At the successful inaugural Bridgestone Amateur Open held at Sembawang Country Club in Singapore, Golf Asia (GA) caught up with the affable duo from Ayanex Golf (AG), Rajan and Sathia. They share with us their thoughts on their company Ayanex Golf, the tournament, as well as Bridgestone’s signing of Tiger Woods amongst others.

GA: Could you share with us how did the name “Ayanex” come about, the experience of the team in Ayanex and etc?

AG: We are blessed by our Lord Ganesha as “Ayan” and “Ex” means next generation in the industry, hence the name Ayanex.

GA: The retail market has always been a challenging one, can you share with us the business and growth strategies for Ayanex Golf?

AG: We started out as a retailer initially, but have since gained a reputation with our customers, developing and growing the company into the role of a distributor for brands such as Bridgestone, Nippon Shaft and Muta Special (named after the late Mr Muta Yasumori Founder, Inventor and President of Daiwa Golf Company Limited). As for our motto “Golf for All” – Ayanex strives to be a full-service golf equipment company able to provide turn key services for all companies or golfers looking for the best quality products, higher visibility and better brand representation.

GA: What was the reason or purpose for organising the inaugural Bridgestone Amateur Open 2017 in Singapore?

AG: Bridgestone Golf is a reputable, iconic and worldwide brand. After securing Tiger Woods as their brand ambassador, it was inevitable that a tournament of this scale was required.

GA: How was the participation level for the tournament, was it a strictly invitation only event or opened to the golfing public?

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

GA: Were there any special conditions that golfers had to adhere to and why?

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

GA: Is there a similar event in Japan or other countries in the US or Europe?

AG: Yes there are, each region has its own ongoing promotional activities to expand on the Bridgestone Brand.

GA: What was the format of the event?

AG: The tournament was based on the Stableford format, with Nett and Gross scores tabulated, and included a Hole-in-One “Sure to Win” prize (route to Bangkok). Each country will have regional qualifiers for the Bridgestone International Grand Finals in Bangkok held at a later date.

GA: Were there different categories, because from the pictures we can see some juniors participating in the tournament?

AG: We invited professional golfers to grace our event, including some of our brand ambassadors in Singapore. We also included juniors in the tournament to provide them the additional exposure and a chance to qualify for the Bridgestone International Grand Finals in Bangkok.

GA: Will there be a separate division for ladies in the future, seeing that Paula Creamer is a brand ambassador as well. And the Precept range is very popular amongst the ladies.

AG: We look forward to and will certainly work towards that direction, as we do have a lot of lady golfers.

GA: Will the Bridgestone Amateur Open be an annual affair?

AG: YES, definitely!

GA: How has the signing of Tiger Woods helped Bridgestone Golf overall as a brand?

AG: Bridgestone is an iconic brand and with Tiger Woods on board as an ambassador, it will certainly turn the spotlight onto the brand and enhances its image, because of all the golf balls in the World, Tiger chose to use Bridgestone golf balls.

GA: What are the strategies in place to promote Bridgestone Golf’s clubs as well as golf balls?

AG: The strategy is to simply produce high quality products that the average golfer can leverage on to enjoy and play better golf.