CEO Dermot Synnott meets Ken & Tenniel Chu in Mission Hills Haikou, China.
Tenniel: The best course would undoubtedly be the
Blackstone course at Mission Hills Haikou. The 7,808-
yard signature course, built on a bed of ancient lava rock,
was voted best championship course in Asia and hosted
the 56th edition of the World Cup in 2011. The course
begins with a wide variety of hole lengths and natural
amphitheater green settings, while the final holes allow
spectacular views of the closing holes with little need to
move.
5. So how do you manage the world’s largest golf
resort? We imagine that you barely have a chance to
rest with so much going on!
Ken: It is really about delegation, discipline, and time
management. I subscribe to another philosophy of 3Ps –
profits, people and planet – I work for my company, for
the people, and the betterment of society. In managing the
company, I believe in getting the best person for the job,
and while this is a family business, it is not run like one. All
of our senior management are recruited professionally and
have been working with us for more than a decade. We
respect the professionals and let them take charge.
Tenniel: Indeed, we believe in empowering our team to
deliver the best for the company. No effort is too small
when it comes to shaping the guest experience. We have
hired many professionals and we have great loyalty among
our staffs and will develop them through time. We are
thankful for our dedicated colleagues, who continue to
power through challenges and to bring the business to new
heights.
6. Is it important for you both to take some time out to
recharge?
Ken: We definitely believe in giving our best during work
time, but when it’s downtime we don’t even mention work.
The passing of our parents inspired us to make significant
lifestyle changes. For one, since my early thirties, I have
made exercise a mandatory daily routine, and in fact,
I eat so that I will feel a sense of guilt, which acts as a
motivation for me to work out more!
Tenniel: It’s always very well balanced. With my father’s
generation, it was always work and like an elastic band –
you can only stretch so far. Both my parents passed away
relatively early, so we felt we definitely needed a change in
terms of lifestyle and how we conduct our work and life.
7. We understand that you work with Annika Sörenstam
on the Annika Foundation to boost female participation
in the sport. Is encouraging equality in golf an important
part of what you do at Missions Hills?
Tenniel: Most definitely, youth development is at the core
of Mission Hills. We are actively involved in growing the
sport through our Junior Golf Program and several other
Volume 4 • Issue 49
41