The Bridgestone Asean Amateur Open 2018

Held at the picturesque Palm Springs Golf & Country Club, Batam

After the tremendous success of the inaugural event held at the Sembawang Country Club in Singapore last year, this year’s Bridgestone Asean Amateur Open was held on the 29th of April at the beautiful resort course of Palm Springs Golf & Country Club located in Batam Indonesia, just a quick ferry ride away from Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.

The General Manager of Palm Springs Country Club (Batam) Pak Steven Japari was instrumental in bringing this event to his doorstep. The response for the event was overwhelming, with golfers from around the region namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore participating.

Golf Asia recently sat down with Mr. Rajan of Ayanex Golf, who after delivering on his promise made last year by bringing back the event in 2018, shares with us the vision and purpose of the Bridgestone Asean Amateur Open, setting his sights on creating a brand name standing above the rest, and also expanding the operations of Ayanex Golf.

GA: Congratulations on yet another successful tournament! Do you have a secret formula to making the Bridgestone Asean Amateur Open so popular or was it just simply, your smile?

AG: Bridgestone is already a reputable, iconic and internationally renowned brand, especially now with Tiger Woods as the Brand Ambassador. This has enabled us to have a greater outreach and awareness of the brand, hence the tournament’s popularity.

GA: There is a slight but pretty noteworthy change in the name of the tournament from last year, the word “Asean” has been added in 2018, care to share the significance?

AG: Last year we started with Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. This year Indonesia (Batam), Vietnam and Cambodia joined us. Thus, the word “Asean” was more appropriate to describe and showcase the scale of the tournament. Each country will also hold regional qualifiers for the Bridgestone International Finals at Kuala Lumpur to be held at a later date.

GA: Was the tournament opened to the golfing public again this year?

AG: Yes, the tournament was organised in partnership with Prestige Golf / Ayanex Golf to bring our dealers together. This platform also provided us with the opportunity to socialise and mingle with the wholesalers, members and the public.

GA: And were all participants given the opportunity to try out the latest golf balls from Bridgestone?

AG: Definitely, the prerequisite was that all participants had to use Bridgestone golf balls during the tournament. Because we are very confident with the quality and performance of Bridgestone products, that is why we wanted all participants to get to know the technical aspects of the Bridgestone balls and what better way than to get them to try the golf balls out on the course and under tournament conditions no less.

GA: Are there any plans to bring this tournament to a global scale, where winners from each region or country gets an invite to a world final?

AG: Yes, there are. For now each region has its own ongoing promotional activities to expand on the Bridgestone Brand, with the upcoming Singapore Bridgestone Asean Amateur being scheduled for Friday the 3rd of August at the Sembawang Country Club.

GA: Besides the Bridgestone Asean Amateur Open, what other events has Ayanex Golf been involved in, either as a sponsor or organiser?

AG: We were involved in the recently concluded LPGA Tour tournament, the HSBC Women's World Championship, which was held at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore. In that ever-popular signature event, Bridgestone was the official golf ball of the tournament.

GA: The performance gaps between the different golf balls in the market have certainly narrowed, so how does Bridgestone Golf differentiate its ball offerings from the rest?

AG: The strategy is quite simple actually, the goal is to produce high quality products that the average golfer can leverage on to enhance the enjoyment and ultimately, to play better golf.

GA: We know Tiger Woods now uses Bridgestone golf balls and his recent appearances in the major tournaments have certainly brought back the buzz and crowds, so how much of the “Tiger-factor” has been translated to the retail front, are there more people buying Bridgestone golf balls?

AG: Bridgestone being an iconic brand and with Tiger Woods on board as an ambassador, has definitely turned the spotlight onto the brand. This in-turn has certainly helped enhance sales output, and especially so when Tiger himself choses to use Bridgestone golf balls.

GA: The retail front is still challenging, how has Ayanex Golf faired so far?

AG: We started out as a retailer initially, gaining a positive reputation over the years and through this, we have built a loyal following of customers. We’re now developing and growing the company into the role of a distributor for brands such as Bridgestone, Nippon Shaft and Muta Special (named after the late Mr Muta Yasumori Founder, Inventor and President of Daiwa Golf Company Limited).

Our goal is for Ayanex Golf to be a full-service golf equipment company with the ability to provide turn-key services for all companies or golfers looking for the best quality products, higher visibility and better brand representation.

GA: Besides golf balls, Bridgestone Golf has quite a selection of golf clubs as well, any plans to bring them into Singapore?

AG: Yes certainly, we have plans to bring them into the market. Bridgestone Golf has a full-suite of quality and high-performing irons, drivers, woods, hybrids, wedges, putters along with a full complement of accompanying accessories including golf bags, gloves and caps as well.

GA: So, can we expect the Bridgestone Asean Amateur Open next year as well?

AG: Yes, definitely!