There are mainly 2 major associations that looks into the welfare of golfers, tournaments and the well being of golf generally in Malaysia .
The most prominent one being the Malaysian Golf Association or MGA was created in 1929 has affiliation with most if not all of the 174 clubs in Malaysia . During that time, various golf clubs met at the Singapore Golf club to form the Malayan Golf Association which was formerly intended to host the Malayan Golf Championship.
MGA today takes on many roles. They undertake all the events of amateur golf in Malaysia and hold the membership in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation. They are also a member of the Olympic Council of Malaysia whilst having a voice in the International Golf Federation.
Governing body of Malaysian Golf
Since the birth of The Malaysian Golf Association, it has, through the years, assumed many roles and undertaken many new duties. Today, as the governing body of amateur golf in Malaysia, The Malaysian Golf Association is not only a member of The Olympic Council of Malaysia; it is a member of The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation as well as being a member of Royal Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews (R & A) and The International Golf Federation (formerly The World Amateur Golf Council).
MGA started the Malaysian Open in 1962. Ever since then, the event has taken place yearly, attracting golfers from all over the world. With a winning prize of USD 2,000,000 it is the highest award in the whole of Asia which is part of the Europe Tour.
Apart from the professional events, MGA also organize the Amateur opens while hosting various of junior tournaments. They are also responsible to run camps for novices, courses for beginners and provide advise and consultation for sponsorships and tournaments. MGA also looks into the developing and training of the National Team and Back Up Squads, providing coaching where needed and running of various programs all over the country.
The Malaysian Ladies Golf Association or MALGA was envisioned by one Mrs Mary Williams. Started in 1983, the club was also founded by H.R.H. Tunku Ampuan of Negeri Sembilan, Y.A.M. Tunku Tun Maimunah Sultan Ismail and Ms Tan Siew Lay, who are currently the Life Members of MALGA.
There are various other personalities in MALGA like Puan Sri Lee Eng Lin, Grace Chew, Aminah Yusof and Vimala Arokiasamy but one notable is their first president, Y Bhg Datin Maria Musa. MALGA was set up to help promote the sport among women in the country. MALGA not only serve to help the lady golfers from all over the country but also play a part in promoting tournaments and helping budding lady golfers as well.
The recently concluded MALGA Northern Ladies Amateur Open 2007 took place at the Taiping Golf and Country Club in April saw a lot of members joining and was hugely successful, gaining much popularity among the women golfers in Malaysia .
MALGA is also prominent in running other Women Golf tournaments like the Selangor Ladies Open, the Tan Sri Muhiyiddin Golf Challenge 2007, which took place in KGNS are among the many tournaments hosted. As women golf are starting to pick up in the country, more and more resorts had since come forward to support these events providing locations and facilities for the smooth running of the tournaments.
Apart from tournaments, MALGA also play a pivotal role in developing the sport in the ladies category in Malaysia . MALGA plays a role in nurturing the young to take up the sport among women. The National Squad is under the purview of MALGA, therefore it is the responsible of the association to increase golf uptake in Malaysia .
MALGA recently held a National Junior Ladies Golf Camp at Saujana Golf and Country Club. The camp was well received included proper training under the coaching of Mr Duncan Moodie the National Team and Junior Development Coach. The camp also included other activities like consultation, perfecting of golfing skills among many.
MALGA is instrumental in offering the platform for women golfers not only in Malaysia but providing the exposure for them overseas as well. To say the least, MALGA spearheads the sport in within the women community in order to spot upcoming talents, nurturing current ones and giving them the opportunities to excel in a very Men dominant sport. As women golf is fast increasing in popularity, the growth are being monitored by MALGA and where appropriate will capitalize on its opportunities for our lady golfers.
