British Open Week with a 40-Year Golf Insider on Asia’s Rise

As the British Open kicks off at Royal Portrush, we dive into Asia’s growing influence on the global golf stage. With over 40 years in the Asian golf industry, our guest shares how the region is shaping elite talent, attracting international events, and redefining course design from Vietnam to Thailand.

From the amateur game to major aspirations, this is your inside look at why Asia is becoming golf’s next frontier.

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Transcript

Okay.  Welcome.

Spencer, you and I have known each other for a long time, but for our viewers, perhaps you could first of all just tell us what exactly you do in your capacity as working in the golf industry in Asia.

Wow, that's a tough one to start with, Mike.

I've been in the industry now 40 years in Asia, very fortunate, involved in the media side mainly with some event management at various stages.

I'm very privileged to be speaking to you from Royal Port Rush in Ireland, where in Northern Ireland, where I'm attending my 30th British Open or Open Champion, which is.

I was going to come on to that later, but just tell us a bit about the first of all, the Asia Gulf Industry Federation.

Well, there are two major organizations that I'm working with, the Asian Gulf Industry Federation, which as the name says, is an industry body that encompasses all companies who are involved in golf globally, but particularly who are looking to come into Asia.

And they see the new developments coming, coming up, not just in Thailand, but in Vietnam, especially in Philippines now, and they want a piece of the action.

So we, we can help facilitate that.

Part of what the Asian Golf Industry Federation do.

We have annual conferences, seminars throughout the year, a big focus on turf grass for superintendents and general managers, and a lot based on education.

It's a not for profit organization.

It really is dedicated to the industry.

We're celebrating our 15th anniversary this year and we encourage as many golf related companies as possible that are in the Asian region and around the world to sign up and become members and to get the benefits that they will receive from that.

Well, our viewers, obviously vacationers, benefit because you're actually making sure that the end product is as best as it can be.  Absolutely.

And one of the things that we always quote to people is with Gulfation, we've done various surveys of customers of yours who have been out to Asia and played at many courses, not just in Thailand but around the region.

One of the key questions we ask is what are the main points that they look for when they come and play and what would influence them to come back?

And repeatedly, it's not the cost, which is interesting, it's the course conditioning.

And that's something that, as I say, the agif is very much invested in with all it does for superintendents around the region.

And again, to make golf course owners understand that the most important part of their product is the golf course and you need to spend money on that, you need to, to give proper salaries to the staff.

You need to get the proper equipment, whether it's mowers or tractors or all the things that help with the irrigation.

Now a myriad of things.

And we have companies such as Toro and Jacobsen and John Deere are all very active members of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, and they all play a very big part in helping to grow and develop the industry within Asia.

Now, one of your big passions, if I may say, is changing the subject.

The Asia Pacific Amateur Championship.

Is that the right title?  I've given it?

Absolutely.  And again, that brings me on to the second part of what, what I do, Mike, which is I, I, I do work with the Asia Pacific Gulf Confederation, which is the amateur body that oversees golf in the Asia Pacific region.

It's affiliated to the RNA and to the masters group.

And we have 47 member countries ranging from Southeast Asia to North Asia down to Australasia, including the Middle east as well.

It's a huge region and we have a schedule of about 10 annual events.

And the two showpiece events that we have that I'm delighted, have both been in Thailand on numerous occasions at the Men's Asian Amateur Championship.

Yeah.  And we have the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific.

And both of these events are supported by the rna.

The Masters Tournament supports the Asian Amateur Championship.

So the winner, the winner goes to Augusta and to the Open Championship, which is an amazing reward and has know help to elevate not just those tournaments, but I think the excitement and the interest in the amateur game in Asia, where people can see if they become good, they have this genuine opportunity that you and I would bite your hand off for, you know, to play a proper tournament at two of the most prestigious events within the world.  No question.

Well, Asia seems to get a lot of good golfers.

I think it's coming down to the fact we teach it at school.

And obviously this weekend, maybe one of your ex, ex players, Lottie Wode, an amateur, nearly won the Evian Championship on the lpgm.

Well, never mind, Lottie won't.

We had Gino Titical and Grace Kim, who have both played in the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific.

Atia Gino was actually the winner of the first event had at 2018 at Santosa Golf Club in Singapore.

And there's a lovely story and I've posted an article on this.

Gino and Grace were actually teammates in the Patsy Hankins Trophy, which is a match play women's event very much along the lines of the Soulheim cup between the Asia Pacific and between Europe.

And that first ever, ever eventually took place in 2018 in Qatar.

And both Grace and Genotypical were part of the Asia Pacific team that thrashed the European team.

And the other interesting thing you mentioned, Lottie Road, we had the latest edition of the Patsy Hankins Trophy in January this year, and that was held in the United Arab Emirates.

And the Asia Pacific team thrashed the European team, which included Lottie Woad.

Absolutely.  And, you know, we, we're so excited about the development of all these young Asian players that are coming through and the national associations that are supporting and helping to develop the game and the young players that's going to ensure that Asia is very much at the forefront in men's and women's professional golf for many decades to come.

Well, a lot of your championships have been held at courses that golf, Asian customers really love to play at.

Recently, I think it was Hoyana Shores in Da Nang that you held this year's tournament.

And I remember meeting you once at Waterside in Patio.

Where else has the championship been to in Asia?

Oh, wow, you're testing me.

I'm still a bit jet lag.

We've been, we've been a couple of times at Siam Country Club, as you said.

We're in Hoyana Shores this year.

The men's event we've held at Amata Spring, I think, on two occasions.

It was in Japan at the Getmba course last year, and we're due to be in Dubai, I think, in October this year for the latest, latest edition.

But it's interesting because the events have such high profile now and such incredible reach with their television coverage that we're getting more and more clubs approaching the Asia Pacific North Confederation and the rna.  Absolutely.

There's a really keen number of clubs that want to do that.

And to me, I think it shows the quality of the courses that we are having more and more in our part of the world and that you'll know better than I will.

Through gulfation, we're attracting more and more overseas visitors and golfers who are starting to understand how fantastic our facilities are and how world class.

Well, the last time I think we met was in the press room at the Honda LPGA Thailand in Patia in February.

Now, as you've already said, you're in Asia, you're in Ireland, and I should think the pressure, the press room must be a bit bigger because this week it's the Open, which you can't get bigger than that, can you?

Well, no, I have to say, the Honda is one of my favorite events.

I probably do about 20, 25 events a year.

And to me one of the great things about the Honda is that it returns pretty much to the same venue every year.

And I'm still blown away by the galleries that you get in Pattaya.

Coming down from Bangkok, and not only Bangkok, but from other Southeast Asian countries to support the girls and especially the support that you get for the Thai girls is phenomenal there.

But we got 55,000 people there last time.

Yeah, that's great.  The obviously, you know, when you come to the Open Championship or the Masters or the majors, it really is another level up in terms of the whole infrastructure, the media center, the galleries and it's very exciting.

I sadly I missed the Open here when Shane Lowry won in 2019.

One of only two Opens I've missed in the last, I think 28, 30 years.

So I'm especially thrilled to be here this year.

We've got a lot of good Asian tour players who we're looking at.

Sadom from Thailand is here who we're keeping a close eye on.

Samson Zhang from China, who qualified, who's again come up through the APGC system.

He played on our Banana Trophy men's team.

So you have great excitement here.

And I'm looking around me in the media center now.

I think we've got something like 2, 300 accredited media that's just on the print and the electronic.

There's huge television compounds here and I'm sure anyone who watches the coverage on TV would just see how magnificent the course is and the setup and the number of spectators here and the whole buzz and as soon as you touch down.

Have you walked the course?

I haven't had a chance.

We only got in late yesterday afternoon.

But just arriving at Belfast Airport, all the posters and banners are about the Open and huge pictures of Shane Lowry and Rory McElroy, Roy and the, the whole buzz.

We went out, just had a walk around one of the local towns, Coleraine and Port Rush last night and everyone's here for the golf.

And it is really what makes these major championships, and particularly the Open Championship so special in that you come to these towns in Scotland, in Ireland and in England that very much it's just consumed that one week by golf that is the world.

And with all the horrible news in the world, it's sometimes nice just to shut yourself off totally and have a week away and just immerse yourself totally in what's happening in this environment.

It's a pity we don't have an Asian Open because you've got the US Open.

We should have the Asia Open.

Well, it's interesting you say that.

So a few years ago, Mike, I asked that the RNA do a press conference on the Wednesday of every Open week.

And the then chief executive executive was a gentleman named Peter Dawson.  Yes.

And I actually, I posed the question to him.

I said, as you quite rightly said, you know, we've got the four major championships and three in America and one in uk and yet we have this explosion in Asia.

We've had Hide Matsuyama winning on the, on the Masters.

We've had Yang win in the pga.

We're getting more and more.

And I said, surely it's time, you know, we look at introducing a new major in Asia.

And he was actually very supportive of that.

And it got quite a bit of media coverage.

It's gone a bit quiet.

We actually have the RNA press conference tomorrow morning with the new chief executive, Mark Darbun.

So I'll see if I get an opportunity.

Put in a good word for us.  Okay?

Yeah, well, we, we.

You get so many international media here who obviously want to ask questions.

There are limited time, but I would certainly like to pose that question to him.

And the RNA have been incredible in their support for growing golf around the world.

Asia particularly.

You were in Scotland last year, last week at the Open.

You're now in in Ireland at the Open.

Can you think of any golf courses in Asia that offer the same sort of links challenge?

I was thinking perhaps the bluffs in Ho tram is one.

Can you think of any other golf courses that could encourage people to come over and play some link golf?

Yeah, well, I mean, we've talked about one already.

Hoana Shores, where we held the Women's Amateur this year is a phenomenal link style course.

And there's a couple of holes I think I can't remember, 15 and 16 or 1617 right out on the water.

And when the wind blows there, it was almost like being in Scotland.

And the same in Da Nang.

Danangle Club.

You have some amazing link style courses with these huge sand dunes that are absolutely brilliant.

I know in China they have two or three coastal courses that, that are very linksy in that.

But it's obviously hard to recreate the weather conditions.

You know, you may get the wind, but here, even since we arrived yesterday, you know, we've had four seasons.

Rain and sun and sleet and the strong winds.

So very uni style of golf.

But Vietnam, definitely.

Mike, I would encourage people, they want to Come out to Asia and have link style golf.

You've got some tremendous choices there.

Yeah, hoyana shores, legends, etc.

In fact, it's interesting to see how people describe Asian golf courses compared with European and American golf courses.

What do you say is the main attraction, apart from the fact we have caddies and the culture and the food?

I think it's the whole thing.

It's difficult just to pinpoint that.

See, the caddies are famous in Thailand and Vietnam and other places, but it's the whole experience of turning up and just the hospitality, the generally the friendliness with which you're greeted.

I think one of the things that I know with friends of mine who I've encouraged to come out, they've been surprised at the quality of not just of the courses but the conditioning.

And I think that's something again that all of us need to work on to really get the message across that our golf courses in Asia are truly world class.

Not just in the way that they've been designed, but in the way that they are now maintained.

And you know, people say to me, oh, you can't put them on the same level as the top courses in Europe or America.

Well, I disagree with that.

Now I think, you know, you go to somewhere like Sentosa or the Hong Kong Golf Club or Laguna national in, and I can tell you all the other courses in Thailand that I've been to, the quality of the course maintenance is as good as anywhere else in the world.

Well, when I used to live in Dubai, I think they started it with the elves clubs and all the clubs they have, they had the fluffy towel syndrome and the luxury of playing golf with the name on the locker and I think maybe through the agif.

But we've seen in Asia a lot of the top star designers come along and put their pennies worth down on the grass.  Absolutely.

And listen, they're all looking more and more towards Asia now.

And we have a lot of the golf course architect companies who are members of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

And you know, I think I mentioned earlier, Vietnam we believe is the most active place in the world in terms of developing new golf courses.

I think the government have given approval for the building of another 80 golf courses over the course of the next five, 10 years.

So of course, all the golf course architects are scrambling to see if they can get a piece, get a piece of that action.

And you know, Philippines, we're seeing some new developments.

We've just heard Hong Kong is having its first new course for I think 20, 30 years Plover Cove.

So a lot of exciting things and opportunities for the golf course architects in, in the Asian region.

And not forgetting Cambodia, which Igato have just voted the best Asian golf destination this year.

I went years ago to Siem Reap and played at the Anchor Golf Resort which I thought was phenomenal.

I think that's a Nick Faldo design course and I know he was building two more I think.

Yes, that's right.  That's open.

That's one of our favorites and it's exciting to see new countries developing as well like that.

Now just to finish off, you're in Port Port Port.

You are Port Port Rush.

Sorry, who are your top three for this week?

Wow, you're enjoying putting me on the spot.

Well, you are a golf journalist, you must know that.

Who's going to do well do you think?  An Asian player?

I, I, this is three or four in the field and I, I think some likely, I mean one of my dreams, Mike, before I, I step and pass over the baton is that I see a nation actually holding up the claret jug because you know we've been hoping that for 20, 30 years now and I think the Asian tour are doing well with what they're developing with the International series and you know, hopefully we will see that.

Obviously Hide Matsuyama is a world class player.  He's won a major.

He would probably still have to be the best Asian hope this week but it's hard to look beyond, you know, the likes of Scotty Scheffler and Xander Sh, the defending champion and obviously as I said, the home support here is quite unique and Shane Lowry, the defending champion from port rush in 2019, Rory, after what he did at the Masters this year and he had a great week in Scotland last week and he's delighted to be here and the support from the home fans I think is, is very important for them.

The other guy I'll give you to look out for a young scots guy, Robert McIntyre who I saw play in Singapore at Laguna earlier this year and I was hugely impressed with him.

He had a very good run at the U.S. open at Oakmont and he's definitely got the game to be able to cope if the wind gets up and if the rain starts pelting down here.

So he, he, he's keeping an eye on for sure.

Well, it's been a pleasure to speak to you Spencer.

I hope you have a great week.

I enjoyed the last test match at Lords yesterday but I think the, the Open special, it's magic, isn't it.

Well, one of the great things about being in UK in the summertime is that we, we got about 10 days or 12 days ago, so we got back for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Wimbledon was just coming to the end of its first week.

You had the Lord's Test match.

You're now you the Open.

It's really a magical time here.

And I'm just sorry I won't be staying on for the final two tests at the Old Trafford and the Oval because we were coming up yesterday and we were glued to our phones trying to see if in going to get those final six wickets or if India were going to get up 130 runs and there've been three phenomenal matches.

So I anyway, we're to be talking golf, not cricket.

I think to finish off.

I think if we can get anywhere close to the excitement that the test match had at this week's Open will all be for golf.

Obviously it will be.

And look, I mean, we had an amazing finish at the Evian Championship, the women's major last week.

And if you can get that kind of drama where, you know, Shane Lowry ran away with it here six years ago, I think he won by six shots and he was leading by a long way after three rounds.

You hope that these great events, they deserve great finishes and memorable finishes.

So it would be wonderful on that last day, the last on Sunday, you've got five or six players coming down the stretch, all with a genuine chance of winning.

And obviously having one of the Irish boys in there would just up the ante even more.

So I'm sure it's going to be and it always is and I can't wait to get out there on the course and and have a look for myself.

Well, I look forward to seeing you next February, hopefully in Patio at the Honda LPGA Thailand.

But thank you for joining us today.

That's really interesting stuff and have a great week.

Many thanks, Mike.  All the best.  See you soon.  Bye.