The Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS), the longest running summit on the business of golf is now in its thirteenth year and it is only fitting that it is headed to one of the Planet’s oldest civilisation – INDIA!
India is no stranger to golf when you consider that it is home to the Royal Calcutta Golf Club which was established in 1829 and is the oldest golf club in India and the first outside Britain. This is some testimony to golf and to India.
Against this backdrop, the staging of APGS 2019 is both historic and a milestone. The Summit could not have asked for a more colourful and historic setting than India which offers a spectacular tapestry of rich and exotic culture and tradition that spans a period of more than 5,000 years.
Unlike past Summits, APGS 2019 aims to look at the future of golf through the prism of the vision and wisdom of an ancient land with the hope of drawing new inspiration to guide the industry forward into the future.
The paradox of India is that while it is wrapped up in a mythical veil of magical wonder dating back to centuries, it is also a nation that is right in the midst of the 21st century and actively making major contributions towards modern civilisation. It possesses the hunger and drive to embrace what is new and to drive current trends in all walks of life to new heights.
It is this vibrance that prompted APGS 2019 to select India to be the venue for the Summit.
“We have considered India as a possible venue since 2012 but we did not have the fortitude to take on the challenge of staging APGS in a nation as vast and diverse as India,” said Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner and producer of APGS. “We believe that we have a venue and a country that is going to lead the thrust and growth of golf in Asia and together with China and the rest of Asia, we will see a whole new world centre for golf emerge in the not too distant future,” declared Sebastian.
India is already a force especially in professional golf with the likes of early pioneers like Jeev Milka Singh and Arjun Atwal who took Indian golf to the world stage. Arjun has gone down in history as the first Indian who earned full playing rights on the PGA Tour and won a tournament on that Tour. He was also the first man to win over US$1 million on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit in 2003. Collectively, Atwal together with Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur and Shubhankar Sharma have demonstrated to the world that the second world’s most populous nation in the world has the pedigree and the game to play host to APGS 2019.
The venue for APGS 2019 will be the stunning cyber-city of Gurugram which serves as a spectacular show-piece of the new face of India. It is also the home to DLF Golf & Country Club, the nation’s foremost golf club and arguably amongst the best in the world.
The show-dates will be in the last week of October and the first week of November 2019 and will be confirmed in early March.
“We can assure you that in keeping to the true form of APGS, we will unveil some of the industry’s biggest names and the programme will feature a fascinating blend of new speakers and some of the favourite stalwarts of the Summit,” said Sebastian.
According to Sebastian, while there is an official Summit hotel, the luxurious Taj City Centre Hotel, the Summit proper will be staged on the sprawling gardens of the DLF Golf Club. “A giant air-conditioned marquee tent will be constructed, complete with sophisticated sound and lighting systems and it will be the setting for APGS 2019 – it will be the first time that the Summit will actually be staged in and on a golf course,” Sebastian pointed out.
A full infrastructure will be assembled to address all the needs of delegates and with DLF playing host, international delegates can look forward to a splendid “Maharajah’s” experience. Their aim is to stage the ‘biggest and the best’ Summit to date!
The theme for APGS 2019 will be centred around “A 5G – Mindset For Golf’s Future”. It is analogous to the mind-numbing disruptive changes that the much awaited 5G technology is going to bring to the world. What is happening in the telco industry sets the stage on why and how the golf industry needs to adapt and cope with the hyper change that is looming!
The Summit will draw experts from all over the world and their prime focus will be to share proven best practices in the field of golf club and golf course management and like in the past, APGS 2019, will show-case leading edge know-how designed to help Asian operators to be the best that they can be!
Besides the Summit, India will also play host to the grand 20th Anniversary of the prestigious ASIAN GOLF AWARDS, the industry’s version of the ‘Oscars’. The Asian Golf Awards on-line poll will be activated on April 1, 2019 and will be “live” for three months.
THE BOLD DECISION has been taken and with the pace of golf course development hitting a frenetic pace in China, South Korea, Vietnam and India, there has never been a better time for the golf industry to come together and prepare for a road map to make Asia the new home of golf in the world!
The official web site of APGS 2019 will be going “live” on March 20, 2019 and you can check it out at http://www.golfconference.org/
India is all set to welcome you for a wonderful and colourful experience like no other! Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAD9uO9YAQw