2023 Most Powerful People in the Asian Golf Industry

The return of golf tourism, plus big events and expanded play options is elevating the Asian golf hub. People are doing everything they can to strengthen their business while also still being cautious.

The industry saw various Asian golf tours emerge last year after the pandemic put things on hold, seeing the Asian Tour setting itself up as a worthy competitor against the American and European tours on the world stage. These include the Asia Grand Final of the Faldo Series — the only global amateur series for boys and girls — which will play out over the Sir Nick Faldo Signature Design at Laguna Golf Lang Co in April 2023.

Central Vietnam will also roll out the welcome mat for the global golf industry as Danang, its largest city, hosts the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) and Asian Development Tour (ADT) over the course of the year.

Last year, Greg Norman’s LIV Golf Investments announced the creation of a 10-event series on the Asian Tour.

“We are setting the Asian Tour up as a powerful new force on the world golf stage,” said Norman, CEO of LIV Golf Investments.

Most recently, LIV Golf hosted the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok in October 2022 and made it known that they meant business. LIV Golf is looking to hold events in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Vietnam and Australia for the rest of 2023. Asia was hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this investment in the game for the region is going to further cement LIV and Norman as essential players.

Golf entertainment has also expanded worldwide. Around 5,000 golf simulator locations in South Korea use Golfzon technology. This has fueled a market in which more rounds of golf are being played away from courses than on them.

Here’s a look at this year’s most powerful people in Asia:

Kim Young-Chan
Chairman/CEO, Golfzon Yuwon Holdings

Golfzon, led by chairman Kim Young-Chan, has expanded its scope of activities this year. Golfzon’s screen golf has become an IT cultural content representing South Korea, and South Korea surely has become the birthplace of screen golf. It is leading the popularization of golf through various services based on simulators, and above all, Golfzon is guiding the fresh new golf culture by introducing various contents combined with IT technology. Golfzon, which created a golf culture that focuses on the world of screen golf, has been reborn as a representative golf company in South Korea. The total number of Golfzon stores in South Korea is 6,000 and the number…