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Anna Healy Fenton

Bruce Chan's covert gathering of data on mainland golf courses led to golf007.com - and a new career

When the going gets tough, the tough get going - or in Bruce Chan Wing-hong's case, golfing. Mr Chan is one of the few people who can claim that his business was a direct result of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

After studying in Cheltenham in England, Mr Chan returned to Hong Kong in his early 20s and worked in property consultancy for 20 years. He was a broker for Vigers before starting his own property company, now run day to day by his business partner.

After a hectic 1995 and 1996, the property market slumped post-handover, leaving him with time on his hands. A friend took him to the Waterfall Golf Centre in Pokfulam and he was immediately smitten but the game proved a challenge.

'I went out on the golf courses later hoping I was like Tiger Woods but it's very hard to learn,' he says. 'I started playing in 1997 when the property market wasn't too clever and just fell in love with it and tried to play as many courses as possible.'

Unable to get access to the Hong Kong clubs, he went to China to practise. The original idea for a specialist golf website evolved from friends pestering him for information about the mainland courses he visited.

The simplest solution seemed to post it all online. But a website needed a name. 'When I was playing golf in China it was difficult to get information out.' People were demanding photos too, so he smuggled in a digital camera.

Enjoying golf in China back then wasn't as easy as it is now, he explains. 'Playing golf and taking pictures at the same time was literally like taking secrets.' None of this was allowed, so I felt like a secret agent - like James Bond, so that's why the website became golf007.com.'

The site's popularity grew rapidly with chat rooms, golf parties and tours to China. 'Then people said: 'Well, you know the driver and the club and the manager, why don't you fix up for me to play?'' says Mr Chan.

Demand for trips grew, so he bought specialist golf packages from a travel agent but she moved to Canada and: 'So I bought the travel agency from her and that's how it all expanded from a few rounds of golf.'

Golf007 is now Hong Kong's leading provider of golf-related services and the website  is Asia's most popular golf website with more than 10 million hits per month.

Today it  encompasses a golf travel agency, corporate event organisation, a golf club marketing consultancy and an online golf society. Mr Chan makes most of his money from commissions: a small cut from the hotels and golf courses. 'We always get a good rate and the golf course has a guaranteed tee time from us.'

The business has expanded rapidly and now employs seven  staff in Hong Kong, with 30 more in Shenzhen handling phone and online bookings. Some clients know what they want while others need help. 'Some just e-mail their budget and preference and we work from there,' says Mr Chan.

The website appears in English and Chinese with payments by credit card. 'Many mainland Chinese have credit cards now - Shanghai alone has more credit cards than the whole of Hong Kong.'

The international interest in China's golfers brings clients from Europe, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan, all wanting to visit Mission Hills. 'They've heard it's the biggest in the world with 10 courses,' he says.

His business keeps him in constant contact with 50 top  mainland courses. Guangdong's Golden Gulf Golf Club in Zhuhai and the Dongguan Hillview Golf Club are the current favourites, as are Hainan Island's Yalong Bay Golf Club and Sun Valley Sanya Golf Club.

In growth terms, Thailand's loss has been China's gain. 'Thailand has always been the golf destination in this region but it has become saturated because after 10 years most people have played most courses,' says Mr Chan.

'Guangdong has so many beautiful courses, far better than Bangkok, and they are waiting for people to come and play them.'

High-profile events such as the recent HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai have helped put China's golf on the map.

'Attention has moved to China, so I think the future is bright for golf-related business.'

Though many mainland clubs are members only, several accept visiting players. Weekday green fees for a top China course are US$90 to US$100, 40 per cent higher than all but the best Bangkok courses.

It's two-way traffic, with mainland golfers just as keen to venture overseas. But with most speaking only Putonghua, the language barrier limits them to Malaysia or Singapore, where green fees are higher. 'There they can just about get by but we always provide a local escort,' says Mr Chan.

The keenest Asian golfers are the Japanese and South Koreans who head to Hainan or Guangdong to play during winter.

'They don't speak Mandarin either, so they have to come in groups with a guide,' says Mr Chan. 'I organise all that. We have someone trained to look after them.'

Mr Chan is modest about his success but from nothing in 1997. Turnover is now  $5 million to $6 million per month, with 5,000-6,000 rounds of golf booked a month. Little money is spent on advertising apart from local golf magazines.

Mr Chan is quietly optimistic about the future. 'The market is still small but we don't mind that - any growth means we get more turnover and therefore more discount.'

However, he does have one regret: 'I'm so busy now I don't get much time to play golf.'



Golf's secret agent scores hole in one