Enhancement of Amateur Golf Internationally
The HKGA believes that golf clubs in Hong Kong provide golfing facilities not only for their members but also for the general golfing public, the many overseas visitors that come to the SAR, as well as the development of Hong Kong’s amateur golf internationally. In comparison, Hong Kong’s five golf clubs have 189 golf holes for our population while Singapore has at least 378 holes for theirs.
The clubs also support the Hong Kong squads – the men’s, ladies’ and junior teams that represent Hong Kong internationally – with regular access in order to practice and prepare for tournaments, which has led to considerable success at events around the world. Driving ranges, too, play their part by allowing HKGA squads further facilities to practice but with the closing down of many driving ranges, it will be even more important for the golf clubs to take up the shortage of these facilities.
The HKGA has no facilities of its own and must rely on all golf clubs and driving ranges whether private or public to support its mission in training and coaching players for Hong Kong. The HKGA squad, which currently consists of mostly juniors, has 110 members. Some like Michelle Cheung, the 2013 Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur champion, have received scholarships to study abroad because of golf while others like Eva Yoe, Liu Lok Tin, Wong Woon Man to name a few were members before turning professional.
With golf’s newly acquired status as an Olympic sport, the need for Hong Kong golfers to have the facilities to play and practice and to compete is as vital now as it has ever been.
The Fanling Site – The Only Venue for the Hong Kong Open
The Fanling site has hosted numerous HKGA amateur tournaments over the years and more importantly, has been home to the Hong Kong Open since 1959. The Hong Kong Open is a co-sanctioned tournament between the Asian and European Tours and is the oldest professional sporting event in Hong Kong. Logistics are crucial in staging an international event of this magnitude, and Fanling has the space to ensure that this extremely popular event is smoothly run. The spectator experience at the Hong Kong Open is second to none which explains why the number of golf fans – from both home and abroad – increases every year.
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