By Mike Orloff Mike Orloff is a US and Australian PGA Member with over 35 years of experience in golf, club, leisure, and resort operations across the USA and Australia.

Reflecting on the flight back to Australia after a couple days in Cebu, Philippines, and after many visits to the region in the past two years. One prevailing thought stands out: the Asian golf industry is, even though many of the faces have changed in past 15 years, continually evolving. The key to this is collaboration from various stakeholders. Some countries and venues ‘get it’, but unfortunately many still work in silos. With golf tourism a major motivator, there is much to be gained by education, training, and collaboration.

Having attended all three Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) gatherings this year - first Thailand, then Vietnam, and culminating in Malaysia - I have had a front-row seat to our industry’s momentum across the SE region. Each stop offered distinctive local nuances, but this flagship AGIF Annual International Summit in Kuala Lumpur was undeniably the standout.

This was the biggest event thus far, pulling in a record turnout of more than 200 attendees. Huge congratulations to Rishi Narain and the entire AGIF team for pulling off such a milestone. What resonated most wasn’t just the head count; it was the evolution in the balance of content and the calibre of face-to-face networking - a commodity that has historically been tough across our geographically fragmented region.

The Power of Rare Regional Networking

Operating in Asia's golf sector often means working within domestic silos. Whether you are running a facility in Da Nang, managing agronomy in Phuket, or directing club operations in Manila, we often face similar hurdles but in isolation.

The 2026 Summit at the Sime Darby Convention Centre (SDCC), framed within the grounds of the amazing Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) (My first visit), served as an invaluable bridge. It delivered a platform that strengthened the connections making our region’s golf ecosystem both more resilient and far more ambitious.

From the pre-event cocktail receptions and shared coffee breaks to the AGIF Golf Business Leaders Tournament at Templer Park Country Club, the AGIF Annual Awards Gala Dinner, and ringside access to the Maybank Championship on KLGCC’s West Course, the itinerary was engineered to spark real conversation.

Aussie Honours on the Fairways at Templer Park

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper golf gathering without a bit of friendly competition on the fairways. Out at Templer Park Country Club for the AGIF Golf Business Leaders Tournament, the Australian contingent made sure to leave its mark on the novelty prizes. I managed to dial one in close enough to take home the Nearest the Pin (NTP) honours, while fellow Aussie Kate Torgersen put on a clinic off the tee to claim the Long Drive.

The course photos:

*In the realm of Southeast Asian event planning—especially across Malaysia and Indonesia—no contingency strategy for outdoor gatherings is complete without considering local custom. Organizers of major open-air functions frequently engage a bomoh (or more specifically, a pawang hujan) as a traditional weather specialist tasked with keeping the skies clear. Using age-old rituals, focused prayers, and symbolic offerings, these practitioners are brought in to divert heavy monsoonal downpours away from the venue, serving as a culturally entrenched form of "rain insurance" to ensure tournaments, banquets, and festivals run without a hitch.

A Program That Balanced Club Leadership and Turf Agronomy

Getting the curriculum right at an industry summit is a delicate art. Tilt too heavily into agronomy, and the general managers tune out; lean entirely on commercial spreadsheets, and the course superintendents are left wanting.

This year, the content balance hit the sweet spot. Under the central theme - The Future of Golf in Asia: Innovation in Club & Turf Management - Day One ran parallel tracks: Leading the Club for executive leadership and Mastering the Turf for greenkeepers and agronomists.

Following opening remarks from Azmi Abdullah, Senior Deputy Director of Tourism Malaysia, and a warm welcome address from Adam Calver, AGIF Vice President and General Manager of KLGCC, the stage was set for practical, forward-looking insights.

A few sessions stood out in shaping where our business is heading:

• Sustainability with Real Substance: Dr. Brett Morris, Agronomist at The R&A, tackled "Golf’s Sustainable Future," cutting through buzzwords to address resource stewardship and regulatory realities. Andrew Johnston followed with an eye-opening deep dive: “Inside Sentosa’s Incredible Sustainability Journey: What It Takes to Build a World-Class Golf Club.” It served as an unvarnished masterclass on how sustainability, luxury hospitality, and financial prudence must support one another.
• The Rise of Data-Driven Agronomy: Bähmän Doaeian, Global Head of Sales at Soil Scout, presented “Turf Management, Reimagined: From Experience to Data-Driven Decision Making.” For years, turf management relied almost exclusively on intuition and historical routine. Demonstrating how continuous subsurface soil data helps greenkeepers optimize irrigation and chemical inputs was a compelling look at the future of agronomy.
• Pan-Asian Best Practices: The executive panel, “Inside the Plans of Asia’s Leading Golf Clubs,” offered a rare, candid exchange between distinct operating environments. Hearing Ian Cording (GM, The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram, Vietnam), Raymond Bunquin (GM, Anvaya Cove Golf and Leisure Club, Philippines), and Andy Andrews (Director of Golf, Royal Colombo Golf Club, Sri Lanka) discuss staffing challenges, tourism dynamics, and member retention gave attendees actionable strategies to take home.

Event photos:

Walking the Dirt: The KLGCC East Course Renovation

One of the standout highlights of Day Two was stepping outside the conference hall for the 90-minute Reconstruction Tour of KLGCC’s East Course.

Adam Calver and Sean Griffin, Senior Project Manager at Green Dynasty, led delegates through the active job site. The project - a comprehensive redesign under the banner of Faldo Design - is on track for its complete 18-hole reopening in March 2027.

Honoring Excellence: Andrew Johnston and Seehachet “Pro It” Saifon

The AGIF Annual Awards Gala Dinner served as a timely reminder that while grass, machinery, and software drive our facilities, people remain the true engine of this game.

A poignant highlight of the evening was presenting the AGIF Lifetime Achievement Award to Andrew Johnston. Andrew’s impact on golf across Southeast Asia—particularly his transformational 16-year tenure at Sentosa Golf Club—has set benchmarks that resonate globally. Accepting the honor, Andrew was visibly moved:

"Following the honour of receiving the Asian Golf Industry Federation Lifetime Achievement Award, I wanted to share a few words of thanks with everyone who has been part of my journey. I am deeply humbled, incredibly grateful, and still a little overwhelmed to receive this award. This is an honour I never imagined receiving, and one that means more to me than words can express. A lifetime in golf has given me so much more than a career. It has given me friendships, opportunities, challenges and the privilege of working alongside some truly remarkable people. No one reaches a moment like this alone. Behind every achievement are people who believed in you, supported you and helped you become better along the way. I share this recognition with every one of you. To my Sentosa family, the past 16 years have been an extraordinary chapter in my life. Thank you for your trust, your friendship and the opportunity to dream big and pursue things that once seemed impossible. What we have achieved together is something I will always treasure."

Equally inspiring was looking toward the next generation of industry leadership with the presentation of the AGIF Young Leaders Award to Seehachet “Pro It” Saifon, General Manager of Robinswood Golf Club in Thailand. Open strictly to innovators under the age of 40, the award evaluates rising executives on their community impact, education, leadership, and sustainability initiatives. Pro It has done an exceptional job developing Robinswood into a world-class, family-centric modern golf community within the Reignwood Park portfolio, demonstrating how modern digital outreach, multi-generational programming, and empowered club teams can redefine club culture.

Looking Ahead

Reflecting across the three events this year - taking the pulse of owners and operators from Bangkok to Da Nang and now here in Kuala Lumpur - one overarching reality is clear: Asian golf is moving out of its recovery posture and stepping into a confident era of professionalization, data adoption, and modern club management.

When 200 industry leaders invest the time to convene, debate, and share operational playbooks without gatekeeping, the entire region wins. The bar has officially been raised. I look forward to building on these conversations and seeing many familiar faces across the region in 2027.

Videos from event: