DON’T judge Singapore on size alone.
At just 726 square kilometres – Tasmania is 98 times larger – Singapore ranks 176th among countries in total area but this city-state packs in an awful lot, including golf.
There are more than a dozen golf courses in Singapore but the vast majority remained off-limits to the near 20 million tourists who visited the country in 2019.
The exception in more ways than one is the 36-hole Sentosa Golf Club. Home to the Singapore Open since 2005 when Adam Scott claimed the first of his three wins at Sentosa and ranked No.59 in Golf Digest’s most recent ranking of the World’s Top 100 Courses, the Serapong course is currently undergoing a revamp to ensure it maintains its lofty status.
“This will be the biggest renovation to the world-renowned Serapong in more than 15 years,” Sentosa general manager and director of agronomy Andy Johnston tells Australian Golf Digest.
“There is no intention with this closure and upcoming work to redesign the course. The design style, character and strategy are absolutely one of the best on the planet. Our plan is to make it even better.”
It is impossible to overstate the visual impact that comes with a round on the Serapong course. The downhill par-3 second plays towards the Singapore Strait and then the course veers right for a collection of holes that play around Serapong Lake and towards the vast expanse of the strait that remains a hub for international trade.
The approach shot to the par-4 fifth is one you will never forget, while the back nine also wastes little time in taking your breath away, the par-3 14th and par-4 15th flanked by the Singapore Strait to the left and the medium-length, par-4 16th requiring a second shot across a snaking watercourse.
Touted as a venue of interest for the mooted Premier Golf League – “It is hard not to be compelled by the proposition of the best 48 players in the world” – the adjacent Tanjong course remains open while the Serapong undergoes its six-month renovation… and travelling Aussie golfers are always welcome.
“Many golfers, not just Australians, do not realise we are open to the public,” Johnston explains. “While we have a great membership base, perhaps some of the best members in the region, we are the only golf club that accepts walk-in play. All anyone needs to do is call us to book a tee-time and we will be delighted to host them.”
Trust me, it is an invitation too good to refuse.
The Details
Sentosa Golf Club
Web: sentosagolf.com
