club Managers Association of Malaysia (GCMAM) but the once-quiet grouping of golf club managers is now abuzz with activities.
Under the stewardship of president Mohd Rom Muslim (pic right), GCMAM is now engaging its members through monthly seminars cum get-togethers as well as other activities, providing its members with a platform to meet their industry peers and exchange views and thoughts on the ever-changing landscape of golf in Malaysia.
The most recent seminar held on May 23 at Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resort saw a small turnout of 20 golf club professionals, who benefited from three presentations – the importance of golf insurance from AXA-Affin, course preparation ahead of a tournament by qualified referee Major (R) Pritam Singh Bal as well as an introduction to the latest yardage markers in the market by ASK Consultants.
“We organise these small sessions across the country to allow our members to gain some useful information and practical knowledge on golf course management. It also gives them an opportunity to meet their colleagues from other golf clubs and stay on top of the latest development in the local golf scene. We end each session with a friendly round of golf, which is always a fitting conclusion to a very fruiful session,” said Rom, who is also the captain of Ayer Keroh Country Club.
“To date, our seminars on tournament course preparation as well as rules of golf have attracted the most number of participants, as corporate and charity tournaments are becoming a main revenue earner for golf clubs and golf club managers want to keep themselves prepared for any circumstances,” he added.
Rom also noted that GCMAM is looking to partner with a local institution for higher education to offer long-distance learning programmes for golf club professionals. “Many of our golf club professionals do not have a paper qualification to fall back on despite their long experience working at golf clubs. We at GCMAM feel that it will be beneficial for them to pursue a qualfication, tailored to the modern demands of golf course management. With the advent of technology today, they can study these modules from the comfort of their homes and still earn a recognised paper qualification, without needing to take too much time off work, added Rom, pointing out that the proposal and course material were still in the workings to cater to the needs of the golf industry.
On another matter, Rom is also urging golf clubs to join the newly-formed Malaysian Golf Tourism Association (MGTA), which has been set-up to increase the number of inbound golf tourists to the country. “It’s essential that golf clubs realise the importance of joining this new set-up because of the benefits that the clubs can reap from the promotion of inbound golf tourism to Malaysia,” he concluded.
