GOLF TRENDS & COUNTERMEASURES

(ACTIONS NEEDED)

JAMES GRAHAM PRUSA

SKY72 DIRECTOR, GOLF COURSES AND LABINCHEON, REPUBLIC OF KOREA

ROVING EDITOR OF ASIAN GOLF BUSINESS MAGAZINE (ENGLISH)CONTRIBUTOR FOR GOLF PEOPLE MAGAZINE (CHINA)

PADI PROFESSIONAL DIVEMASTER

WWW.PrusaAssociates.com

WHAT ARE THE POSITIVETRENDS

THAT IMPACT GOLF ?

RE-ASCENT OF ASIA• 60% of worlds population = 4+ billion people of the

world’s 6.6 billion (only 14% of world’s golfers)..• 35% of the world’s economy and growing to ~60%

by 2050. Then equilibrium with percent share of world population

• Becoming significant consumer societies.• ASIA IS A PLAYER !

RE-ASCENT OF ASIA• Growth of Asia will not detract from the

quality of life in the West. All simply will and must do better.

• Development of undeveloped nations will enhance all nations – the West too!

• The world is hopefully growing up.

GOLF IS HEALTHY• Approximately 36,000 golf courses now

worldwide. About 18,000 in the USA. About 6,800 in Europe and 2,400 in Japan and dropping. Asia has ~ 5,000 total.

• Australia has 1,700• New Zealand 336 North America

AsiaEuropeOthers

North America

58%Asia14%

Europe19%

Other10%

• Korea has about 300 and should increase to 400 by 2016.

• There are ~ 60,000,000 golfers worldwide.

• ~ 6,000,000 golfers in Asia [60% of world population and only 14% of world’s golfers!].

• ~ 25,000,000 golfers in USA.

BEGINNINGS OF GOLF• Chui Wan 12th Century – ancient China [Yuan (1279-

1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties].

• Modern Golf 14th Century – Scots developed rules, hole with flagstick and 18 holes. First written evidence when King James II of Scotland banned the game in 1457 as it distracted from archery practice!

James II, King of Scotland 1437-60

James GrahamCaptain General of Scotland

1612 - 50

BEGINNINGS OF GOLFIn Korea – Golf is evolving again!

Golf for the Winter Olympics

GOLF DEMAND IN ASIA• Currently ~ 6,000,000 golfers in Asia

chasing after 5,000 golf courses.• Golf has been an elite sport.• Municipal / local government courses are

non-existent.• Demand is pent up and access is

restricted.• Golf is immensely popular – the one game

that is played as an individual.

WHAT GOLF TEACHES YOUNG PEOPLE

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential, these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

Golf teaches universal virtues of life as no other game or sport!

• Ren benevolence, charity, and humanity• Yi, honesty and uprightness• Zhi, knowledge• Xin, faithfulness and integrity• Li, correct behavior, or propriety, good

manners, politeness, ceremony, worship.Bobby Jones

Confucius

VIDEO

THE OLYMPICS• Golf is again in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games

in Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 1904.• Universal support -- VIDEO• The Catalytic Opportunity…

"Golf in the Olympics would be awesome. I think it would add a lot to the Olympics. Golf is a very individual sport and it would be a great Summer Olympics sport.“

Juli Simpson Inkster - 1982

WHAT ARE THETRENDS

THAT THREATEN GOLF ?

MAJOR THREATS TO GOLF IN ASIA:

1.Lack of educated and trained management resources at golf courses – Human Capital.

2.Lack of public golf courses and public access.

3. Lack of a regional sense of relationship for Golf in Asia.

4. Lack of ‘Golf Industry-wide’ organization, composed of Asians, with beneficent cooperation to address threats, identify needs and stimulate action.

5. Many other issues such as water, environment, costs of course management, turf research, professional certification, Asian supplies, importation, pricing and manufacturing. No strong voice for superintendents to raise these issues.

COUNTERMEASURES1. Every effort must be made to train up

educated personnel – an Asian GCSA can lead in this.

2. An effort must be made to develop public, municipally (local government) owned golf courses. Just as for parks and other recreation (i.e. along the Han River).

3. For the real potential of golf in Asia, Asians need to develop a sense of regional identity and cooperation.

4. We need an ‘umbrella’ Asian Golf Industry organization that can focus on regional issues effectively. We need an Asia region superintendents association.

AN EXAMPLE: THE GCSAA

• If you want to really understand America, read de Tocqueville’s book, “On Democracy in America.”

• Organizing through beneficence is a fundamental. How does Confucion philosophy impact or support this?

• Golf entered America from Scotland at the end of the 18th century, but the first course was established in 1888 by John Reid in

Alexis de Tocqueville,1805 - 1859

Yonkers, New York – the St Andrews Golf Club of Yonkers.

THE GCSAA• It took a foreigner to start the

GCSAA! Colonel John Morley was born in England in 1867 and became a recognized greenkeeper in my native Ohio.

• He started the “Cleveland District Greenkeepers Association” in 1924 May 12th.

• On 1926 September 13th , he founded the “National Association of Greenkeepers of America (NAGA)” in 1926.

• In 1927, Canadian greenkeepers joined in to make GCSAA an INTERNATIONAL association.

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE GCSAA

THE FUTURE• Looking to the past is a

blueprint for the future – especially cross culture.

• It is time for the GCSAA to change again – in name as well as global reach and PARTICIPATION.

• Action is needed NOW in Asia if golf is to prosper – it is up to all of us.

• Superintendents in every nation have an obligation to help Asian golf grow!April 1972

Days ending of hose spraying in USA

FOUNDERS OF GCSAA

" . . . Canadian greenkeepers stand side by side with those of the United States on the membership list of the National Association. Not only that, but on the day of organization in Toledo, Ohio, September 13, 1926, the words, "of America" in the name of the Association were written for the greenkeepers of Canada. The two flags blend as one. Come down to Chicago the week of March 21-26, Canadian keepers of the greens, and you will find them so."

1927 March – Colonel John Morley