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DON'T PANIC - THE GOLF BIZ CAN BE BETTER

There are many ways to beat a dull economy. It's just a matter of good service and humanization 

One month ago, I attended an event organized by Vin Sporting House - distributors for Mitsubishi Rayon and Aldila shafts.

Guests comprised mainly key retailers and custom fitters.

After Mr. Katsunori Nakashima, the assistant  manager of Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. for Carbon Fiber & Composite Materials Division (Graphite Shafts Department) concluded his briefing, and answering eager questions from the usual media suspects, the event became a reunion of sorts.

Most of the guys and gals present that day are passionate industry leaders and loyal staff to companies that have ridden some of the wildest waves and bumpiest rides to grow this game.

Some I have known and shook hands with for nearly 16 years.

With the implementation of the GST, all of us are experiencing its effect on consumer spending.

It is a new type of challenge.

"Why is this happening bro," one buddy asked.

I replied that it was a phenomenon affecting every industry.

I said there are so many variables apart from the GST. Politics, business ethics and the thing that is missing in Malaysians and people these days - RESPECT for one another.

You see it lacking on the roads. Its also lacking in the golf industry.

Somehow, there are a handful of "bad apples" in the business who love nothing more than cheap talk and backstabbing. Maybe its upbringing.

Talk is cheap as the saying goes and I hope these "industry leader" wannabees use their energy much more productively.

'Be Professional'. Please.

But there were still smiles and camaraderie from those present that day.

They were there to support their host and friend Sukhvinder Singh whom I was told started his company in 2002.

Like them, he too have "driven" along some of the bumpiest roads of the golf business.

The journey has not ended for most of us.

The atmosphere was nostalgic and the poignancy brought back fond memories when I joined the custom fitting and retail business in 2000.

Many that were present there are great friends and allies I knew from then.

Like me, they joined the business because of the great passion we have for the game.

We had no clue where this great love would take us. We just got on with the job and had great respect for each other.

At the post-event party in Bangsar, my former boss Nathan Hauser of JNG Golf showed up. "Hey dirty Ho!" was his usual greeting.

Over the din from some of the loudest characters of the business, it was only natural that Nathan and I talked about the good times.

We shared with others on the trials and tribulations we went through just to build the company.

We laughed at the countless weekend demos nationwide that we had to do in my old Proton Saga Iswara that had a leaking boot when it rained - there was always a club towel or two to wipe the loft and lie machine dry.

And, we related the crucial need to be able to hit the ball dead straight at demos just to convince people that custom fitting was not a scam.

We also laughed about how I got a stomach upset from licking stamps for a makeshift newsletter that we mailed out monthly to our small database.

There was no allocated A & P budgets. Heck, there were times that we didn't even have dough to re-order shaft stock.

We learnt ways to market the company, to educate golfers on benefits from custom fitting.

We sent out greeting cards, gave complimentary analysis, got into exhibitions and basically reached out to the consumer.

Timing was also a great factor for us. It was probably fate.

Tiger Woods appeared for the first time in Malaysia in 1999 for the World Cup at the Mines and it was the new millennium.

The country was enjoying a booming economy and golf was a sport to play. Everyone wanted their kid to be a Tiger.

We also had people that believed in us. Companies that understood that we shared one common goal - not to fail.

The Malaysian Golf Association then had A.S. Khamis in charge as Hon. Secretary.

He had great knowledge in the game and knew that custom fitting could help the national team.

Our work with Shaaban Hussin, Airil Rizman, S. Sivachandran and Sahal Saedin saw the boys win the Team Gold Medal in the 2001 SEA Games.

The boys in the Asian Tour were very supportive too.

My ex-colleagues, mentors and brothers in the press were instrumental to our success and I will never forget them.

There are too many to name but the print space you gave us, and the education to consumers I will never forget.

I just hope that the fitting sessions by Nathan and his then-partner James Nichols helped improve your game.

It has been a great journey so far from the days when I first reported for work in that small shop in Kuchai Lama.

Was it all worth it?

You damn right it was.



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