11 September, 2007
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By PGA's Nat Sylvester
More than 1,500 PGA pros are employed across the globe and one of those golfers is Brett Brasier at Dusit Thani Golf Centre in Bangkok.
The 52-year-old is a respected coach who enjoys Fellow of the PGA status. He's also passionate about golf and growing the game in Thailand.Here he tells us what the Thais make of the Royal and Ancient game, how Thai culture has influenced him and how Tiger's helping grow the game.
Q. How big is the game out there?
Golf was big here before Tiger came into the golfing arena but the game flourished even more due to him being half Thai and the realisation that much could be accomplished business wise on the golf course.
So if you couldn't play golf then your career was at a disadvantage and you just had to learn. All this and the fact that the Thais just love to bet has kept golf the most desirable game to play.
Q. What do the Thais make of golf and are they interested in playing?
Thais are not so much into the competitions but lean more towards the social side of the game. Many tend to play with the same group of friends perhaps travelling each weekend to a new course.
You will find that many are members of several clubs so as to be able to rotate and play different courses. There again many don't bother to join any club and just pay the green fee anywhere they want to. The average Thai appreciates the exercise and the importance of the social and business side of the game.
Perhaps the business and the love of any sport (especially football) is the most important factor for the average Thai. It is no coincidence that Thaksin Shinawatra (Thailand's ousted prime minister) has just been appointed President of the Professional Golfers' Association of Thailand and just bought Manchester City!
Q. It's not a place that would instantly come to mind in the golfing world!
The Professional Golfers' Association of Thailand has 700 plus members, around 450 courses and roughly 500,000 active golfers. Many of the courses are truly outstanding with fantastic amenities. The weather makes for 365 days of golf and Asia is the fastest growing golfing market. Many of these points went through my head when I made my decision to base myself here.
Q. What's the culture and lifestyle like in Thailand?
The Thais come from a Buddhist upbringing and the culture lends itself to being kind, forgiving, a little laidback and helpful - a smile will get you a long way and the lifestyle is relaxed. As the years have passed this lifestyle has affected me in as far as to make me slow down and to take it easy.
Q. What is the main sporting competition to golf?
Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and football but for active involvement I would say golf is the most popular!
Q. How long do you expect to be there and what do you hope to achieve?
I've already achieved many of my goals and was recently awarded Honorary Membership status from the Professional Golfers' Association of Thailand - a first for any member let alone foreigner. I have the feeling that I will still be here as I approach that green on the 18th!
Q. Do you see yourself returning to Britain or working elsewhere abroad?
No, I can't see myself heading back for England unless Roman Abramovich buys a golf club and wants me to run it! The past few seasons I've been invited to teach back in Europe, which after such a long time away was really interesting and I can see myself doing this from time to time. I hate having that feeling of becoming stagnant and not moving forward so these challenges I readily accept and it stops you becoming narrow minded.
Q. How did you get into golf?
Dad was a good player who unfortunately had to go away and fight those Germans for six years which really messed him up - his brother though, Douglas Brasier, was one of the first pioneer golf professionals to leave England way back in 1929 for Sweden where he designed and built 25 of their original courses.
He remained a club professional in Sweden for the rest of his life. His experiences and vivid accounts of teaching royalty and winning some of the countries first tournaments were perhaps the main influences in my reasons to follow in his footsteps and try to become a PGA professional.
Q. What was the appeal?
Getting paid pretty well for something that I thought I was pretty good at!
Q. Did you think you could make a living out it?
It was not until I had gone over from Perth to visit David Leadbetter in Florida that I realised I could make some money. The trip was sponsored by my students who pre-paid for the lessons which they would receive upon my return. Watching David really make some serious money from the art of golf coaching and perhaps more importantly the marketing of it, got me thinking differently.
Q. Who was the biggest influence on your early career?
Former Ryder Cup player and captain Brian Huggett was very kind to me when I was a nipper and took me with him when he could to any tournament he was playing in. Watching him up close was just the best golfing education that any young golfer could have had. This association led to a caddying job in the 1971 Open Championship - the bag was bigger then me but the experience was just wonderful.
Q. What's the best thing about the job as golf professional?
Meeting so many different interesting people from royalty, heads of state, prime ministers, famous entertainers to just the average guy. All this can open doors which would otherwise remain locked.
Q. And the worst?
Not having enough hours in the day to spend with your kids.