Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National

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Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
Club Champions
           Crowned
Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director
               Festive Dining • Maintenance Update

                     October to December 2018
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
LAGUNA NATIONAL
FIVE-YEAR TERM MEMBERSHIP
Enjoy limited time offer at $45,000*
• Full golfing privileges at Laguna National's two world-class courses.
• Spouse and children (below 21 years of age) included under
  the membership with no additional fees.
• Invite up to three guests for golfing.
• Enjoy member prices at our award-winning restaurant, The Nest.
• Access international reciprocal clubs.
• Preferred rates at Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore Resort Hotel.

*Subject to GST

For your personalised consultation, please contact our Senior Membership Manager,
Maggie Tuya at +65 6248 1706 or maggie.tuya@lagunanational.com
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
Contributors                                                               Welcome to the Family
Patrick Bowers                               Spencer Robinson                            We would like to extend a warm Lagunian welcome
With more than 25 years of experience,       Having cut his journalistic teeth in        to our new Members who have recently joined us.
Patrick has managed 60 high-end              England, Spencer arrived in Hong
clubs across 30 countries and 5 con-         Kong in 1984 to assume an editorial
tinents. His career highlights include 9     position at the South China Morning
years with IMG where he worked for Ti-       Post. In 2002 he moved to Singapore.
ger Woods and was appointed as Vice          During the course of the past 3 dec-
President of Sports & Golf for Dubai         ades he has been a close observer of
Event Management Corporation by              Asian sport, writing and commentat-                 Vipul Aggarwal                     Nelson Ong
His Highness Sheik Mohammed.                 ing for leading media including ESPN         His Excellency Ahn Young-jip            Tomotaka Ota
                                             and Fox Sports.                                    Aaron Geng Chao                       Ken Rizvi
                                                                                            Steven Chen Guo Dong         His Excellency Dr Ulrich A. Sante
                                                                                                 Aneesh Dudeja                      Jujhar Singh
Yeany Tan                                    Jack Ng
                                                                                                Michael Gallagher                  Fergus Smith
Prior to taking up her post as Golf          Laguna National’s very own marathon
                                                                                                  Tetsuro Ishiura                   Benson Sun
Operations and Member Services               man! Jack completed his first mara-
                                                                                                     Chris Kao                     Tan Lih Woei
Manager at Laguna National late last         thon last year in Japan – and is now
                                                                                                    Angelia Lim                Fumitake Tominami
year, Yeany’s golfing career had seen        training for future challenges. He also
                                                                                                    Danny Luo                        Lucas Tran
her spend time living in Malaysia,           brings to life Laguna Lifestyle with his
                                                                                                Shinya Matsunaga                    Willy Wang
Australia, the United States and Abu         inventive graphic design. Born and
                                                                                               Shinkichi ‘Mike’ Miki             Shoji Washiyama
Dhabi. Yeany was a stalwart of the           brought up in Malaysia, Jack is in his
                                                                                                   Toshio Nitta                  Matsukawa Yang
women’s golf team at the University          fourth year with Laguna National hav-
                                                                                               Fujisawa Nobuyoshi                  Zhang Yushan
of Michigan from where she gradu-            ing previously worked as a graphic
ated in 2011.                                designer at The Pines.

Dr Jay-Lee Nair                              Mark Bates
Based in Singapore, Jay-Lee is a sports      A PGA of Canada professional, Mark
psychologist with Mental Notes Con-          has over 20 years’ experience in the
sulting. During her college days in the      golf industry and is a self-proclaimed
United States she played NCAA Division       ‘Golf Nut’ who lives, eats and breathes
I golf with academic All-American hon-       golf. Mark has dedicated his career to
ours. A Laguna National member, Jay-         growing the game of golf. His passion
Lee is passionate about helping young        for teaching the game and enhancing
golfers to achieve their full potential in   enjoyment of the ‘golf experience’ can
both golf and studies.                       only be described as infectious.

Mark Isley                                   Stephen moriatry
Mark started his career in Florida and       An experienced British PGA-qualified
now boasts 34 years of experience in         Professional and Leadbetter Senior
maintaining and managing high-pro-           Certified Instructor with a proven track
file golf courses, private golf clubs        record of establishing, developing and
and major golf tournaments. For the          growing the Leadbetter brand in new
past 26 years, Mark has made Asia            locations, Englishman Stephen Moriarty
his home with extended stints in Bali        enjoyed spells in Korea and Indonesia
and Bintan before joining Laguna Na-         before assuming responsibility for the
tional as Director of Agronomy and           setting up and running of the Leadbet-
Project Manager.                             ter Golf Academy at Laguna National.
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
Highlights                                                                                                                                  contents
                                             October to December 2018                                                                                                                  October to December 2018

                                                                          10
                                                                                          WORTHY CLUB CHAMPIONS
                                                                                          Inclement weather may have cast a dark
                                                                                          cloud over the opening weekend of Laguna

   14
                                                                                          National’s 2018 Club Championship. But there
                                                                                          was no denying the deserved triumphs of
                                                                                          Sean Lee and Michelle Bang Mi-kyung.

                                                                          34
  SINGAPORE’S TOUGHEST TEST                                                               VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY!
  The rating of the Classic Course has been                                               Firmly established as one of Southeast
  completed, reviewed and finalised by the                                                Asia’s premier golfing venues, Hong Kong’s
                                                                                                                                            Laguna National's Club Championship category winners in 2018 (from left to right): Sean Lee, Law Khim Huat, Michelle Bang Mi-kyung
  Singapore Golf Association, confirming                                                  Discovery Bay Golf Club is a perennial            and Poh Yee Tiong.
  the layout’s standing as a true test for                                                favourite among Laguna National Members
  the best.                                                                               visiting the former British colony.
                                                                                                                                            CLUB                                           28 July Medal: Lee Leaves Rivals Trailing      47 Chef's Recommendations

                                                                                                                                            10 Cover Story: Laguna National 2018 		        29 August Medal: Stars Align for Tay           48 Wine & Bottle Promotions
                                                                                                                                                Club Championship                              and Cher
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          49 Get Into the Festive Spirit!
                                                                                                                                            14 Classic Course Rating                       PRIVILEGE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          51 Chilean Wine Dinner
                                                                                                                                            18 Maintenance Update: Mark Isley              34 Voyage of Discovery: Discovery Bay
                                                                                                                                                                                               Golf Club                                  REGULARS
                                                                                                                                            PEOPLE
                                                                                                                                                                                           38 Mental Approach: Dr Jay-Lee Nair            03 Welcome to the Laguna Family
                                                                                                                                            22 Stephen Moriarty, Leadbetter Golf
                                                                                                                                                Academy Director                           40 Limiting Green-Reading Materials            07 Editor’s Message:

  46
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Spencer Robinson
                  WHAT’S NEW IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE                                                                                           24 Leadbetter Golf Academy:                    42 Titleist Launches TS Drivers
                  An array of special dining promotions will                                                                                    Back to Basics                                                                            32 The Global Game
                  be on offer at The Nest during the final                                                                                                                                 DINING
                  quarter of 2018 heading into the Festive                                                                                  27 19th Singapore National Amateur                                                            37 Calendar of Events
                  Season.                                                                                                                       Championship                               46 What's New in F&B

Front Cover: Sean Lee and Michelle Bang Mi-kyung emerged victorious in Laguna National’s 2018 Club Championship. Picture by Ranndie Seah.
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
Club Directory                                                                   Message from the Editor
Hotel Mainline                     Membership
                                                                                                         E   ach year since Laguna Na-
                                                                                                             tional Golf & Country Club’s
                                                                                                                                               ed States, Michelle fell awkward-
                                                                                                                                               ly and suffered a badly broken
                                                                                                                                                                                     in its reduction from 54 holes to
                                                                                                                                                                                     36, there was unanimous praise
                                                                                                                                                                                     for Mark Isley, Laguna National’s
                                   Services
                                                                                                         inception, the Club Champion-         left arm. By her own admission,
T 6542 6888                                                                                              ship has been among the high-         it’s been a long and frustrating      Director of Agronomy, and his
                                   T 6248 1670                                                           lights on our annual calendar.        recovery that has severely re-        team at the conditioning of both
Golf Booking                       membership@lagunanational.com                                                                               stricted the amount of golf she       the Classic and Masters courses.
                                                                     Patrick Bowers
T 6248 1777 | 778 | 779                                                                                  This year was no exception with       has played.
                                   Membership
                                                                     Managing Director & CEO
clubconcierge@lagunanational.com                                                                         almost 60 Members signing up for                                            Those plaudits were echoed by
                                   Accounts                          Lionel Roberts                      the chance to write their names                                             Jerome Ng, General Manager at

Corporate Events &                 T 6248 1723                       Club Manager                        into the Club’s history books.              Many thanks to                  the Singapore Golf Association
                                                                     lionel.roberts@lagunanational.com                                                                               (SGA). Following the successful
Banquets (Social/Hotel)            finance@lagunanational.com
                                                                                                         As we highlight in this latest is-
                                                                                                                                                   Laguna National
                                                                                                                                                                                     staging of the 19th Singapore
T 6248 1782                                                          Ng Jin Tong                         sue of Laguna Lifestyle, both the
                                                                                                                                                    for hosting this                 National Amateur Championship
tiffany.ong@dusit.com
                                   Food & Beverage                   Finance Director                    Men’s and Ladies Champion-                  year’s exciting                 over the Masters Course, he said:
                                   T 6248 1674                       jintong.ng@lagunanational.com                                                     Singapore
                                                                                                         ships provided the usual quota                                              “Many thanks to Laguna Nation-
Corporate Events &                 kevin.ling@lagunanational.com     Mark Bates                          of thrills and spills … as well as       National Amateur                   al for hosting this year’s exciting
Banquets (Golf)                                                      Director of Golf Operations         2 worthy winners with contrast-            Championship                     championship and to the green-

T 6248 1761                        The Nest                          mark.bates@lagunanational.com       ingly heart-warming stories.
                                                                                                                                                      … and to the                   keeping staff for preparing the
                                                                                                                                                                                     Masters Course in pristine condi-
shasa.chang@dusit.com              T 6248 1711                       Mark Isley                          Congratulations to Sean Lee
                                                                                                                                                  greenkeeping staff                 tions through the week.”
                                   7.00 am to 10.00 pm               Director of Agronomy                and Michelle Bang Mi-kyung on             for preparing the
Corporate &                        thenest@lagunanational.com
                                                                     mark.isley@lagunanational.com       their respective triumphs.                 Masters Course                   As many of you will now be
Tournament Golf                                                      Rajes Sellappan                                                                   in pristine                   aware, the SGA has reviewed and
T 6248 1780                        Teaching &                        Director of Human Resources         At the tender age of 14, Sean            conditions through                 finalised the rating of the Classic

regine.ubusan@lagunanational.com   Practice Facility                 rajesvari.sellappan@dusit.com       underlined his status as one of
                                                                                                                                                      the week.                      Course. Few will be surprised to
                                                                                                         Singapore’s brightest golfing                                               learn that it remains the most dif-
                                   T 6741 1111 (Main Line)           Kevin Fawkes                        prospects with an emphatic                                                  ficult golf course in Singapore.
Membership                         T 6542 2204 (Management Office)   Culinary Director                   win to secure the first Club              Jerome Ng, SGA
Sales                              T 6542 2200 (Bunker Lounge)       kevin.fawkes@dusti.com              Championship trophy of his                General Manager                   Before your next round there,
T 6248 1706                        T 6542 2201 (Academy Office)      Maggie Tuya
                                                                                                         fledgling career.                                                           you might like to consider
maggie.tuya@lagunanational.com                                       Senior Membership Manager
                                                                                                                                               In the circumstances, her effort      brushing up on your swing at
                                   T 6542 2202 (Flightpath Café)
                                                                     maggie.tuya@lagunanational.com      How many more there will be,          was as much a triumph of guts         Laguna National’s recently-
                                   T 6542 2203 (Golf Shop)                                               only time will tell. Although         and courage as it was of skill – an   opened Teaching and Practice
                                   practiceinfo@lagunanational.com   Yeany Tan                           thoughts of a United States col-      inspirational example for anyone      Facility under the watchful
                                                                     Manager of Golf Operations          lege education followed by a          whose golf game has been af-          eye of Leadbetter Golf Acad-
                                                                     & Member Services                   tilt at the professional game are     fected by injury.                     emy Director Stephen Moriarty
                                                                     yeany.tan@lagunanational.com        starting to form in the mind of                                             and instructors Allen Kelly and
                                                                                                         this talented young man, don’t        As well as Sean and Michelle,         Shinji Fukushima.
                                                                                                         discount the possibility that he      honourable mentions go out to
                                                                                                         could go on to surpass Lian Ai        Poh Yee Tiong and Law Khim
                                                                                                         Huan’s record of 9 Club Champi-       Huat who topped the standings
                                                                                                         onship successes.                     in the Intermediate Champion-         Festive Greetings
                                                                                                         As for Michelle, her third Ladies
                                                                                                                                               ship and Novice Cup respectively.
                                                                                                                                                                                         to all our
                                                                                                         Club Championship success may
                                                                                                         well be the most satisfying of all.
                                                                                                                                               Although poor weather played
                                                                                                                                               havoc with the first weekend of
                                                                                                                                                                                         Members
                                                                                                         Last year while visiting the Unit-    the Club Championship resulting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           7
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
CLUB
                                                                                                           ‘Golf clubs must look at ways of utilising any spare land in
                                                                                                           ways that can complement their existing business. If done
                                                                                                             sympathetically, the existing golf facility and food and
                                                                                                                   beverage operation will benefit and thrive.’

                                                                                                                                  Anonymous

A picturesque view from behind the green at the par-four sixth hole on Laguna National’s Classic Course.
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
10   Club                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Club   11

                       Sean Sets Brisk Pace                                                                               from the Black Tees, a hand-        16 holes in 3-under-par, signing       Describing his father as his
                                                                                                                          ful of accomplished single-         for an even-par 72.                    ‘foundation’, Lee is starting to
                                                                                                                          figure handicappers were lit-                                              look a little further ahead, ad-
              Inclement weather may have cast a dark cloud over the opening                                               erally blown off course, failing    “The courses were in fantas-           mitting to dreams of following
            weekend of Laguna National’s 2018 Club Championship. But there was                                            to break 90. But Lee held firm,     tic condition – as good as any         in the footsteps of his golfing
                                                                                                                          relishing the challenge.            in Singapore,” said Lee, whose         hero Tiger Woods by attend-
            no denying the superiority of a teenage titan who left his rivals flailing                                                                        36-hole aggregate of 147 was           ing Stanford University and pro-
                                    distantly in his wake.                                                                He was the only player not to       12 shots clear of Lim with Dustin      gressing to the PGA Tour.
                                                                                                                          record anything worse than a        Wilburn, the 2007 champion, a
                                                                                                                          bogey, his length and strength      distant third on 166.                  “There is a mentality among
              A    t the age of 14, Sean Lee
                   may not be legally old
              enough to fill the Laguna Na-
                                                  perious display of front-running
                                                  from Lewis Hamilton, not dis-
                                                  similar to the manner in which
                                                                                      has the ability to overpower
                                                                                      courses, as he illustrated with
                                                                                      a brilliant closing, bogey-free,
                                                                                                                          proving key.
                                                                                                                                                              Yet Lee was quick to acknowl-
                                                                                                                                                                                                     some that Singaporeans cannot
                                                                                                                                                                                                     achieve that. But I believe it can
              tional Club Championship tro-       he became Laguna National’s         seven-under-par 65 at the Na-       He was also the only player to      edge that his golfing journey          be done,” said Lee.
              phy with alcohol. Nor is he able    youngest Club champion.             tional Service Resort & Coun-       break 80 and make birdie at the     is just beginning. “I have much
              to take advantage of the perk of                                        try Club’s Kranji Sanctuary Golf    par-4 18th, holing from 25 feet     more to learn about the way to         LEADING SCORES
              a prime parking space that goes                                         Course to finish 15 strokes in      after a solid 5-iron approach.      play different shots and how           Club Championship
              to the Club Championship win-                                           front of his closest challengers    That meant he signed for a          to manage myself on a golf
              ner each year.
                                                            With my                   in the Boys’ Under-16 Division      three-over 75, 7 strokes ahead      course,” said Lee, whose next          147 – Sean Lee 75-72
                                                     length off the tee,              of the Faldo Series Singapore       of second-placed Prasad Gopa-       significant goal is to qualify for     159 – Bryan Lim 83-76
              Yet, the Anglo-Chinese School          I definitely had an              Championship in August.             lan with Matthew Pollard, Au-       the 2019 Asia-Pacific Amateur          166 – Dustin Wilburn 85-81
              (Independent) pupil is quickly          advantage on the                                                    gustin Hwee and 4-time Club         Championship, the winner of            167 – Jonathan Woodward 85-82
                                                                                                                          champion Bryan Lim a further        which is invited to participate        167 – Matthew Pollard 83-84
              becoming accustomed to living          Classic Course.                  Shortly prior to that, Lee had
                                                                                                                          shot back in joint third.           in the following year’s Masters        170 – Prasad Gopalan 82-88
              life in the fast lane.                                                  joined forces with fellow nation-
                                                                                      al squad player Andre Chong                                             Tournament and British Open            171 – Joe Lai Chee Weng 89-82
              As well as excelling in his stud-             Sean Lee                  to take top honours in the Him-     “With my length off the tee,        Championship.                          171 – Cheang Kai Siong 84-87
              ies, the talented teenager has                                          bara World Junior Golf Cham-        I definitely had an advantage
              been an ever-more frequent          Meanwhile, many were echoing        pionships, an event formerly        on the Classic Course,” said
              presence at the top of golfing      the sentiments expressed by         known as the Ciputra World          Lee, playing with a handicap
              leaderboards in 2018.               David Rae after his 38th-hole       Junior Golf Championships.          index of +0.1, but determined
                                                  win over Lee in Laguna Na-                                              to better the +1.9 handicap he
              With a succession of outstanding    tional’s Match Play Champion-       No wonder that he set out as        held in July.
              displays, he has been propelled     ship final last October. “Sean      favourite at the start of Laguna
              into the limelight, confirming      is a fantastic talent – one of      National’s 54-hole Club Cham-       Reconvening at the Masters
              his status as an important and      the best 14-year-olds I’ve seen     pionship with the first and third   Course the following Saturday
              rapidly-improving member of         play golf,” said Rae, after being   rounds scheduled for the Mas-       (September 15), Lee’s place
              the Singapore Golf Association      consistently outdriven by upto      ters Course and the second          at the top of the leaderboard
              (SGA) Development Squad.            70 yards by a player more than      round on the Classic Course.        never came under serious
                                                  40 years his junior.                                                    threat, even if he made a slug-
              Indeed, the chorus of praise                                            With the cancellation of the        gish start.
              surrounding Lee’s prospects         Since then, Lee’s game has          opening round due to heavy
              will grow even louder in the        flourished, the result of count-    rain and lightning activity, the    “I was a little bit nervous and a
              wake of his crowning as Lagu-       less hours at the range and put-    event was reduced to 36 holes.      little stiff,” said Lee, who made
              na National’s Club champion         ting green, as well as a consid-    Further delays and disruptions      bogey at the first and then a
              for 2018 on the third weekend       erable amount of gym work and       on day 2 threw many competi-        double-bogey 7 at the second
              in September.                       endurance swimming.                 tors out of their stride on the     where he uncharacteristically
                                                                                      Classic Course.                     blocked his wedge approach
              Lee was planning to celebrate       “I feel my game is getting                                              from 100 yards into the lake.
              his success by attending the Sin-   better and stronger,” said          Displaying a combination of         That rare error served as a wake-
              gapore Grand Prix with friends      Lee, who averages close to          power and class, Lee was a          up call. He did not drop another
              where he would watch an im-         300 yards with his driver and       glowing exception. Playing          shot and covered the remaining
                                                                                                                                                               Sean Lee unleashes a booming drive en route to winning Laguna National's
                                                                                                                                                               Club Championship.
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
12   Club                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Club   13

                           Back With A Bang!                                                                                                     ing into the final round. Although
                                                                                                                                                 all of those in the chasing pack
                                                                                                                                                 bettered their scores from the
                                                                                                                                                                                             With her victory,
                                                                                                                                                                                          Bang becomes only
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         “Congratulations also to all of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         the participants who endured
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         a test of patience on the first
                                                                                                                                                 Classic Course, Poh was able to                                         2 days. It was not easy out
                                                                                                                                                 stroll home with a stress-free 85.       the fourth player to           there – especially on the Clas-
                 With her triumph in Laguna National’s 2018 Ladies Club                                                                                                                     win the Ladies               sic Course. But now that we
            Championship, Michelle Bang Mi-kyung banished more than a year of                                                                    Meanwhile, the Novice Cup                Club Championship              have two fantastic golf cours-
                            pain and adversity from her mind.                                                                                    turned into a 2-horse race be-                on at least               es it’s important that we use
                                                                                                                                                 tween Law Khim Huat (handi-                                             them both in the Club Cham-
                                                                                                                                                                                          three occasions.
                                                                                                                                                 cap index 17) and Clinton Ang                                           pionship when we determine
                                                                                                                                                 Kim Tuan.                                                               our best players.

             M     ichelle Bang Mi-kyung
                   had endured many demor-
             alising moments since breaking
                                                 That proved to be 8 strokes
                                                 better than her back 9, which in-
                                                 cluded a pair of double-bogeys
                                                                                       She joins Dr Janice Khoo (1996,
                                                                                       2002, 2003) as a 3-time winner
                                                                                       and will now set her sights on
                                                                                                                                                 Ahead by 1 following a steady
                                                                                                                                                 87 on the Classic Course, Law
                                                                                                                                                                                        his nerves down the closing
                                                                                                                                                                                        stretch, which he negotiated
                                                                                                                                                                                        without any major dramas.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         “Although it’s a competitive
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         event, we are mindful that the
             her left arm during a trip to the   and triple-bogeys at the short        emulating Betty Loy Yoke Ping                             kept his nose in front through-                                         Club Championship should
             United States last year.            11th and long 14th.                   (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) and                              out the final round, in spite of a     Mark Bates, Laguna National’s    also be focused on fun and
                                                                                       Christabel Goh (2004, 2005,                               quadruple-bogey 9 at the long          Director of Golf, said: “Con-    camaraderie … and a celebra-
             So bad was the fracture which       With Wendy Lim Hwee Ching             2007, 2008), both of whom en-                             11th. To his credit, he parred         gratulations to the winners of   tion of our golfing champions
             she suffered from a nasty fall      and Edina Szalkai, last year’s        joyed 4 successes.                                        the next 3 holes to steady             all 4 categories.                at all skill levels.”
             that there were times, Bang         runner-up, among 7 players
             admits, when she wondered           within 6 strokes of her lead,         As well as the Club Champion-
             whether she’d be able to play       Bang was not able to take her         ship (handicap index 9.9 and
             golf again.                         foot off the pedal.                   better) and Ladies Club Cham-                             LEADING SCORES
                                                                                       pionship (0 to 24.4), 2 other                             Ladies Championship
             “It’s been very frustrating,”       However, with no major                categories were contested –                               (Handicap Index 0 to 24.4)
             said Korean-born Bang of her        alarms, Bang stood firm, card-        Intermediate     Championship                             168 – Michelle Bang Mi-kyung 88-80
             slow recuperation.                  ing an 8-over 80 on the Mas-          (10 to 16.9) and Novice Cup                               173 – Wendy Lim Hwee Ching 91-82
                                                 ters Course to seal a 5-stroke        (17 to 26.4).                                             176 – Shirley Tan Lee Boon 92-84
             Although she still bears the        success from Lim.                                                                               179 – Park Eun-kyung 93-86
             scars, the mother-of-2, who is                                            In the Intermediate Champion-                             180 – Ho Sim Sim 91-89
             nearing 20 years in Singapore,      With her victory, Bang becomes        ship, Poh Yee Tiong emerged
             felt sufficiently confident with    only the fourth player to win         triumphant with a total of 169.                           Intermediate Championship
             her health and the shape of         the Ladies Club Championship          Thanks to an 84 on the Clas-                              (Handicap Index 10 to 16.9)
             her game to enter Laguna Na-        on at least 3 occasions, having       sic Course, Poh (handicap index                           169 – Poh Yee Tiong 84-85
             tional’s premier Club event,        previously captured the title in      11.3) took control of his destiny,                        176 – Sumit Mahendra 93-83
             which she had been forced to        2013 and 2015.                        opening a 7-stroke cushion head-                          179 – Amos Ho Hin Wai 92-87
             miss last year.                                                                                                                     187 – Yeo Teck Seng 98-89
                                                                                                                                                 191 – Steve Eastman 97-94
             “I’m just pleased to be play-                                                                                                       191 – Andrew Kemp 95-96
             ing again,” said Bang, who
             opened up a 3-stroke lead                                                                                                           Novice Cup
             following an 88 on the Classic                                                                                                      (Handicap Index 17 to 26.4)
             Course, the only sub-90 round                                                                                                       176 – Law Khim Huat 87-89
             among the women.                                                                                                                    180 – Clinton Ang Kim Tuan 88-92
                                                                                                                                                 193 – Ong Qi Heng 99-94
             Nonetheless, it was a topsy-                                                                                                        193 – Tay Kam Kiang 94-99
             turvy round for the 6.7 handi-                                                                                                      194 – Jujhar Singh 96-98
             cap index player, who started
             with back-to-back double-bo-
             geys but then covered the final
             6 holes of the front 9 in 1-un-
             der to turn in 40.                   Michelle Bang receives the Ladies Club Championship trophy from Yeany Tan, Manager
                                                  of Golf Operations and Member Services.                                              Michelle Bang follows the flight of her drive.
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
14   Club                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Club   15

            Singapore’s Toughest Test!                                                                                                par-5 third, the par-4 18th and
                                                                                                                                      the par-4 second.                             The USGA
                                                                                                                                                                                                              “For golfers who are looking
                                                                                                                                                                                                              for a course that is more chal-
                                                                                                                                                                                                              lenging than the White tees
                                                                                                                                      Meanwhile, 3 of the par-3 holes
                                                                                                                                                                               Course Rating                  (6,411 yards), but aren’t profi-
                                                                                                                                      have been designated as being             System is the                 cient enough to play from the
                         The rating of the Classic Course has been completed,                                                                                                  standard upon                  Blue tees, this option will be a
                                                                                                                                      among the 4 ‘easiest’ holes on
                       reviewed and finalised by the Singapore Golf Association,                                                      the course – the exception be-          which the USGA                  perfect solution,” said Bates.
                       confirming the layout’s standing as a true test for the best.                                                  ing the island green 17th which        Handicap System is
                                                                                                                                      is rated as the 13th most diffi-         built. It affects              To play the Blue/White Hybrid
                                                                                                                                      cult hole.                                                              Tee, simply tee off from the
                                                                                                                                                                                 all golfers in               tee colour reflected on the

              I  t’s official! Laguna National
                 Golf & Country Club’s Classic
               Course remains the most dif-
                                                         results confirmed the fact that
                                                         there are few tougher tests of
                                                         golf in Asia.
                                                                                                  elite list of the most demand-
                                                                                                  ing golf venues on the planet.
                                                                                                  Consider that the slope rating
                                                                                                                                      Listed as stoke index 18, the
                                                                                                                                      seventh is deemed to be the
                                                                                                                                                                              the calculationof
                                                                                                                                                                                 a Handicap
                                                                                                                                                                                                              scorecard for each hole and
                                                                                                                                                                                                              submit your score by selecting
                                                                                                                                      least difficult hole on the                 Index.                      the Blue/White Hybrid option
               ficult golf course in Singapore.                                                   for a golf course of average dif-   course while the short par-                                             on the CHS.
                                                         From the ‘championship’ Black            ficulty is 113.                     4 15th is the second easiest.
               The process of rating the                 tees, the course measures a                                                  Then comes the fourth (stroke        ping System (CHS). From that       JUNIOR TEES
               course may have taken more                daunting 7,471 yards and has             Few will disagree with the de-      index 16) and the 11th (15).         date, all rounds registered        “Coinciding with Laguna Na-
               time than expected due to the             been designated a Course Rat-            cision to rate the par-4 12th                                            on the Classic Course require      tional’s mission to make the
               complex nature of the evalua-             ing of 76.9 and a Slope Rating           hole as the most difficult hole     Reflecting on the Singapore          score submissions for handi-       Classic Course the strongest
               tion and calculations, but the            of 155, placing it among an              on the course, followed by the      Golf Association’s (SGA) find-       cap purposes.                      test in golf, while still ensuring
                                                                                                                                      ings, Mark Bates, Laguna Na-                                            it’s a fair and enjoyable course
                                                                                                                                      tional’s Director of Golf, said:     Coinciding with the SGA’s com-     for golfers of all abilities, we
                                                                                                                                      “We are very proud to say            pletion of the rating, Laguna      felt it important also to make
                                                                                                                                      that the Classic is still rated as   National announced two unique      the course playable for the
                                                                                                                                      the most difficult golf course       features for the Classic Course:   next generation of golfers,”
                                                                                                                                      in Singapore … and perhaps                                              added Bates.
                                                                                                                                      the entire region. At the same       • Blue/White Hybrid Tees
                                                                                                                                      time, we have also achieved          • Junior Rated Tees                Hence, Members will now no-
                                                                                                                                      a golf course that is fair and                                          tice Green tees on the golf
                                                                                                                                      playable for golfers of all lev-     BLUE/WHITE HYBRID TEES             course. These are the most for-
                                                                                                                                      els. That’s a truly formidable       This is a properly rated version   ward tees available, measuring
                                                                                                                                      achievement.                         of the golf course that is made    4,878 yards.
                                                                                                                                                                           from playing selected holes
                                                                                                                                      “We thank Laguna National            from the Blue tees and select-     “Now, junior golfers who
                                                                                                                                      Members for their patience as        ed holes from the White tees.      would normally not be able
                                                                                                                                      we worked through this rating                                           to score well enough from the
                                                                                                                                      process with the SGA. We hope        At 6,682 yards, the Blue/White     Red (girls) tees or White (boys)
                                                                                                                                      you will all now enjoy working       Hybrid Tees effectively make       tees to obtain a handicap will
                                                                                                                                      on improving your handicaps          the golf course shorter than       be able to navigate the Classic
                                                                                                                                      on the Classic Course!”              the standard Blue tees (7,015      at a length and difficulty level
                                                                                                                                                                           yards) and also narrows the        better suited to them.”
                                                                                                                                      With effect from August 14,          distance gap between the
                                                                                                                                      the course rating went live on       front 9 (3,276 yards) and the      In the wake of the release of
                                                                                                                                      Singapore’s Central Handicap-        back 9 (3,404 yards).              the Classic Course rating,

     The approach to the daunting par-4 12th hole, rated as the most difficult hole on the Classic Course.
Club Champions Crowned - Introducing Leadbetter Golf Academy Director and Culinary Director Festive Dining Maintenance Update - Laguna National
16   Club                                                                                                                      Club   17

                                                                                          The slope rating of a particular
                                                                                          course is a number between 55
                                                                                          (very easy) and 155 (extremely
                                                                                          difficult) that describes the rel-
                                                                                          ative difficulty of a course for
                                                                                          a bogey golfer compared to a
                                                                                          scratch golfer.

                                                                                          These 2 numbers are used to
                                                                                          calculate a player’s handicap
                                                                                          differential, which is used to ad-
                                                                                          just a player’s score about par
                                                                                          according to the slope and rat-
     To ensure the Classic Course is playable for juniors, green tees have been added.
                                                                                          ing of the course.

               many have asked how exactly              playing length. These effec-      In short, the USGA slope rat-
               a golf course is rated – and             tive playing length correc-       ing of a golf course is a mark
               why it is so important.                  tions are roll, elevation, dog-   that describes the measure of
                                                        leg/forced lay-up, prevailing     difficulty for a bogey golfer
               Well, the USGA Course Rating             wind, and altitude. Obstacles     relative to a scratch golfer at
               System is the standard upon              that affect playing difficulty    a specific set of tees. It de-
               which the USGA Handicap Sys-             must then be evaluated in         scribes the fact that when
               tem is built. It affects all golfers     accordance with established       playing on a more difficult
               in the calculation of a Handi-           standards. These standards        course, the scores of higher-
               cap Index. Players ‘play to their        increase objectivity in course    handicapped players will rise
               handicaps’ when their nett               rating.”                          more quickly than those of
               scores (gross score minus hand-                                            lower handicapped golfers.
               icap strokes) equal the USGA
               Course Rating.                                     We are very             The slope rating of a set of tees
                                                                                          predicts the straight-line rise in
               The USGA Course Rating Sys-
                                                             proud to say that            anticipated score versus USGA
               tem takes into account factors                 the Classic is still        course handicap.
               that affect the playing difficulty            rated as the most
               of a golf course.                            difficult golf course         A slope rating is calculated
                                                            in Singapore … and            from the difference in a bogey
               Course rating teams from au-                     perhaps the               course rating and a scratch
               thorised golf associations (in                                             course rating, more commonly
               Laguna National’s case the
                                                              entire region.              known as the course rating.
               SGA) carry out the on-course                                               This difference is multiplied by
               portion of the rating process.                     Mark Bates              5.381 to get a men’s slope rat-
               Authorised golf associations                                               ing or 4.240 to get a women’s
               review the work of the teams             In simple terms, each USGA-       slope rating.
               and then issue ratings.                  rated golf course is described
                                                        by 2 numbers – course rating      Course ratings (bogey and
               In its description of course             and slope rating.                 scratch) are determined by
               rating, the USGA says: “Ac-                                                course raters, who measure
               curacy and consistency are               The course rating of a particu-   and record more than 460
               the keys to effective course             lar course is a number gener-     numbers on a course rating
               rating. A course must first              ally between 67 and 77 that is    form for each set of tees. “We
               be accurately measured. The              used to measure the average       thank the SGA and the course
               measured yardage must then               ‘good score’ by a scratch golf-   raters for all their efforts,”
               be corrected for the effective           er on that course.                said Bates.
18   Club                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Club   19

             Tournament Preparations                                                                                            Once we have determined that
                                                                                                                                the greens are healthy and
                                                                                                                                weather conditions are look-
                                                                                                                                ing favourable, we will proceed         The 18th hole on the Masters Course in all its glory.
                        With the staging of the Singapore National Amateur                                                      with the following agronomic
                                                                                                                                practices to achieve tourna-           double cut the greens daily              4. All trees are trimmed and
                         Championship followed by Laguna National’s Club                                                        ment condition greens:                 and roll them once or twice af-          overhanging branches that could
                   Championship, it’s been a hectic period for our greenkeeping                                                                                        ter mowing.                              block shots will be trimmed.
                     team. Mark Isley, Laguna National’s Director of Agronomy                                                   (i) Lower the greens height from
                                                                                                                                3 mm to 2.8 mm (Masters Course).       (vii) 1-2 days prior to the start        5. Cart paths are edged.
                       and Project Manager, reveals the intense planning and                                                                                           of the tournament, we will
                   preparations that go into making a course ‘tournament ready’.                                                (ii) Light verti-cut and light top-    double cut the greens in the             6. Lake edges trimmed up.
                                                                                                                                dress the greens with sand 10          morning and single cut them
                                                                                                                                days prior to the tournament to        in the late afternoon followed           7. Equipment is inspected and

               A    fter the first round of the
                    Singapore National Ama-
               teur Championship, I was asked
                                                        marathon, you wouldn’t just
                                                        jump out of bed one morning
                                                        and begin the race. Without
                                                                                            b. insect infestation
                                                                                            c. nutrient imbalance
                                                                                            d. dry, wet or shady conditions
                                                                                                                                ‘true up and smooth the surface
                                                                                                                                of the greens’ for consistent ball
                                                                                                                                roll from green to green.
                                                                                                                                                                       by a single roll.

                                                                                                                                                                       (viii) Tournament day (depend-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                adjusted so that breakdowns
                                                                                                                                                                                                                are minimised as much as pos-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                sible. Known spare parts that
               how we had managed to in-                having properly trained and                                                                                    ing on the green speed) we               tend to fail are kept in stock so
               crease the green speed on the            conditioned your body in ad-        Although these are among the        (iii) Start applying extra amounts     will double cut the greens               they can be replaced quickly to
               Masters Course from 9 to 11 on           vance, odds are you’d cause         main factors, there are other       of fertilisers that will build plant   followed by either a single or           avoid unnecessary down time
               the Stimpmeter within 48 hours.          serious harm and injury to          considerations that determine       cell wall strength, such as po-        double roll.                             of equipment that could affect
               It was among several compli-             your body.                          how aggressive we can be with       tassium, calcium, magnesium,                                                    tournament conditions.
               ments we received for the way                                                our programmes, which will in-      manganese and silca. These nu-         (ix) Depending on weather
               in which the course was condi-           So it is with golf course greens.   fluence the green speeds come       trients will ensure that the plant     conditions, we will start to re-         8. Key fertilisers and pesticides
               tioned and presented.                    If we went from a speed of 9 to     tournament time.                    is strong enough to withstand          duce the amount of irrigation            are kept in stock just in case
                                                        11 in 2 days without them being                                         the additional mowing, rolling         water on the greens several              there’s a disease or insect out-
               Our goal at Laguna National              conditioned they would not be       • Weather conditions play a         and shorter cuts of height. We         days prior to the tournament in          break during the tournament.
               is always to have the courses            able to cope.                       significant role and often dic-     will apply additional amounts          order to keep the greens firm
               maintained as close to ‘tourna-                                              tate what we can and cannot do.     of iron for colour and light           and the surrounding areas as             9. Staff scheduling is adjusted
               ment ready’ conditions as pos-           I usually start to ramp up my       For example, if it’s been rainy     amounts of nitrogen and phos-          dry as possible.                         for additional work hours and
               sible. That way, when an event           programmes a minimum of             and overcast prior to a tourna-     phorus for growth, but just light                                               earlier start times.
               nears we are not overwhelmed             2 weeks before the opening          ment, we would not be as ag-        amounts of nitrogen, as we do          Not only is it the greens that
               with trying to ramp up to tour-          round of a tournament (unless       gressive with the programmes        not want a flush of turf growth        receive additional care and at-          10. Fill divots on tees and
               nament conditions too fast,              it’s a professional event, which    on the greens and may have          which could create slow and in-        tention prior to a tournament.           fairways and repair ball marks
               which can put a lot of stress on         requires more time to prepare).     to settle for a green speed of      consistent green speeds.               Other areas of the golf course           greens. (Speaking of divots
               the turf, equipment, budgets                                                 10 rather than 11. Smooth and                                              require attention as well.               and ball marks, we kindly re-
               and manpower.                            My main considerations are:         consistent greens are far better    (iv) Apply preventative fungi-         These include:                           mind you to fill your divots and
                                                                                            than greens at 11 that are on the   cides to avoid an outbreak of                                                   repair your ball marks. We are
               There are many factors to con-           • Turf health prior to a tour-      verge of dying.                     a disease.                             1. Green surrounds, aprons               still noticing an unusually high
               sider in preparing a golf course         nament is of paramount im-                                                                                     and approaches, tee boxes and            number of divots not being
               for tournament play, especially          portance. We must understand        As we generally receive plenty      (v) Apply a plant growth regula-       fairways receive additional light        filled and ball marks not being
               the putting surfaces.                    if the greens are healthy or if     of advance notice ahead of          tor. This slows down the growth        sand top-dressing, light verti-          repaired on the greens.)
                                                        they’re struggling from any of      a tournament, heavy mainte-         of the turf so that the greens can     cutting, additional fertilisers
               The analogy I like to use is             the following symptoms –            nance practices on the greens,      stay consistent throughout the         and double mowing.                       As you will now appreciate, be-
               as follows. If you’re running a          a. disease                          such as hollow tine coring and      day. If we did not apply this, the                                              fore any tournament is staged
                                                                                            deep verti-cutting, will be car-    turf would grow during the day         2. All bunkers are ‘edged’               a tremendous amount of plan-
                                                                                            ried out a month or so prior.       after mowing in the morning,           and inspected for proper sand            ning and preparation needs to
                                                                                            This is done well in advance to     which creates slower greens for        depth to avoid sand being too            be undertaken in order to en-
                                                                                            ensure a sufficient amount of       the afternoon players.                 thin or too thick.                       sure the best possible playing
                                                                                            time for the greens to heal back                                                                                    conditions. It’s hard work and
     The fourth green on the Masters Course in immaculate condition ahead of the final      to smooth, true and consistent      (vi) Roughly 3-4 days prior to         3. Roughs are maintained at a            stressful, but can be satisfying
     round of the Club Championship.                                                        ball roll conditions.               the tournament, we begin to            higher cut of height.                    when everything gels.
PEOPLE
                                                                                                                 ‘Why is it so hard for so many to realise that winners are
                                                                                                                 usually the ones who work harder, work longer, and as a
                                                                                                                                  result, perform better?’

                                                                                                                         John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach

Sean Lee and Michelle Bang Mi-kyung display the spoils of victory following their Club Championship victories.
22   People                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               People   23

                    Moriarty’s High Hopes                                                                                           In Jakarta, he was responsible
                                                                                                                                    for the overall operations of
                                                                                                                                    the 2 academies, including re-
                                                                                                                                                                             He said: “My main focus has
                                                                                                                                                                             been in growing profitable golf
                                                                                                                                                                             businesses and delivering an
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     markets. He brings with him a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     wealth of golf knowledge and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     a proven ability to improve his
                                                                                                                                    cruiting, training and leading           outstanding standard and vari-          students’ game.
                                                                                                                                    instructors and general staff;           ety of coaching programmes.
                An experienced British PGA-qualified Professional and Leadbetter                                                                                                                                     “At Laguna National, Stephen
                                                                                                                                    creating and delivering coach-
                     Senior Certified Instructor with a proven track record of                                                      ing programmes for juniors,              “Having lived in Asia for more          and his team of professional in-
               establishing, developing and growing the Leadbetter brand in new                                                     individuals, corporate clients           than 12 years, I’ve gained an in-       structors will be using the state-
                                                                                                                                    and group classes; market-               ternational, multi-cultural under-      of-the-art facilities and pro-
               locations, Stephen Moriarty is the man charged with the setting up                                                   ing activities to increase brand         standing and perspective. I’m           grammes dedicated to bringing
                and running of the Leadbetter Golf Academy at Laguna National.                                                      awareness and enhance acad-              excited at starting a new chapter       the best golfer out in you.”
                                                                                                                                    emy growth … as well as over-            with the Leadbetter Golf Acad-
                                                                                                                                    seeing budgeting, pricing and            emy at Laguna National.”

              T   o say that Stephen Mori-
                  arty stands out in a crowd              Having lived in
                                                                                       certification in 2004, the year
                                                                                       he recorded his lowest score of
                                                                                                                                    cash flow.
                                                                                                                                                                             Already, Moriarty is building a
              would be an under-statement.            Asia for more than               9-under-par in a professional                In late 2016, Moriarty was pro-          strong and experienced team
              A down-to-earth individual he                                            tournament.                                  moted to the position of Direc-          to work alongside him with fa-
                                                     12 years, I’ve gained
              might be, but at 6-foot 7-inch-                                                                                       tor, Leadbetter Golf Academies,          miliar Laguna National faces Al-
              es (2 metres) tall, there’s no es-
                                                        an international,              As a qualified golf coach he                 Southeast Asia, leading the re-          len Kelly and Shinji Fukushima
              caping the Englishman’s tow-               multi-cultural                initially spent time at the Leeds            structuring of the academies in          appointed as the first 2 instruc-
              ering presence.                         understanding and                Golf Centre, home to the first               Indonesia (Pondok Indah, Roy-            tors at the Academy.
                                                        perspective. I’m               LGA outside of the United                    ale Jakarta and Bali National
              Among his other attributes, he           excited at starting             States. There, he worked un-                 Golf Club) and the Ciputra Club          “Allen and Shinji have both
              also possesses a friendly manner,                                        der European Tour coach Mark                 Hanoi.                                   been associated with Laguna
                                                       a new chapter for
              a deep understanding of the golf                                         Pinkett and developed a junior                                                        National for many years so
              swing and an ability to improve a
                                                      the Leadbetter Golf              programme with more than 100                 Now he is bringing his wide-             we’re delighted to have them
              player’s game – pre-requisites for          Academy at                   students enrolled.                           ranging expertise to Laguna              on board,” said Moriarty.
              someone who devotes his life to        Laguna National.                                                               National’s newly-opened Lead-
              cajoling the absolute best out of                                        It was in 2006 that Moriarty                 better Golf Academy as Acad-             Mark Bates, Laguna Na-
              the golfers he coaches.                  Stephen Moriarty                made his move to Asia, tak-                  emy Director.                            tional’s Director of Golf,
                                                                                       ing up a position at the David                                                        said: “Coaching in
              Whether they’re Tour profes-          opening, adding to 2 in South      Leadbetter Academy based at                  “I’m really looking forward to           Korea and Indonesia
              sionals, low or mid-handicap-         Korea (an indoor academy in        Woo Jeong Hills Country Club                 this new challenge here in Sin-          for the past 12 years
              pers or golfing beginners, Mo-        Seoul and a full academy at        in South Korea.                              gapore,” said Moriarty, whose            has given Stephen
              riarty’s philosophy is pleasingly     Oak Valley), 3 in Indonesia                                                     success has been achieved                a unique learning
              simple: to see his pupils reach       (Pondok Indah, Royale Jakarta      As the Senior Instructor for                 through a combination of ener-           experience in 2 of
              their true golfing potential.         and Bali National) and 1 in Vi-    Leadbetter     Golf    Academy               getic leadership and continued           the world’s big-
                                                    etnam (Hanoi).                     Seoul, he worked with touring                personal development.                    gest growing golf
              Furthermore, there are few in-                                           professionals from the LPGA,
              dividuals who have a more in-         He started playing golf at an      Korean PGA and Korean LPGA.
              timate understanding of David         early age and showed poten-        He also taught amateurs and
              Leadbetter’s coaching philoso-        tial at both club and union lev-   a long list of VIPs, including a
              phies than 38-year-old Moriarty.      el, winning numerous scratch       former Korean President and
                                                    events. During his amateur         the Chief Executive Officers of
              For more than half of his life, Mo-   years, he was taught at a Lead-    HSBC, Hansol and BMW.
              riarty has been associated with       better Academy where he re-
              the Leadbetter Golf Academy           duced his handicap to +0.3.        After 7 years in the Land of the
              (LGA) brand – 8 years as a stu-                                          Morning Calm, Moriarty joined
              dent and 12 years as a coach.         “It was that experience which      the LGA team in Indonesia,
                                                    led me to follow a career in       opening new locations at Pon-
              Singapore is the seventh LGA          golf coaching,” said Moriarty,     dok Indah Golf Club and Royale
              in which he’s been involved in        who gained his full British PGA    Jakarta Golf Club.
                                                                                                                           Stephen Moriarty is heading up the Leadbetter Golf Academy at Laguna National's Teaching and Practice Facility.
24   Club                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Club   25

                                Back to Basics
                    In the first article of a new instructional series for
                Laguna Lifestyle, Stephen Moriarty, Academy Director
               at the Leadbetter Golf Academy at Laguna National Golf
            & Country Club, explains the importance of sound fundamentals.

            Ihave been associated with the
             Leadbetter brand for more
            than 20 years, firstly as a stu-
                                                        As the swing               As the swing is a sequential
                                                                                   movement, the better your ba-
            dent and then, for the last 13
                                                     is a sequential               sics are the more consistent,
            years, as a coach.                      movement, the                  efficient and powerful it will
                                                   better your basics              become. So, what are good
            During that time, the coaching            are the more                 basics? Essentially, we are
            industry has seen the introduc-       consistent, efficient            looking at grip, posture, po-
            tion of a variety of teaching           and powerful it                sition of the arms, alignment
            styles. A few have succeeded,                                          and ball position.
            while many have failed.
                                                    will become.
                                                                                                                    Picture 3                                                         Picture 4
                                                                                   Coaches and golfers can be
            The LGA brand has stood the         As a student at Leadbetter         very quick to make grip chang-               Below is an example of how          •   Hands clapped together:          fective lessons I’d seen. All
            test of time because their coach-   academies I quickly realised       es without looking at the big-               a bad grip is formed by the             simple drill to understand       the errors I’d noticed were
            es all try to deliver on the im-    that the coaches were trying to    ger picture. A faulty grip can               upper body being incorrectly            where your upper body            discussed, but at no point di-
            portance of having good funda-      improve the chain reaction of      often be the cause of an in-                 aligned.                                should start (Picture 3).        rectly worked on. The change
            mentals from which to start the     events within the swing and that   correct position of your up-                                                                                          was made by adjusting the
            swing … and deliver a repeat-       my swing was only as strong as     per body and poor position of                Notice how the mis-alignment        •   Set up – how it should look      student’s set-up which had
            able, consistent movement.          its weakest part.                  your arms.                                   of the upper body causes the            (Picture 4).                     caused him to mis-align the
                                                                                                                                right arm to be higher at ad-                                            putter face at address and was
                                                                                                                                dress. This causes the hands to     In 2007, I had my first oppor-       resulting in the need to make
                                                                                                                                be placed in a weak position.       tunity to visit Champions Gate       compensations in his stroke.
                                                                                                                                                                    and shadow David Leadbetter
                                                                                                                                The knock-on effect is that the     and some of his Senior Instruc-      As soon as he made this
                                                                                                                                golfer will now need to make        tors for a week.                     change in set-up, the align-
                                                                                                                                swing compensations to try                                               ment of his putter face im-
                                                                                                                                and prevent the ball going          One of the first lessons I watched   proved. He no longer needed
                                                                                                                                right. The resulting slice is of-   David conduct was a putting les-     to compensate and could trust
                                                                                                                                ten seen as the main problem.       son with a US Tour player. I’d       his stroke again.
                                                                                                                                However, the slice stems all        seen the player hit putts and was
                                                                                                                                the way back to address and         trying to make a plan in my head     This was one of my first real
                                                                                                                                can be improved here.               as to what I would do if I was       lightbulb moments as a coach.
                                                                                                                                                                    about to teach him. I’d decided      It showed me that great coach-
                                                                                                                                •   Spine position: incorrectly     he needed to alter his stroke as     es often deliver the simplest
                                                                                                                                    tilted toward the target        he was missing left and right and    message but are aware of the
                                                                                                                                    (Picture 1).                    surely this had to be down to er-    bigger picture behind these
                                                                                                                                                                    rors with his technique.             changes. The drill given was
                                                                                                                                •   Right arm higher than left:                                          one which you may have seen
                                                                                                                                    common with golfers who         I then watched David deliver         before. However, understand-
                                                                                                                                    slice (Picture 2).              one of the simplest, most ef-        ing the value of it and why it’s
                Picture 1                                  Picture 2
26   Club                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Club   27

                                                                                                                                                  National Drama!
                                                                                                                               Drama was in plentiful supply when Laguna National’s Masters Course
                                                                                                                                   hosted the 19th Singapore National Amateur Championship.

                                                                                                                                S   ince its inauguration 25 years
                                                                                                                                    ago, Laguna National’s Mas-
                                                                                                                                ters Course has earned a reputa-
                                                                                                                                                                     Singapore Golf Association
                                                                                                                                                                     (SGA) Elite Squad member Lu-
                                                                                                                                                                     cius Toh led the men’s division
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Development Squad player Hai-
                                                                                                                                                                                                           ley Loh (147).

                                                                                                                                tion for conjuring dramatic tour-    on 6-under-par 138, closely           Goh was then eliminated in the
                                                                                                                                nament finales.                      followed by Overseas Squad            quarter-finals by Linette Chua
                                                                                                                                                                     member James Leow, currently          Wen Ting, who had finished no
                                                                                                                                Who can forget Zhang Lian-           studying in the United States.        fewer than 17 shots behind the
                                                                                                                                wei’s final-hole birdie to pip       Also making it through were Sin-      medallist and was the last of the
                                                                                                                                Ernie Els in the 2003 Caltex         gapore’s top-ranking amateur          8 qualifiers. She went on to book
                                                                                                                                Singapore Masters? Or Mardan         Gregory Foo and Elite Squad           her final spot with another 1-up
                                                                                                                                Mamat’s tears of joy after get-      member Joshua Ho.                     success, this time against Shan-
                                                                                                                                ting up and down from thick                                                non Tan.
     Picture A                                    Picture B                                   Picture C                         rough at the back of the home        Toh’s run was ended by Ho in
                                                                                                                                green to secure an historic          the semi-finals, while Leow up-       In the bottom half of the draw,
                                                                                                                                1-stroke win in the 2006 OSIM        set Foo at the 20th hole of a ti-     Loh comfortably saw off Inez
                 a must when you are practicing           how far from the ball line the   phone on the floor in camera         Singapore Masters?                   tanic struggle.                       Ng and Margaret Leyi Fer-
                 is the key.                              eyes are.                        mode. Once you’re in the cor-                                                                                   nandez before completing a
                                                                                           rect position keep checking and      How about John Kernohan’s he-        Leow served up more drama             memorable week by eking out
                 Having your eyes too far over        *   The key is to have your eyes     make sure you’re not drifting        roic bogey-free back 9 of 4-un-      in the final, which was reduced       a 1-up win against Chua in the
                 the ball or too far inside it will       initially over the ball (Pic-    back into bad habits.                der 32 to win the rain-plagued       from 36 holes to 27 due to in-        final.
                 result in poor alignment and the         ture B). A simple test is to                                          1996 Singapore Open … or Fe-         clement weather. All square
                 need to make compensations               drop a ball from your eyes       In the next article we’ll discuss    lipe Aguilar defying all sensible    with Ho after 26 holes, Leow          Jerome Ng, the SGA's General
                 within your stroke. Good align-          and see if it hits the ball on   further how to improve your          odds with a 2-2 finish to come       clinched a tense 1-up victory         Manager, said: “Many thanks
                 ment is the first requirement for        the ground. This was the         perception of the target and         home in 28 shots and snatch vic-     thanks to a birdie at the last        to Laguna National for hosting
                 putting consistently.                    exercise David delivered to      ensure that your alignment is        tory in the European Tour’s The      hole of the contest.                  this year’s exciting champion-
                                                          his student … and an exer-       consistently correct.                Championship at Laguna Na-                                                 ship and to the greenkeeping
                 If your putter face is 1 degree          cise I’ve had hundreds of                                             tional in 2014.                      In the Ladies Division, Jen Goh       staff for preparing the Masters
                 open or closed at impact from            students run through.            Remember, do the simple things                                            topped the stroke play stand-         Course in pristine conditions
                 10 feet you will miss the putt if                                         well and avoid anything that         Some 4 years on, another chap-       ings on even-par 144, ahead of        through the week.”
                 it is straight.                      *   Picture C shows the correct      feels like a compensation. The       ter in the history of tournament
                                                          position to address the ball.    more faults you have, the more       golf on the Masters Course was
                 *   Picture A shows a typical im-                                         compensations you’ll need.           written at the 19th Singapore Na-
                     age of someone standing          You can also check this with a                                            tional Amateur Championship.
                     too far from the ball. Notice    mirror or even by placing your
                                                                                                                                Following 2 rounds of stroke play
                                                                                                                                featuring an elite field of 42 (29
                                                                                                                                men and 13 women), the top-
                                              CURRENT OPERATING HOURS
                                              Monday: 10:00 – 21:00                                                             16 men and top-8 women pro-
                                              Tuesday: Closed                                                                   gressed to the match play stage.
                                              Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 – 21:00
                                              Saturday & Sunday: 07:30 – 21:00
                                              Dress Code: Relaxed and Modern
                                                                                                                                                                      Hailey Loh and James Leow triumphed over Laguna National's Masters Course. Picture
                                                                                                                                                                      courtesy SGA.
28   People                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           People   29

              Lee Leaves Rivals Trailing                                                                                                             Stars Align for Tay and Cher
              S  till on a high following his
                 overseas heroics, Sean Lee
              returned to familiar surround-
                                                        Back on home soil, Lee contin-
                                                        ued to enjoy that winning feel-
                                                        ing, firing a 78 on the Masters
                                                                                                 form as he compiled an 80 to
                                                                                                 win Best Gross in Men’s Divi-
                                                                                                 sion ‘B’ (handicap index 10.0
                                                                                                                                                      S  ometimes, you can just have
                                                                                                                                                         ‘one of those days’ when
                                                                                                                                                      Lady Luck shines on you and
                                                                                                                                                                                                  For Fred Tay
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Other divisional prize winners
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  in the 56-strong field were Ved
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Narayan and Michael Tyles.
              ings and swept to victory in La-          Course to claim the prize for            to 16.9).                                            everything goes right.
                                                                                                                                                                                              Kam Kiang and
              guna National Golf & Country              the Best Gross score in Men’s                                                                                                          Michelle Cher,                     In Men’s Division ‘A’ (handi-
              Club’s July Medal.                        Division ‘A’ (handicap index 9.9         Meanwhile, Kim, who has rep-                         For Fred Tay Kam Kiang and            Saturday, August 4                    cap index 9.9 and below),
                                                        and below).                              resented Laguna National’s                           Michelle Cher, Saturday, Au-           proved to be one of                  Narayan returned 37 points to
              A member of the Singapore                                                          ‘B’ team in league action this                       gust 4 proved to be one of            those rare occasions                  finish one ahead of Matthew
              Golf Association’s Develop-                                                        year, played 6 under his handi-                      those rare occasions when the            when the stars                     Pollard, Best Nett winner in
              ment Squad, Lee has soared to                      Back on home                    cap to lead the way in the Best                      stars aligned perfectly for them.
                                                                                                                                                                                              aligned perfectly                   the July Medal.
              prominence in recent months.                                                       Nett category.
                                                          soil, Lee continued to                                                                                                                for them.
                                                                                                                                                      Not only did the duo excel on                                               For his part, Tyles was quickly
              Most notably, he joined forces
                                                           enjoy that winning                    For good measure, Lee and Tay                        the course, but also fortune                                                into his stride in Men’s Division
              with fellow national squad play-             feeling, firing a 78                  also won the respective prizes                       smiled on them at the post-         placed Keith Boone, winner of           ‘B’ (handicap index 10.0 to
              er Andre Chong in June to take                 on the Masters                      for long drive. While Lee struck                     game prize-giving when their        the category in May.                    16.9). With a tally of 39 points,
              top honours in the Himbara                   Course to claim the                   a 300-yard tee shot on the sixth                     names were pulled out in the                                                he ended 3 in front for runner-
              World Junior Golf Champion-                   prize for the Best                   hole, the longest in Division ‘A’,                   Lucky Draw.                         Cher did not have things quite          up Sumit Mahendra.
              ships, an event formerly known                                                     Tay blasted his drive 280 yards                                                          so easy in the Ladies Division
                                                             Gross score.
              as the Ciputra World Junior                                                        on the 16th.                                         Producing     an    outstanding     where her haul of 35 points was         Novelty prize winners among
              Golf Championships.                                                                                                                     round over the Classic Course,      matched by Esther Oh. Howev-            the men were Aditya Gopa-
                                                        Also enjoying success in the 18-         Competitors in Men’s Divi-                           Tay compiled 40 Stableford          er, it was Cher who prevailed on        lan (Longest Drive, Division
              Staged at the Robert Trent                hole stroke play event that at-          sion ‘C’ and the Ladies Divi-                        points to post a runaway victory    a countback.                            ‘A’), Duncan Martin (Nearest
              Jones Jnr-designed Damai In-              tracted a field of 62 were Kim           sion were frustrated by the                          in Men’s Division ‘C’ (handicap                                             the Pin, Division ‘B’) and Kim
              dah PIK Course in the Indonesian          Sheung-cheul and Xavier Tay.             elements with heavy rain and                         index between 17.0 and 26.4).       There was consolation for Oh,           Wittrog (Nearest the Pin, Divi-
              capital of Jakarta, Chong and                                                      lightning delays preventing                                                              who won the prize for Longest           sion ‘C’).
              Lee had the distinction of win-           A new member to Laguna Na-               them from completing their                           Tay finished no fewer than          Drive among the ladies at the
              ning the Overall Boys’ team title.        tional in 2018, Tay was on top           rounds.                                              7points ahead of second-            13th hole.

              JULY MEDAL                                                                                                                              AUGUST MEDAL
              LEADING SCORES                                                                                                                          LEADING SCORES
              Men’s Division A                                                                                                                        Men’s Division A
              Best Nett – Matthew Pollard 74                                                                                                          37 points – Ved Narayan
              Best Gross – Sean Lee 78                                                                                                                36 points – Matthew Pollard

              Men’s Division B                                                                                                                        Men’s Division B
              Best Nett – Kim Sheung-cheul 66                                                                                                         39 points – Michael Tyles
              Best Gross – Xavier Tay 80                                                                                                              36 points – Sumit Mahendra

              Men’s Division C                                                                                                                        Men’s Division C
              Best Nett – Shahmir Rasul                                                                                                               40 points – Fred Tay Kam Kiang
              Best Gross – Justin Ng                                                                                                                  33 points – Keith Boone

              Ladies Division                                                                                                                         Ladies Division
              Best Nett – Caroline Yeo                                                                                                                35 points – Michelle Cher (OCB)
              Best Gross – Lily Chua                                                                                                                  35 points – Esther Oh
              *Following course suspension, results                                                                                                                                        Ladies Division winner Michelle Cher is presented with her prize
              in Men’s Division C and Ladies Division                                                                                                                                      by Yeany Tan.
              determined by lucky draw.                  Sean Lee (left) and Xavier Tay (right) are congratulated on their July Medal successes by
                                                         Lionel Roberts, Laguna National’s Club Manager.
PRIVILEGE
                                                                            ‘Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and
                                                                          important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-
                                                                                       esteem, and personal satisfaction.’

                                                                               Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister

Hong Kong’s Discovery Bay Golf Club is blessed with spectacular vistas.
32   Privilege                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Privilege       33

                                    The Global Game
                                Be invited into a world of privileged access with your
                                        Laguna National Golfing Membership.
                                                                                                                                Furry Creek Golf & Country Club
                                                                                                                                Furry Creek, BC

                 A    s an esteemed Member of Laguna National,
                      not only do you and your family have privileged
                                                                           6248 1779. Club Concierge will contact the
                                                                           destination club, make the booking and furnish you                                                                                                                 The Links at Brunello

                                                                                                                                CANADA
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                 access to our award-winning championship courses          with the appropriate Letter of Introduction.
                 and Club facilities, you are also privy to an exclusive
                 collection of over 100 prestigious golf properties        As many of the reciprocal/special access clubs
                 around the world.                                         are well-booked in advance, reservation of tee

                                                                                                                                UNITED KINGDOM                                                            GERMANY
                                                                           time is subject to availability. You are highly
                 This quarter, we have added a number of new               recommended to contact Club Concierge well
                 reciprocal and affiliate clubs, including RBA Golf        ahead of your travel dates so they can assist in
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                                                                           directly as an introduction letter from your home
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                 Concierge at 6248 1779. You may also preview              to continue making your golfing journey a
                 the full list of Affiliate & Reciprocal Clubs and         memorable one.                                                                         Foxhills Club & Resort
                                                                                                                                                                  Chertsey, United Kingdom
                 request for your ‘Introduction Card’ on http://www.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Golf Club Dresden Ullersdorf
                 lagunanational.com/golf/affiliate-reciprocal-clubs/                                                                                                                                                               Saxonia, Germany
                                                                                                                                                                  London Golf Club
                                                                              RECIPROCAL CLUBS                                                                    Nr Brands Hatch, Kent, United Kingdom
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                 To make a golf booking at Pacific Links’ network of          AFFILIATE CLUBS
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                 Alternatively, email Club Concierge at
                 clubconcierge@lagunanational.com with your date
                 of visit, preferred tee time, choice of golf course,        RBA Golf Club
                                                                             Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei                        JAPAN                                                                     NEW
                                                                                                                                                                                                          ZEALAND
                 names of players, membership numbers and other
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                 IMG PRESTIGE AND SPECIAL ACCESS                                                                                                                                                           Wainui Golf Club
                 CLUBS RESERVATION                                                                                                                                                                         Auckland, New Zealand
                 To make a booking at IMG Prestige or Special                                                                    Tsu Country Club
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Manawatu Golf Club
                 Access Clubs, write to Club Concierge at                                                                        Mie-Ken, Japan
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Manawatu, New Zealand
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