Magazine - AGM Annual Awards Are Out - Programme Expands To Cover Australia And NZ

By Press Release in Golf on 28th Dec 2009 6:00

As Peter Thomson stepped onto the stage, prolonged applause reverberated around the grand ballroom at the Palace of the Golden Horses. It was a poignant moment, not only for the five-time British Open champion, but also for the historic Royal Melbourne Golf Club – and the Asian Golf Monthly Awards.

For the first time since the region’s most prestigious golf club awards were inaugurated in 2000, and in commemoration of its 10th anniversary, the geographic reach of the Asian Golf Monthly Awards was extended to include Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands.

And the votes flooded in for Royal Melbourne’s fabled West Course which duly earned the accolade as the Best Course in Asia Pacific.

Located just south of the main urbanised area of Melbourne, the West Course has been rated as high as fifth best in the world in various polls and was the venue for the Presidents Cup in 1998 when the International Team defeated the might of America, with Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama playing a starring role.

And the captain of the International Team on that occasion? Yes, none other than the aforementioned Thomson, who also served as the club’s professional for many years and is now a senior member. “I’m honoured to accept this award on behalf of Royal Melbourne,” said Thomson, following the Gala Dinner in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, also attended by golfing greats Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

In total, the 2009 Asian Golf Monthly Awards included 24 categories. These were made up of 10 which covered the Asia-Pacific region as well as 14 individual country segments, an increase of two from 2008 with the addition of Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, what were previously ‘Best in Asia’ categories became ‘Best in Asia-Pacific’ – Best Course; Best Championship Course; Best Golf Resort; Best Clubhouse; Best New Course; Best Maintained Course; Best Pro-Shop, Best Course Renovation, Best Course Architect and Golf Personality of the Year.

As in previous years, it was left entirely to the discretion of the readers to vote for their top-three favourites in each of the categories.

The only two categories for which criteria for eligibility were applied were Best Championship Course and Best New Course.

To be eligible for the Best Championship Course category, nominated clubs had to have hosted a notable championship – professional or amateur – in the 24 months to the end of 2009, or since the start of 2008.

Parameters of time also existed in the Best New Course category. Simply put, courses in this segment could be no more than two years old as of the end of 2009 or, to put it another way, were opened on January 1, 2008 or later.

The accolades for the Best Course Renovation in Asia Pacific and Golf Personality of the Year were determined by a panel of golf industry experts from around the region.

The awards were voted for by readers of Asian Golf Monthly, with more than 20,000 votes being cast on-line at www.asiangolfdaily.com and www.asiangolfmonthly.com – an increase of more than 30 per cent on the number of votes cast in 2008.

ASIAN GOLF MONTHLY AWARDS
BEST IN ASIA PACIFIC WINNERS 2009

BEST COURSE Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West Course)
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE Sheshan International Golf Club
BEST GOLF RESORT Mission Hills Resort
BEST CLUBHOUSE Thai Country Club
BEST NEW COURSE The Banyan Golf Club
BEST MAINTAINED COURSE Siam Country Club (Plantation Course)
BEST PRO-SHOP Mission Hills Golf Club
BEST COURSE RENOVATION Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (West Course)
BEST GOLF COURSE ARCHITECT Nicklaus Design
GOLF PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR Brian Curley

COUNTRY-BY-COUNTRY WINNERS 2009

AUSTRALIA Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West Course)
CHINA Spring City Golf & Lake Resort (Mountain Course)
CHINESE TAIPEI Miramar Golf & Country Club (‘A’ Course)
INDIA DLF Golf & Country Club
INDONESIA Damai Indah Golf – Bumi Serpong Damai Course
JAPAN Shishido Hills Country Club (West Course)
KOREA Sky 72 Golf Club (Ocean Course)
MALAYSIA Kota Permai Golf & Country Club
NEW ZEALAND Kauri Cliffs
PHILIPPINES Mt Malarayat Golf & Country Club
SINGAPORE Tanah Merah Country Club (Garden Course)
SUB-CONTINENT Victoria Golf & Country Resort
THAILAND Thai Country Club
VIETNAM Dalat Palace Golf Club

*For top-10 results in each of the categories check out the January 2010 edition of Asian Golf Monthly

Read more articles in Golf, by Press Release or from December 2009.