LATEST
NEWS

Creation of new Tanjong course at Sentosa GC reaches completion
Sean Dudley
/ Categories: News

Creation of new Tanjong course at Sentosa GC reaches completion

A new golf course has opened at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, built on the site of the club’s former Tanjong course.

The work has been led by Andrew Johnston, who is both a golf course architect and the general manager and director of agronomy at Sentosa GC. 

GCA caught up with Johnston to discuss the redevelopment of one of Singapore’s most well-known courses.

“Prior to the renovation, the Tanjong was a 40-year old existing course, and one of two courses which make up Sentosa Golf Club,” Johnston explained. “After many years of discussion and study, we took the bold move to redevelop the course. On the newly designed layout, no two holes or lakes are in the same place.”

Johnston first visited Sentosa GC back in 2005 when he was vice president of design and construction at Gene Bates Golf Design. The firm was hired to redesign the greens on the Tanjong course and add Subair technology, which led to an interesting chain of events that ultimately brought about the complete overhaul of the course.

“When we first looked at the Tanjong Course in 2005, there was discussion of a larger renovation at some point,” Johnston explained. “Since then we probably developed nearly a dozen different layouts and approaches to the Tanjong Course. In 2010, our superintendent at Sentosa Golf Club left about 60 days before the Singapore Open. The then general manager of the club, Peter Downie, worked out an arrangement for me to come over and help the team prepare the course for that championship, and with my agronomic skill I helped the team deliver a successful event.”

Following the Singapore Open, Johnston ended up staying on at Sentosa Golf Club as director of agronomy, while still managing a design and consulting business. 

“After joining the Sentosa Golf Club staff, I worked to develop the golf course routing concept for the new Tanjong course and shared it with my long-time friend and colleague Matt Swanson,” he said. “Matt improved it and together we collaborated on the redesign of the Tanjong course.”

Johnston’s approach to redeveloping the Tanjong course centred on addressing a number of existing problems, while also planning for future growth.

“The golf course was old and needed major improvements to bring it up to the standards we are trying to achieve at Sentosa GC,” explained Johnston. “From a design and agronomic perspective, the site was very tight, heavily vegetated, plagued with agronomic problems and aging infrastructure. It was susceptible to flooding, and highly contaminated with local cow grasses and sedge.”

Johnston’s aim was to bring the Tanjong up to the level of Sentosa’s other course, the Serapong. 

“On the Tanjong, the overall golf course yardage was short, the lake system had become shallow and handicapped the element of creativity, and the bunkering was outdated and required a significant amount of maintenance to keep the sand pushed up,” Johnston explained. “The property did not have the great vistas which contribute to the wow factor of the Serapong course, and was missing the ‘memorability’ factor.”

Ground was broken to redevelop the Tanjong course in November 2015, with work taking place over five phases. With the course now complete, how does Johnston reflect on the project?

“One of the most interesting points is how to address the question of who the golf architect is,” he said. “When I respond that I am the architect there are so many interesting comments that come back, as many in the club circles don’t know me as a golf designer. Frequently people are astounded that I could play the role of general manger, designer, owner’s representative, and director of agronomy all at the same time!” 

The course’s greens feature TifEagle grass, while the tees feature Platinum Paspalum, the rough Zoysia Matrella, and the fairways Zoysia Zorro.

“Very few designers ever live with their creation and don't realise the day-to-day pressures of maintaining and operating a world-class course,” Johnston explained. “In my role, I had a vested interest in making sure the bunkers are not only strategically and visually stunning, but also that they perform as expected, eliminating washouts which require meticulous hand labor to repair following each storm event.”

Despite only just reopening, the new Tanjong course has already been selected to host the Asian Amateur Championship in October 2018, while the HSBC Women’s Champions event will move over from the Serapong Course.

Johnston concluded: “It is a great honour and I am humbled to have such confidence in the new design to gain an endorsement of this nature. This almost speaks for itself that the new course will be a great compliment to the Serapong.”

Previous Article Countdown to 2016 HSBC Golf Business Forum begins
Next Article ASGCA reveals Design Excellence Recognition Program honourees
Print
13122 Rate this article:
No rating
Sean Dudley

Sean DudleySean Dudley

Other posts by Sean Dudley
Contact author

Contact author

x
Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Mon 09 Jun, 2025

Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New release asks: ‘what inspired you to become a golf course architect?’

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

Includes reports from Maggie Hathaway and Apogee, interviews with Martin Ebert and Dave Axland and a feature on golf art

FEATURE
ARTICLES

Destination design
RTJ II
Opinion | Mike Gorman and Trent Jones

Destination design

Mike Gorman and Trent Jones explain how the Robert Trent Jones II approach to resort golf has evolved, driven by a resurgence in remote golf development

Dave Axland: From the ground up
WAC Golf
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Dave Axland: From the ground up

The shaper-turned-architect has worked alongside some of the most talented designers in the business, but what is his story? Richard Humphreys finds out

Playing firm and fast in France
Tahoma 31
Report | Stacie Zinn Roberts

Playing firm and fast in France

Golf de Cannes Mougins has regrassed its fairways with Tahoma 31 bermuda. Stacie Zinn Roberts spoke with agronomist Alejandro Reyes and superintendent Thibaut Perez about its performance

You shall go to the ball
Russell Kirk
Report | Toby Ingleton

You shall go to the ball

A Cinderella story has unfolded at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, within Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Toby Ingleton reports

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse
USGA/Fred Vuich
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey
Taku Miyamoto
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act
Toby Ingleton
On site | Toby Ingleton

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act

Toby Ingleton reports on a design debut for the partnership of Mike Davis and Tom Fazio II, in the new course hotspot of south Florida

The art of golf
theberkshire.co.uk, The R&A World Golf Museum and National Galleries of Scotland
Feature | Adam Lawrence

The art of golf

Adam Lawrence profiles some of the best illustrators of golf courses in the game’s history – both full-time artists and architects who draw or paint

A masterplan of masters’ plans
Cohasse CC
Report | Mark Wagner

A masterplan of masters’ plans

Mark Wagner writes about the Tim Lewis-led renovation of Cohasse, a course that includes the work of Donald Ross and the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted

Quail Hollow: An interview with Tom Fazio
PGA of America/ Gary W. Kellner
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Quail Hollow: An interview with Tom Fazio

The architect talks about how this year’s PGA Championship venue has evolved over the past 30 years

Bringing golf to Benin
Afrikafun Production Stephane Brabant
Report | Richard Humphreys

Bringing golf to Benin

Jeremy Pern and Gregori International are creating the first 18-hole course in the West African country, on an ‘almost perfect’ site that also includes a sacred grove and voodoo shrines

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES