HKGA | TOM PHILLIPS Q&A
Making His
Mark
Six months after joining the HKGA from his previous role working for six-time major champion Nick Faldo, Chief Executive Tom Phillips talks to Alex Jenkins about the state of the game in Hong Kong, the challenges he faces and explains why he is excited about the future.
Daniel Wong
You took on the job at an interesting time for golf in Hong Kong. Media interest in the Government’s decision to review the land use at the Hong Kong Golf was at its peak and it was only three months before the Hong Kong Open, which was lacking a title sponsor. Was there at all a sense of ‘What have I got myself into here’? [Laughs] No, not at all. I had been in Hong Kong for eight years working in golf and during that time I worked closely with the HKGA, so I knew what they did; I knew the team, the venues and the committee members well. In every respect I knew what I was getting into and I felt well equipped for that. It was an interesting time and continues to be an interesting climate – I think it is always going to be. That was one of the attractions for me. I had a wonderful 14 years with Sir Nick Faldo but the HKGA challenge was a really exciting one. The issues that you refer to were already there. They didn’t just land on my desk on my first day in the job. The Hong Kong Golf Club does a huge amount for us and for golf in Hong Kong as a whole – for junior development, for the general public and for the Hong Kong Open – so they will always have our support. The Hong Kong Open – yes, there were a few issues, but it happened and it was a great 34
HK GOLFER・FEB 2014
Selling a title sponsorship is perhaps not as easy as it sounds, which has been proved elsewhere in the world with other tournaments, and not just with golf but in other sports too. Having said that, we are confident as a group about the future and are in advanced discussions with potential partners for 2014. event with an exciting finish and a worthy winner. We are working on getting it in good order for 2014 and beyond. People seem genuinely surprised that in an affluent city like Hong Kong a title sponsor for the tournament couldn’t be found. Is that too simplistic a view of how high-level sports sponsorship works, and is finding sponsorship even the HKGA’s remit? It is our remit, but not solely. We work with our partners at the Hong Kong Golf Club and the European and Asian Tours and between us we are HKGOLFER.COM
Tom Phillips, seen here at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, spent 14 years working with Sir Nick Faldo before joining the HKGA as chief executive in August of last year
HKGOLFER.COM
HK GOLFERăƒťFEB 2014
35
all responsible for making the Hong Kong Open happen. The more we work together, the better. We essentially did have a title sponsor for 2013: the Hong Kong Golf Club. From a corporate sponsorship point of view it was structured differently than in previous years in that we had a group of premier partners, and together with the support of the Golf Club this helped fund the tournament and allowed it to go ahead. Selling a title sponsorship is perhaps not as easy as it sounds, which has been proved elsewhere in the world with other tournaments, and not just with golf but in other sports too. Having said that, we are confident as a group about the future and are in advanced discussions with potential partners for 2014. The Hong Kong Open has been going for 55 years and there is no reason to doubt it won’t continue for another 55 years. So are you saying the Hong Kong Open can still function without a title sponsor? Yes it can and it did. It needs sponsors of course – whether it’s one title sponsor or two or three premier partners – but there are different ways of going about it.
Daniel Wong (Jiménez); courtesy of the LCSD (National Games)
"In many ways we’ve become a victim of our own success. We ‘lose’ a number of our international squad players every year to colleges in the United States ... Starting a grassroots programme will, in the long term, help to this end."
Phillips says that the HKGA and its partners are working hard on getting the Hong Kong Open, which was won last year by Miguel Angel Jiménez (top), in good order for 2014; one of the highlights of the 2013 season was the silver medal-winning performance by the Hong Kong team at the National Games (opposite)
36
HK GOLFER・FEB 2014
The HKGA is funded through a variety of ways, including by the subscription fees that readers of this magazine pay each year. Presumably you’re now working on generating new revenue streams? Yes, that’s one of the areas that I think there is a definite opportunity to explore. The more revenue streams we have, the more we can do for golf in Hong Kong. We are fortunate to have support from a number of corporate partners, but none more so than EFG Bank, which has supported our junior development programme over the past few years. The results of that support speak for themselves. So yes, we are looking at bringing in a number of other major partners in different categories. We have a sponsorship programme that we’ve put in place and are talking to a number of blue-chip brands. Watch this space. All being well and other revenue streams are found, what will the funds be spent on? Junior development is always going to be a major part of what we do, and one area we are looking to expand in 2014 is at the grassroots level. Our current development programme starts with the EFG Bank Junior Golf Series, which is for kids aged seven and upwards who already play the game to a certain standard. What we really want to do is take golf to kids who may not otherwise have the opportunity
HKGOLFER.COM
to play; to really spread golf, to cast a wider net. Those who show interest and are keen to pursue it would then be given access to courses and coaching in Hong Kong. Once they’ve attained a certain level they would then graduate to the existing development programme. In many ways we’ve become a victim of our own success. We ‘lose’ a number of our international squad players every year to colleges in the United States, who thanks to their performances for Hong Kong have been given golf scholarships. This in itself is wonderful but it does mean we need to continually rebuild our teams. Starting a grassroots programme will, in the long term, help to this end. And what about new initiatives for the HKGA’s core group of subscribers? Absolutely. With increased funding and close cooperation with venues in Hong Kong we are looking at creating more opportunities for golfers of all abilities, genders and ages. We’re also looking at opportunities outside of Hong Kong. We want to develop an attractive package of benefits to our subscribers. The more corporate partners we have, the more benefits we can feed to subscribers. 2014 is going to be a big year on the international front with the Queen Sirikit Cup, the Putra Cup, the Junior World Championships and the World Amateur Team Championships all taking place. What goals do the HKGA have with regard to these events? We set out our targets at the beginning of the year, which tournaments we’re going to focus on and what kind of results we’re aiming for, both for the teams and for the individuals involved. It is important for our own focus but it’s also very relevant for our relationship with the Hong Kong Sports Institute. The Sports Institute provides benefits in two areas – through potential funding and also through access to their state-of-the-art facilities. Furthermore, funding can be available for the HKGA but also for the individuals themselves. We’ve come off a successful 2013, with a silver medal earned at the National Games and also some excellent individual performances, so we’ve set the bar high for 2014. If we can continue to obtain strong results we can aim for Tier B status – for up and coming sports – with the Sports Institute, which is the tier below elite status. Because of Hong Kong’s size we have a limited pool of players. Is it unrealistic to think we can compete and challenge with some of our bigger near neighbours – the likes of China, Thailand and so on?
HKGOLFER.COM
When we set our targets we have to accept our limitations, but at the same time our view is that anything is possible. We have funding, we have excellent coaches and we have strong support from our partners – including the golf courses and the driving ranges – so we can continue to aim to move up the rankings and compete with our neighbours. At the end of the day, our goal is to promote golf in Hong Kong, and the more opportunities we can provide our top golfers, the better. That produces a trickledown effect. It inspires a new generation of players. If the younger kids see guys excelling at golf and making a great life out of it, it makes the sport more attractive to the next generation. One topic of concern to golfers in Hong Kong has been the closure of some of the driving ranges in recent times. What is the HKGA’s view on the subject? The driving ranges are hugely important in what we’re trying to do and therefore our relationship with them is similar in some ways to that of the golf courses. We’re working to strengthen our ties with all our partners, including the driving ranges, and it’s important that we support them in their endeavours. Therefore another area we will focus on is public relations. We need to tell our story but we also need to highlight the important role that the member golf clubs, the public courses and the driving ranges play for golf in Hong Kong and for society in general. That will help their cause as much as it does ours and it is something we will be working hard on in the months ahead. Six months into the job now. Are you enjoying it? Yes – I love it. In some ways it’s very different to what I was doing before but there is a lot of crossover too – I’m working with a lot of the same partners and clients. One of the attractions for me from the start was that I already knew the team at the HKGA. The association has made significant progress over recent years thanks to my predecessor; and the team that I have joined works hard, they are very professional and they do an excellent job. Having them behind me helps my role enormously. It’s certainly a challenging role, but exciting nonetheless.
HK GOLFER・FEB 2014
37