It is very rare that a club gets the green light to stage two major golf events in a year.
But three? It is unheard of. Enter Sentosa Golf Club, to break all records.
For 2026, Sentosa has been given the go-ahead to host the high-profile LIV Golf event, the HSBC Women’s World Championship, and just this week, the Singapore Open, between February and April.
Some believe that the “Majors” have been thrust upon the club because of its organising committee’s sheer efficiency, high professionalism and detailed planning in staging these events.
LIV Golf will be held at the Serapong course from March 13 to 15 and will feature top stars such as
defending champion Joaquin Niemann
, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson.
This will be the fourth time, since the inaugural edition in 2023 which
American Talor Gooch won
, that Serapong will stage this prestigious event on a 54-hole format.
The US$3 million (S$3.86 million) HSBC Women’s event brings together the world’s top-ranked women golfers from Feb 26 to March 1 at the Tanjong course.
And defending champion Lydia Ko, the youngest inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame at just 27, pledged recently that
she would be back to defend her title
.
The Singapore Open, the oldest golf tournament in the Republic that was inaugurated in 1961, will parade the best golfers in Asia and beyond as a tie-up between Sentosa and the Asian Tour.
Sentosa has also been a favourite destination for the annual The Straits Times/Business Times Corporate League, and this year it will be held at Serapong on April 10.
Not surprisingly, the club has won several global awards on a regular basis,
namely Singapore’s Best Golf Course
and Asia’s Best Golf Course at the World Golf Awards.
Also it has risen to 71st in the Platinum Clubs of the World ranking – a recognition for the elite 1 per cent of golf clubs – in a group of clubs such as Augusta National, Congressional Country Club, The Royal Melbourne, Pine Valley and St Andrews Old Course – the highest position for a Singapore club.
Much of the club’s reputation has been because of the connections of the top management, especially general manager and director of agronomy Andy Johnston, who has the experience of having worked with the legendary Arnold Palmer.
The 62-year-old, who has been involved in golf from the age of six because his father Richard was a golf course superintendent, is a man driven by passion and purpose.
In an interview recently, the affable American said: “I love golf course design. I love creating experiences that connect people with the game and nature.
“Whether I’m designing, maintaining or managing, I’ve always been driven by the idea of leaving courses better than I found them. At Sentosa, I have a great team, from those making corporate decisions to the ground staff who work very hard for a noble purpose.”
Sustainability and “going green” are subjects foremost in Johnston’s mind. Energy and carbon reduction occupy his thoughts always.
Among his major achievements at the club since he became general manager in 2010 are “removing single-use plastics, introducing single-head control irrigation systems that cut water use by 40 per cent, and optimising pump operations”.
Johnston has a hectic daily schedule, waking up at 4am and starting work at the club at 5am.
He has extended working hours of at least 15 hours during competitions, the first job being making his way to the fifth green at Serapong by 5.30am, leaving him a 15-minute window to check on the grass and natural surroundings subject to elements such as wind and sea.
“What happens on the fifth green is what the other greens endure the following day, so careful scrutiny by the agronomy team is vital,” he adds.
Johnston has constantly been looking at improving all matters at the club, even F&B and the fabulous driving range that has been a constant stop for golfers, even the public. He enjoys the 88-plus percentage utilisation rate of play at the club, but “my ideal figure would be 65 per cent as this would cut down dramatically on maintenance costs”.
Sentosa Golf Club launched last September state-of the-art Trackman technology on its all-grass driving range, making it Asia’s first such facility, offering members and the public data-driven insights, interactive practice and virtual golf on its two championship courses.
This facility also enhances training with detailed ball flight, club data and performance analysis in dedicated bays for all skill levels.
It is open to both members and the public and its advanced data provide instant, precise feedback on ball speed, launch angle, spin and more.
The interactive modes offer games and virtual golf on Serapong and Tanjong courses with performance analysis tools.
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