Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) has reopened its Island course following an extensive redevelopment by Nelson & Haworth.
The Island course was originally designed by Scottish professional Peter Robertson and opened in 1932. Australian Peter Thomson oversaw changes, including rebunkering the course, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with only minor renovations made since then.
In 2021, the club approved a masterplan by Nelson & Haworth – this would be the last design work of the late Neil Haworth, with much of this renovation overseen by Brett Mogg, a longtime partner at Nelson & Haworth. As part of the project, a weeping fig tree has been planted on the fifteenth hole in memory of Haworth.
The redevelopment was needed to address advancements in golf club and ball technology, evolving member expectations and an increased focus on sustainability. The brief for Nelson & Haworth was to honour the course’s DNA, introduce advanced turf and drainage, add more tees and complete work with sustainability at its core.
“We set out to honour the soul of the Island course, its history, its natural beauty, its place in the hearts of members while reimagining it for the demands of modern play,” said Ivan Chua, chairman of the redevelopment project committee. “This redevelopment, one of the club’s most significant infrastructure projects in recent years, is an investment in the future of both the club and the sport.
“Members can now look forward to more strategic play, better greens and improved bunkers. More importantly, the course has been designed to cater to both competitive players and social golfers, with additional tee boxes introduced to make it more inclusive for women, juniors and beginners.”
The renovated par-three sixteenth (Photo: Singapore Island Country Club)
TEHC International began construction in September 2023 and worked with large project team, including R&A agronomist Chris Gray, Sports Turf Solutions, Toro, Profile Products, Centaur Asia Pacific, SubAir, Aqua Turf International, JYC Consultants, WT Partnership, Loksand and EcoBunker.
“It has been a privilege to support the Singapore Island Country Club’s Island course renovations with our EcoBunker solutions,” said Bryan Littlejohn, area sales and service manager at EcoBunker’s regional partner, Centaur Asia-Pacific. “At Centaur Asia Pacific, we are proud to play a role in delivering world-class sustainability and performance products for one of Asia’s most prestigious golf clubs.”
Read more: insight from Brett Mogg about the work completed on the back nine.
Renovations included adjusting fairway slopes and smoothing contours to improve walkability, rebuilding greens to USGA specifications, redesigning holes to enhance strategy and playability, and replanting over 90 per cent of flora with native species. Fallen trees have been repurposed into buggy exit signs, fairway distance markers and tee markers. Areas within the course have been designated for wildlife habitation too.
The budget for the Island course redevelopment project was around US$22 million (Photo: Singapore Island Country Club)
“Sustainability has been at the heart of the Island course redevelopment,” said Ian Roberts, general manager of SICC. “We integrated responsible practices such as water conservation, biodiversity protection and tree preservation, while creating a wetland. We have also preserved tree corridors, tagged heritage trees and replanted endangered species. Beyond playability, our commitment is to ensure the course remains environmentally sustainable, with continuous improvements as new systems and innovations emerge.”