Dr Brian Choa, HKGA chairman of Rules and Decisions, and Candi Anna Chan led the highly informative and entertaining rules theory section of the seminar before the 60-plus attendees adjourned to the first hole of the New Course for the practical on-course portion of the day.
Afterwards, many of the participants sat the R&A Level 1 accreditation exam, making the HKGA the first governing body in Asia to offer the accreditation using locally-qualified referees as instructors.
Hong Kong rules officials are international recognised and many have refereed at European and Asian Tour events.
The attendees included James Sun, managing director of Charles Schwab, Hong Kong, Ltd. The US financial services giant, title sponsor of the event, has a long and distinguished association with golf and Sun, an active golfer himself, oversaw the proceedings with enthusiasm.
"Chuck Schwab [the founder and chairman] is a very good player and taking up the game is very much encouraged at our company," said Sun, who has been with Charles Schwab for 14 years.
"There are many connections between investing and golf, especially on the mental side: the ability to control your emotions is crucial in both. And naturally, you have to respect the rules, which is why we at Charles Schwab were keen to be involved and support this important day."
