It is ironic that at a time when golf clubs are gradually closing in Singapore, the overall number of golfers has been encouragingly constant.
In fact, statistics show that there has been a slight increase in the playing population on local courses from 40,000 to about 45,000, registered with the Singapore Golf Association (SGA).
One reason for that is that the SGA has been proactive in organising many junior programmes for kids with regular follow-ups and competitions.
An SGA survey indicated that non-registered golfers on course, who play at home and abroad, number about 95,000.
So the obvious question then is: Local courses aside, where do they play golf?
In that respect, the golf traffic to Batam and Bintan – despite the higher ferry charges – and Johor has seen an uptrend.
In that backdrop, Tanah Merah Country Club came up with a novel idea to introduce the club’s Millennium Term Membership (MTM), which has received all-round praise from the SGA, golfers and stakeholders.
As Joshua Ho, SGA’s chief executive officer said: “The plan to induce the young golfers to take up the game is a good one. And to provide interest-free loans encourages youngsters to take up the membership.”
This fresh idea is entrenched in the club’s commitment to revitalising itself to ensure long-term sustainability as a core principle.
The MTM, introduced in 2025, is designed and launched to support the core objective of ensuring healthy growth of new, younger members to bring vibrancy and long-term relevance to the club.
It aims to make golf and club memberships more accessible through an affordable pricing and payment scheme.
For golfers aged 21 to 30, the entrance fee is $109,000. For those aged 31 to 40, the fee will be $130,800. There will be interest-free monthly instalments over 10 years.
The membership is non-transferable within the first 10 years and will remain valid until Dec 31, 2040.
After 10 years as a MTM, members will have the option to convert their membership to a local ordinary membership, subject to payment of a conversion fee based on the prevailing market rate and subject to approval by the club’s general committee at its absolute discretion.
So far, 140 members have signed up under the MTM scheme, primarily comprising young professionals seeking an accessible entry point into golf and club membership.
Despite TMCC’s membership base of about 2,200, its two 18-hole courses have seen utilisation rates of about only 70 to 75 per cent.
So there was room for more players, and a fact to consider is that this new membership idea brought revenue to the club.
Younger members, particularly women, also bolster the club’s sustainability profile.
Kylie Teo (handicap index 9) is a golf influencer, and online personality who runs TeeTimeGirls, a growing popular initiative focused on promoting golf among young women.
She said: “Golf, to me, is about connection – whether that’s with family, with nature, or even with myself. It’s a way to spend quality time with the people I care about.
“There’s something really special about the conversations and bonds that form out on the course. Unlike faster-paced sports, golf gives you the time and space to really connect with others and yourself.”
She decided to take up the offer because her family has been part of the club for many years. She said: “I grew up at the club – taking lessons, playing on the course and spending time with my family there – so it holds a lot of meaningful memories for me.”
Another new member is Lee Tze Yuan, who works for GovTech and is a former SEA Games gold medallist in wushu.
He started playing when he was studying in the Bay Area (San Francisco, California). “There was a driving range up on Berkeley Hill and I remember the stunning sunsets as I practised there after work. That’s what got me hooked,” he said.
He added: “The MTM helps to bring in new ideas and boost the vibrancy and sustainability of the club. Having these new, young, creative and energetic members is a privilege that TMCC can ill-afford not to embrace.”
The 16-handicapper sees connection between golf and wushu, namely in areas such as technique, physical conditioning and strategy.
Ryan Wong, a partnership manager at Comex IT, also found MTM a worthwhile idea.
A former national golfer who has played at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Putra Cup, Wong has found the Garden and Tampines courses to be two great layouts.
He plays mainly on weekends at TMCC and occasionally at National Service Resort & Country Club, of which he is also a member.
Wong, who has been playing golf for 16 years, said: “What I like about the MTM is that it is affordable, thanks to the reasonable downpayment and instalment plan.”