Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC) has installed Thor Guard technology – the world’s only lightning prediction system.
Across 20 countries on six continents, Thor Guard system users include golf courses, country clubs, parks, schools and universities, cities and municipalities, aviation leaders, government agencies, mining and industrial companies, sporting events and broadcast media.
A Golf Course Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, the HKGC is no stranger to extreme weather. It will rely on Thor Guard to provide pre-emptive warming of lightning strikes.
“Hong Kong Golf Club is among many PGA, European and Asian Tour hosts realising the advanced safety benefits of our predictive modelling,” said Bob Dugan, President of Thor Guard. “More than 7,000 locations reduce dangers of lightning strikes by Thor Guard calculating atmospheric energy profiles occurrences eight to 20 minutes before potential hits.”
Dean Nelson, Director of Golf at Hong Kong Golf Club, said: “With 120,000 golfers playing our courses annually, the safety of their well-being is paramount. As the industry leader in lightning prediction, we feel confident that Thor Guard’s system will keep our members and visitors safe in the event of inclement weather.”
Meteorological experts project a five per cent annual rise in weather, climate and geological disasters through 2020. North America alone recently suffered 160 natural disasters annually, the most in more than 35 years.
Thor Guard says its sensor technology constantly monitors local environments and forecasts the level of dynamic energy migration needed to create lightning, even with no visible evidence. Recognising ‘bolts out of the blue’ conditions allows more notification time to proactively manage potentially perilous situations.