TMCC gives priority to community engagement

Tanah Merah Country Club has always placed corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a major priority when it comes to initiatives to promote community projects. 

Therefore, when the club’s deputy chairman Ashok Kumar proposed a CSR initiative to introduce golf to young students in its neighbourhood, the general committee (GC) and club management welcomed the move with full enthusiasm. 

After all, the club is home to a cadre of top-level golf instructors, many of whom have represented the nation over the past decade. Among them are Goh Kun Yang, Marc Ong, Jerome Ng, Gregory Foo and George Foo who are complemented by once national age-group golfer Daren Lim, who has been a big influence on members and has turned many aspiring youngsters into accomplished golfers over the past two decades. 

Relying on that massive advantage, the club’s GC and management believe that golf can be a powerful force for fostering community bonding, strengthening relationships, and positively impacting the growth and development of the younger generation.

So, they have banked on golf to also be a vehicle to foster community bonding with a structured programme for primary school pupils in its neighbourhood. TMCC, with the blessings of the Ministry of Education, collaborated with Angsana Primary School, located at Tampines Street 61, as its beneficiary.

This served a three-fold benefit: nurturing talent, contributing to the community and aligning with Singapore sports’ Vision 2030 plan of supporting talent development in sports.

The initiative was first discussed during the GC meeting earlier this year as part of the club’s Grow Golf initiative.

Said lawyer Ashok: “The plan was to engage local schools in close proximity to the club, particularly in the eastern area of Singapore, by offering golf as an activity, providing access to practice facilities to support their students’ golfing development.

“This may seem a small gesture, but it has a big impact in allowing kids to enjoy one of the many excellent club facilities and also indulge in a game which may be beneficial to them in the future.”

TMCC reached out to several schools in the east and eventually partnered with Angsana Primary School in its CSR focus of making golf more accessible, positively impacting the local community, and adding value to TMCC membership.

The programme was launched on Oct 17 and comprised eight holistic sessions on weekdays, each session lasting two hours. The focus areas were driving range, putting and short game (chipping) with emphasis placed on fundamental movement and sport-specific skills, providing juniors with the opportunity to acquire valuable life skills and values through golf in a safe environment

Eighty pupils, aged 11 and 12, were trained by resident instructors and a few external coaches.

TMCC also invested in junior golf equipment to support the programme, and presented each participant with a golf shirt and cap to commemorate their learning journey.

Said Ong: “It was a great privilege and pleasure to teach the pupils from Angsana Primary School. They were extremely enthusiastic and paid attention to the pointers. It was a joy to see them achieve the set targets.”

TMCC has, since its official opening in 1984, established itself as one of the premier championship courses in Singapore and the region. The club has hosted numerous world-class tournaments, including the Johnnie Walker Classic, HSBC Women’s Champions, Lexus Cup and the World Amateur Team Championships, while advancing sustainability through a solar panel installation initiative and nurturing young talent through its Junior Golf Programme.