Tuesday, December 4, 2001
APAG making golf affordable and
accessible to everybody
By Aluosies Francis
Petaling Jaya: Contributing an
additional 95,000 rounds of golf to the industry
in a matter of 16 months is no mean feat,
considering that AsiaPacificAmateurGolfers (APAG)
are hardly two years old.
Even more remarkable is the fact
that APAG do not own a golf club but rely on the
excess capacity of others to accommodate their
members.
Launched in April last year, APAG
now have 6,000 members.
The card's success is attributed
to their innovative offer of free play in
selected courses throughout the year.
When it first started, APAG
offered one club every quarter dubbed "Club
of the Month" where members could play for
free. This unique concept proved to be a winner
and APAG were compelled to offer a club every
month, which soon increased to three clubs.
"Today, members can play in
at least 10 clubs a month without paying for
green fee, thus, living up to its motto of - Play
More, For Less", said Franz Swoboda,
managing director of RGT Sports.
He said APAG were initially
created for those without a club membership. As
it has turned out, the benefits offered have
attracted a fair amount of golfers who already
possess a club membership but have bought into
APAG to enjoy playing in many more courses
throughout the country.
Swoboda said: "Most of the
affiliated clubs allow APAG members free play on
weekdays and on Sunday afternoons.The only
exception is Beringin Golf Course and Bukit
Beruntung Golf & Country Club where our
members can play on weekends."
This arrangement, he said, has
worked out well as the clubs are generally quiet
on weekdays and APAG members can help to fill up
the excess slots.
APAG's current success, however,
belies the tough time that they had at the
beginning.
"Initially, most of the golf
clubs were reluctant to work with us due to some
bad experience with other golf card operators.
But in the past year, we've proven to the clubs
that we are credible and we are here to
stay," said Swoboda.
A.S.Khamis, the president of the
Golf Club Managers Association, applauds APAG's
contribution to golf.
"APAG have taken a
revolutionary approach to making golf a more
affordable sport and, at the same time, easily
accessible. Traditionally, golf had been
associated with the elite, these days the middle
to upper income earners are taking up golf in
increasing numbers. This is good for the industry
and APAG has certainly played a big part in
opening up a whole new market for us," he
said.
With the support from APAG
members and the industry, RGT Sports is set to go
places.
"We have expanded our
business scope to include management of Beringin
Golf Course in Rawang, and the Monterez Golf
Academy in Shah Alam," said Swoboda.
As for APAG's future plans,
Swoboda intends to introduce the programme to
other countries in the region.
We are already present in JB and
Singapore. Next year, the golf card will be
available in Penang & Kedah.
"We are also looking at Hong
Kong and Indonesia as other potential
markets".
APAG membership is priced at
RM788 per year (single membership) and RM688 per
year (joint).
Golfers who are interested to
find out more about the programme can call
03-7874 4560 or log on to www.asiapacificamateurgolfers.com.
Article
provided with courtesy from The Sun.
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