Deemples Eyes Global Expansion, Boosts Golf Tourism In Malaysia

By Siti Radziah Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's golf platform, Deemples Technologies Sdn Bhd, aims to expand its global listing of golf courses while enhancing marketing efforts to attract more golfers to its platform, thereby boosting golf tourism in Malaysia.

Deemples, a platform designed to connect golfers worldwide one city at a time, currently has a strong presence in Malaysia and Batam, Indonesia.

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Its founder/chief executive officer David Wong said the platform partners with travel agencies across various markets to position golf as a key activity in Malaysia.

"One reason it’s easy to promote Malaysia as a golfing destination is the low cost of golf here, combined with the favourable exchange rate for the Malaysian Ringgit.

“We have seen many golfers from Australia, China, South Korea, Japan and India, and we continue to facilitate their golfing experiences in our country," he told Bernama in an interview.

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Wong said more than 80 golf courses, golf academies and indoor golf centres host games and sessions on Deemples, allowing other golfers to join in. 

Additionally, many individual hosts arrange their games at various golf facilities, enabling other golfers to participate.

"More international golfers are discovering and exploring Malaysian golf courses via Deemples. 

"We have focused a lot of marketing efforts to enable international golfers to learn more about golf courses in Malaysia, understand the nuances at various Malaysian golf courses, and book games," said Wong.

Since its inception in 2017, Deemples' goal has been to simplify the process of discovering and scheduling golf games, thereby fostering a more united and engaged golfing community.

Currently, the platform boasts 80,000 subscribers, comprising 70 per cent local golfers, 20 per cent Singaporean golfers and 10 per cent from other countries.

Wong noted that many travelling golfers use Deemples when visiting Malaysia, as they may not have friends accompanying them. 

Deemples helps them find existing games, providing opportunities to join games and meet other golfers, both domestic and foreign.

Southeast Asian expansion with US$2 million raised

Deemples has recently raised US$2 million to scale its business and drive the growth of golf in the Southeast Asian region. The funding will be used to further develop the app's features and expand its reach to more golfers and courses.

Wong emphasised the importance of increasing the Malaysian golfing population's engagement with Deemples to make the platform more valuable to a wider range of golfers. 

"We now have the opportunity to supercharge these community-building efforts, ensuring that not just major cities in Malaysia, but also smaller ones, provide the same luxury of sufficient demand for meaningful games," he added.

The expansion efforts will focus on marketing activities and product development, with hiring already underway to accelerate growth.

On the local front, Wong hopes that golf in Malaysia will reach the levels seen in neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, where golf is highly accessible and flexible with minimal barriers.

He pointed out that Malaysia has the potential to be a top golf destination if certain areas improve. The country's golf courses are uniquely positioned as neither the most expensive nor the most exclusive.

"In Malaysia, there are still many rules and unnecessary barriers that make it hard for golfers to play or get started, such as dress codes, equipment sharing and restrictions on the number of golfers in a group," he explained.

Wong said removing these barriers would greatly contribute to the growth of the game.

"To provide context, golf is played by about 1.0 per cent of Malaysians, compared with 10 per cent in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. The question is how did they achieve this, and how can we learn from them?" he said.

-- BERNAMA