An interview with Andrew Johnston of Sentosa Golf Club

Sentosa Golf Club, home of the Asian Tour, is widely respected as one of the world’s greatest golf clubs with two pristine conditioned golf courses, showcasing breath-taking views of the Singapore Straits and metropolitan Singapore.

Since reopening in December, the Club’s world-class championship course, The Serapong, has attracted positive headlines from across the globe. As the host venue for the SMBC Singapore Open, The Serapong is one of the world’s best golf courses, having been named ‘Singapore’s Best Golf Course’ for the third consecutive year at the World Golf Awards in 2020, as well as being ranked 59^th in Golf Digest’s ‘Top 100 World’s Greatest Golf Courses 2020-21’.

The man tasked with taking one of golf’s most iconic courses and making it even better, right in the midst of a global pandemic, was the Club’s own General Manager and Director of Agronomy, Andrew Johnston. With three months having passed since the course reopened, we sat down with him to discuss how The Serapong is shaping up and what we can expect from this prestigious course in the future….

Since The Serapong reopened at the end of last year, what has the feedback been like?

The feedback so far from our members and guests regarding the renovations has been extremely positive. Our aim was always to provide them with the best possible playing experience, whilst also setting the course up to deliver an exciting challenge for golfers of all abilities.

Our members and guests have become used to experiencing the highest standards of playing conditions 365 days of the year on The Serapong, which is what we pride ourselves on, and this was definitely something we factored in during the renovations. We are continuously looking to improve the quality of the experience at Sentosa Golf Club and hope that the positive feedback from everyone who has played The Serapong continues to circulate.

Because of COVID-19, we know all the staff at the club had to help out with the renovations. What was that experience like? You must be very proud.

With the renovations on The Serapong commencing just as Singapore was about to go into the ‘Circuit Breaker’, there were many challenges faced. The Club had to be nimble and remain aligned with the changing restrictions throughout the pandemic. The rules of operation were fast changing in the early stages from wearing masks, testing protocols and limited staff allowed on site, to quarantining and working from home.

So, a major challenge that we faced during the renovations was attempting to keep up with the tight construction deadlines, while still meeting all the Safe Management Measures (SMM) in Singapore. We were also only allowed a certain number of staff on-site at the Club on any given day. Our contractor had 150 labourers and operators involved with the project, but just 25 days before the works started 140 of them were quarantined for over four months, meaning our staff had to step in and support and go the extra mile to get the job done.

I am very proud of everyone associated with the Club and the role they played throughout the entirety of the renovations. Despite facing a number of difficult circumstances, we all take great pride in how the renovations have turned out.

We have managed to take one of the world’s top 100 golf courses and make it even better than before, as well as future-proofing it for many years to come.  However, we would not have been able to complete such a project without the help of all our staff. It took a huge amount of effort and dedication from everyone associated with SGC, whatever department they worked in, including front of house staff, F&B staff, committee members, and many more, to get the renovations over the line.

Their motivation to make The Serapong even better never changed and a ‘win-at-all-costs’ mentality meant our staff continued to strive for the same levels of perfection that would normally have been expected of them on a day-to-day basis prior to lockdown. All whilst adhering to and meeting the SMM required of them.

When Sentosa hosts its next tournament on The Serapong, how do you think the players will feel about the changes? Is the course even harder?

We believe the players would say the newly renovated Serapong still provides a fair, but challenging test. The Serapong has always offered one of the most formidable challenges in Asia and by changing small aspects of the layout, golfers are now required to think hard about their strategy and find new ways of overcoming the obstacles they face during their round.

One of the showstopping features added to the course is the new bunkering that has given The Serapong a fresh new look with creative serrated edging. They look deeper, larger, and truly capture a golfer’s imagination when they are lining up their next shot.

Another fundamental change to the course layout involves the works undertaken on the 6^th hole. We have realigned the tee complexes and moved them to the right of the cart path, therefore changing the visual alignment of the hole and making golfers look further down towards the water on the right at the edge of the rock wall.

Also, a large new waste bunker has been added, as well as 60 palm trees, which means players will have to change their strategy if they opt to hit away from the water and avoid the sand, as their line into the green will now be affected. We have also added a new false front to the 6^th green, named ‘The Dragon’s Tongue’, that requires golfers to add a touch of precision to their game in order to walk away with at least a well-earned par.

The Serapong receives rave reviews from players every year. In your view what makes the course so special?

The Serapong has always been special because it provides breath-taking views wherever you are on the course. This is especially true for ‘The Dragon’s Tail’ (holes 4-7) and the personality of the course has only been enhanced by the renovations.

We realigned the tee complex on the 4^th hole and by doing so have opened up the visual alignment of how the serpentine shoreline and walls lie in front of a player’s vision and now takes them on a continuous journey all the way up to the green, therefore adding to The Serapong’s storyline. This small adjustment enhances the coastal theme and plays a big part over the next four holes in how the course, and Sentosa’s story, plays out.

The 5^th Hole continues to showcase spectacular views of metropolitan Singapore, whilst Hole 6 now aligns with the shore, offering views of Pulau Brani and delivering a reoccurring visual experience. It is not every day that players will be able to experience such an incredible setting and I always think players find this stretch pretty unique. The Serapong is a one-of-a-kind journey that is proud to welcome golfers from around the world to take on its challenge.

In layman’s terms, which were the bits of clever technology used for the renovations?

Good question! Throughout the renovations there were a number of specific pieces of technology used to help enhance the course. All the tee boxes were re-lasered to reinstate a tabletop flat finish and return them to their original size, as well as updating the grass to allow them to be maintained at super low mowing height of 3mm.

The greens were also improved through a drill-and-fill process that saw machines inject a pre-made sand mix solution into them in order to rebuild and enhance the soil structure condition. With an enhanced air ratio, it will see the putting surfaces stand the test of time and the tropical climate in Singapore for the next decade.

Last question. Which is your favourite Singapore Open and why?

Well, I certainly have quite a few and there are so many great memories over the years. One of my fondest is watching Angel Cabrera down 18 in the final round. He hit a booming drive with a bit of fade off the water (his caddie thought it was going in the water, but Angel knew it had cleared). Then hit a 6-iron from 200 metres out, pin high, for an easy two putt birdie and to close the tournament out by one from Vijay Singh. A 6-iron from that distance these days might not seem that much, but back then it was something special from that range. That week in 2007 had everything. Angel played majestic golf all week, including a 63 in the second round and we have to also remember his driver head came off during his first round and he still managed to shoot level par!

I will also never forget Adam Scott’s three-peat. There’s just something about Singapore and Sentosa Golf Club that just clicked with Adam. He’s given us a lot of great memories here too.

*The Sentosa Golf Club is part of the Asian Tour Destinations, an exclusive network of world-class golfing properties around the region that offer a comprehensive range of facilities and services to club members and guests, as well as to Asian Tour players and officials. 

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