Keppel Club aims to prove that a hybrid model for golf works
It has lowered sport’s entry barriers, tries to encourage community and youth participation
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Greeting golfers at Keppel Club’s first hole at Sime is a new shed that adds vibrancy to the par-four backdrop.
PHOTOS: KEPPEL CLUB
Godfrey Robert
Keppel Club, an institution founded in 1904, officially ceased operations at its Bukit Chermin location on June 30, 2022.
It was then relocated to the historic Sime location, a course formerly belonging to Singapore Island Country Club.
The move was more than a change of address. It marked the birth of Singapore’s first hybrid golf club model – a bold attempt to blend the traditions of a private golf club with the accessibility of a public sports facility.
At the time, many questioned whether such a model could succeed. Could private members and public golfers coexist on the same course?
More importantly, could a golf club remain financially viable while pursuing a broader social mission?
Four years on, the results suggest that Singapore’s golfing experiment may be proving more successful than many had anticipated.
Under the hybrid framework, approximately 40 per cent of tee times are reserved for members, while the remaining 60 per cent are available to public golfers.
Said general manager of Keppel, Desmond Chua: “The objective was straightforward: increase accessibility to golf while preserving the quality, standards and member privileges associated with a private club.
“The model was introduced against a backdrop of shrinking golf land, increasing pressure on recreational space and concerns over the future accessibility of the sport in Singapore.
“The approach appears to have found strong market acceptance. Supported by an integrated digital booking system and streamlined operations, Keppel has consistently achieved booking utilisation rates approaching 98 per cent since the transition.”
With an estimated 140,000 active golfers in Singapore, Keppel has successfully engaged a substantial segment of the golfing community, attracting over 35,000 registered public golfers to the Sime Course over the past four years.
Building on this momentum, Keppel will soon launch the “AweSIME Golfers” initiative, an innovative community-driven programme designed to unite its network of golfers under a simple yet compelling proposition: “Play More, Pay Less”.
With no membership subscription required, the initiative removes traditional barriers to participation while rewarding regular play, fostering greater engagement and strengthening access for public golfers.
Traditionally perceived as a sport with high barriers to entry, golf faces the challenge of attracting younger players.
Working with the Singapore Golf Association coaches and national athletes, Keppel Club’s specially curated golf clinic for the community is a hit with the kids.
Keppel has sought to address this through a series of structured programmes aimed at making the sport more accessible.
Working closely with Sport Singapore’s ActiveSG, the Singapore Golf Association, schools, community organisations and industry partners, the club has designed programmes such as Learn Golf @ Sime, Get Handicap @ Sime, Maintain Handicap @ Sime and Friends of Sime to provide pathways for beginners and recreational golfers to progress into regular participation.
Its fully public driving range has further lowered entry barriers, while affordable coaching programmes under ActiveSG’s Learn-to-Play initiative offer beginners an accessible starting point into the sport.
At the competitive level, Keppel has become an important venue for national golf development. The club hosts National School Games competitions, regional junior championships and provides training facilities for Singapore’s national golf squads.
Initiatives such as Friends of Sime have further expanded participation by offering flexible access arrangements without requiring full club membership commitments.
The annual Keppel Charity Golf, inaugurated in 2007, has consistently raised more than $1 million each year for charitable causes, including exceeding $2.4 million during the pandemic period.
Residents from Yuhua Constituency are all smiles after an introductory golf clinic. It was part of the Keppel Community Golf Festival 2025 at the driving range, putting green and golf simulator.
The annual Keppel Community Golf Festival, which started in 2025, has emerged as another symbol of the club’s community-focused direction.
Returning from July 6 to 11, the festival reflects a deliberate effort to make golf more engaging and accessible to wider audiences.
The week-long event combines beginner clinics, fun themed golf games at a special green fee price of $99, social competitions, charity activities and community outreach programmes.
One of the major highlights will be the return of the Pesta Sukan Golf Tournament, which will feature both an Open Category and an Inter-Constituency Golf Challenge.
The festival will also introduce entertainment-driven social game formats such as the Tee Cup Social Game, featuring a major gathering of Singapore’s golf content creators, influencers, celebrities and recreational golfers in a socially engaging environment.
The writer is the former sports editor of The Straits Times and has been writing about golf and sports for more than 55 years.
