Bangkok--31 Oct--Royal Cliff Hotels Group & PEACH
Pattaya, Thailand (October 30): Among an elite group of just 16 players to have won both the US Open and the British Open, Tony Jacklin will lead the call for change at the fifth edition of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit.
Jacklin arrived in the Thai coastal resort of Pattaya this morning and is joined from October 31 to November 2 by American tennis legend Jimmy Connors and a host of senior members from the golfing industry.
“Everything is perfectly normal in Pattaya,” said Mike Sebastian, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner and producer of the Summit. “Pattaya is not Bangkok. Pattaya is two hours away from the capital city. It is safe. The international airport is safe. The super highway connecting the international airport is safe.
“Many of the delegates have already been here for a couple of days and everyone is impressed with the set-up here at the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Royal Cliff Hotels Group. Our conferences have already signed on some 500 delegates and we expect more last minute registrations.”
Along with fellow golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, England’s Jacklin, who also distinguished himself as a non-playing captain in the Ryder Cup, has consistently been among the game’s seemingly diminishing voices of reason still to be heard — and listened to.
At a time when golf is increasingly under siege, Nicklaus, Player and Jacklin have not only retained their enthusiasm but also a firm belief that it’s not too late to reverse declining golfing trends. At past stagings of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit, Nicklaus and Player have received heartfelt standing ovations for their appeals to the authorities to take action to cut back the distance the golf ball travels.
Yet their pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears, directly resulting in many great old courses becoming obsolete and many new courses stretching to more than 7,000 yards. Jacklin, too, has strong views when it comes to the direction in which the game is headed — and has pledged to shoot from the hip when he makes his Asia Pacific Golf Summit debut on the opening day of this year’s gathering.
Along with a presentation from Connors, Jacklin’s appearance will be one of the highlights of what is shaping up to be a fascinating three-day conference focusing on the Challenge of Change.
Also featuring during the Asia Pacific Golf Summit will be English motivational speaker Bill Sanderson, TaylorMade-adidas Golf (USA) Executive Vice President John Kawaja, SNAG Golf President Terry Anton and Mizuno’s Global Director of Research and Development Masao Nagai.
From Thailand, Thai Country Club’s TW Hughes, Black Mountain Golf Club’s Harald Ellison, Banyan Golf Club’s Stacey Walton and Chai Phornprapha, Managing Director of Siam Golf and Country Club, are all among the speakers.
During the course of the week, there will also be contributions from 18-time Major champion Nicklaus, nine-time Major winner Player and coaching guru Hank Haney via video feeds.
The Honourable Itthipol Kunplome, Mayor of Pattaya City, and Pornsit Sriratthaikul, President of the Thai Golf Course Association, are the event’s Patrons.
The week-long activities are being sponsored and supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) and Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).
THAILAND ‘GOLF HUB OF ASIA’ EVENT DATES 2011
?Asia Pacific Golf Summit |October 31-November 2|
?Golf Course Superintendents of Asia Summit |October 31-November 2|
?ASEAN Golf Tourism Forum |November 3|
?PGA Conference of Asia |November 3-4|
?Southeast Asia and India Golf Merchandise Exposition (SEAIGME) |November 4-6|
For further information, please contact Spencer Robinson at
[email protected]