For many years, the Asian Tour has included golf courses from across the continent under the umbrella of its “Destinations” program, which demonstrates that these venues are suitable and capable of hosting competitions of international standards, with the corresponding facilities and maintenance.
It provides the Tour with a uniformed playing field and benefits for the course as who can advertise that they are part of the Asian Tour’s network of destinations and are at an international championship level. Classic Golf & Country Club near Gurgaon has been an ATD course for the past few years.
Recently, BRG Danang Golf Resort, hosting the Asian Development Tour for the first time in Vietnam, has become a member of ADT. The site has two 18-hole courses, one designed by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, and is Vietnam’s addition to the ATD, which now has 13 courses.
“This is an important step in the development of our relationship with BRG Danang Golf Resort,” said Ken Kudo, Deputy Director of Partnerships for the Asian Tour. “This is an outstanding resort, one of the best in Vietnam and a truly valued partner for the Asian Tour in everything we do in Vietnam and we are delighted to be able to connect with our brand through them Help them achieve their goals.
Partnering with ATD enables golf clubs to enjoy a range of branding and marketing advantages, and benefit from increased dialogue and networking with other members, each proven to be Tour-caliber and capable of operating a wide range of year-round Facilities and services ready for the game.
Golfers on the Asian Tour will also be able to play and practice at each course, allowing members of each club to enjoy direct contact with the region’s best golfers, a statement said.
“It is an honor to be selected as an Asian tourism destination. We are proud to be part of a successful professional golf tournament and to be selected by players and tour officials,” said Nguyen Thi Nga of BRG Group and owner of BRG Da Nang Golf Resort An excellent list of international courses for top golf destinations. “
“BRG Danang Golf Resort is a world-class facility with 36 holes designed by Nicklaus Design and Greg Norman. It is the venue where we host and title sponsor the BRG Golf Open, an Asian Development Tour events, we are now committed to working closely with Asian Tour destinations.”
Chinese teenager Chen Guxin won the BRG Open last September, beating Filipino Lloyd Jefferson Go, and last month the Asian Tour visited Vietnam for the first time in seven years to host an international championship. In the Vietnam series, Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe won.
Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore was the first to join ATD, followed by Black Mountain Golf Club, Laguna Phuket Golf Club and Aquila Golf and Country Club in Thailand; Classic Golf and Country Club in New Delhi, India; Kota Permai Golf & Country Club and Horizon n Hills Golf & Country Club, both in Malaysia; Laguna Golf Lăng Cô, Vietnam; Parahyangan Golf in Indonesia; and Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Sapporo Country Club and Northern Country Golf Club have also been looking to make the most of their partnership with the ATD roster after recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As well as focusing on growth in overseas visitor numbers, the two venues are also gearing up to host major professional games in the coming months. From June 29 to July 2, Northern Country Golf Club will host the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Saga Sami Cup organized by the Japan Golf Tour.
Makomani Country Club, affiliated to Sapporo Country Club, will host the Minebea Mitsumi Women’s Hokkaido Shimbun Cup Japan LPGA Tour from July 6th to 9th. The two clubs believe that the partnership with ATD will help increase their profile in the region and, in turn, attract more international visitors.
“We are delighted to be part of the ADT network,” said a spokesman for Northern Country Golf Club, whose course was designed by Japanese golf legend Isao Aoki more than three decades ago. “As well as having more than 700 members, we also hope to see more golfers from overseas come to play on our courses,” the spokesperson added.
For its part, Sapporo Country Club has 81 holes spread across three different locations. On the outskirts of Sapporo is the 36-hole Makomanai Country Club, while the 27-hole Takino Country Club is a little further away. The 18-hole Sheep Hill Country Club, just 10 kilometers from central Sapporo, is the most accessible of the three locations.
According to the General Manager of Sapporo Country Club, joining ATD is beneficial in many ways. “Since joining ATD, the level of travel agent interest in our club has increased, which has had a positive impact on the number of bookings. It has also made our employees proud and motivated,” he said.
“The Asian Tour Destination Network consists of fantastic golf courses in various countries. We are delighted to be part of it and through our partnership with ATD we look forward to further promoting our clubs in the region,” he was quoted as saying in an Asian Tour statement .
