Sentosa Golf Club's (SGC) Serapong course has swung its way into Golf Digest's list of the World's 100 Greatest Golf Courses for the first time.

It clinched 58th spot - the highest among courses in South-east Asia, and the only one in Singapore to make the list.

Into its second edition, the biennial rankings are based on ratings by 1,800 independent course evaluators and golfers across the globe.

Each course was assessed on seven categories - shot value, resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning and course ambience.

More than 33,600 courses across 206 countries were rated worldwide.

The No. 1 spot was taken by Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, one of 46 seaside venues on the list. Second place went to the US state of Georgia's Augusta National, host of the annual Masters tournament since 1934.

According to Golf Digest, Serapong fared well in all categories, particularly in shot value - indicating its ability to test the skills of golfers - and conditioning, highlighting the high quality of grass conditions.

The 6,675m course also earned praise for its variety of holes and its memorability, which measures how well golfers remember a course.

The accolade comes just weeks ahead of two major championships that will take place at Serapong - the SMBC Singapore Open featuring world No.1 Jordan Spieth from Jan 28-31, and the HSBC Women's Champions from March 3-6.

Club president Low Teo Ping said: "This recognition is dedicated to the members and staff of SGC who together have contributed immensely in ensuring that the golf course is always in excellent condition.

"It is also recognition of the ability of Singapore to be able to achieve world excellence in its facilities, when it puts its heart and mind into it."

Serapong was opened in 1982, undergoing a $12 million upgrade in 2007 before playing host to golf stars like Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott over the years at the Singapore Open.