Rules & Amateur Status Subcommittee Chairman, Deborah Wong
The Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) recently organised a referee get-together at the Kota Permai Golf & Country Club. This highly anticipated event, curated by the organising committee led by Deborah Wong, Rules & Amateur Status Subcommittee Chairman, attracted more than 50 rules officials from across the country, including delegates from Sarawak, since the last gathering in 2018 at Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam in Petaling Jaya.
The comprehensive program featured a range of essential topics, including a brief on the 2023 rules changes and updates on referee SOPs, rules case studies, handling of rulings, MGA Rules Development Plan, and A sharing session on refereeing & administering pace of play by Ir. Jayson Cheok, an accomplished Asian Tour, MGA, and PGM Senior Referee. The event concluded with an on-course demo on hole locations & green speed, and AOM.
The referee get-together aimed to provide a social platform for referees to finally meet, exchange ideas, and share knowledge, focusing on the latest rules of golf updates, effective January 2023. This timely event aimed to foster cooperation and collaboration among referees and provide a common platform for them to voice their ideas for the betterment of the game.
Rules & Amateur Status Subcommittee Chairman, Deborah Wong, shared her aspirations for the event, saying, “We are delighted to bring together referees from across the nation to engage in fruitful discussions, share experiences, and learn from one another. Our hope is that this get-together will strengthen the bonds between our officials and create a collective commitment to working together for the good of the game.”
The MGA and the organising committee hoped that the get-together would lead to a more unified approach among referees and encourage open dialogue on innovative solutions to improve golf in Malaysia.
