Andrew Johnston – General Manager and Director of Agronomy at Sentosa Golf Club
Ensuring an exhilarating challenge for players at LIV Golf Singapore involves a meticulous orchestration of course preparations, seamlessly blending tradition with innovation. The endeavour begins with a focused effort on enhancing every aspect of the course, guaranteeing a world-class experience for participants and spectators alike. From fine-tuning the course’s conditioning to meticulously maintaining bunkers and tee boxes, each detail is important to ensure the success of the tournament. Amidst this meticulous planning lies a steadfast commitment to environmental sustainability, ensuring that the beauty of Sentosa Golf Club remains preserved for generations to come.
As the anticipation builds for this prestigious event’s return to our shores, we delve into the intricate tapestry of preparations that elevate LIV Golf Singapore to a pinnacle of excellence. Sentosa Golf Club General Manager, Director of Agronomy, and Resident Golf Course Designer, Andy Johnston, leads the charge in orchestrating an exhilarating challenge for players at LIV Golf Singapore.
Are there any specific course preparations ahead of LIV Golf Singapore to ensure an exciting challenge for the players?
Preparing a golf course for a major event requires meticulous planning, coordination, and execution. There are several special efforts we work on and add to, so we get better with each event.
First, there is course conditioning. The course needs to be in impeccable condition to host the world’s best, which involves mowing fairways, rough, and greens to precise heights, ensuring consistent ball roll and fair play.
Green speed is incredibly important too, due to the competitive nature of the game and the fact that greens are the heart of any golf course. Special attention is paid to green speed, achieved through precise mowing, rolling, and potentially even adjusting irrigation to achieve the desired pace.
Bunker maintenance is also key to any tournament. Bunkers need to be raked meticulously, ensuring uniformity and fairness for all players. Any erosion or damage needs to be repaired promptly. Tee boxes must be level, properly mowed, and appropriately spaced as well to accommodate different skill levels of players.
The course layout is what can make a tournament competitive. The course layout might be adjusted to present a fair but challenging test for the world’s best golfers. This could involve moving tee markers, changing pin positions, or even altering the configuration of hazards.
Sentosa Golf Club is recognised as one of the world’s most sustainable venues
Additional infrastructure will be needed to accommodate spectators, media, and players. This will include grandstands, hospitality tents, media centres, and player facilities, so we always have this in mind here at Sentosa Golf Club.
We focus on all aspects of the tournament, including coordinating transportation, accommodation, and hospitality for players, officials, and guests, all of which requires meticulous planning to ensure a smooth experience for everyone involved.
Sustainability is of the upmost importance here at one of the world’s most sustainable golf clubs. Golf events often take place in environmentally sensitive areas, so measures to protect the natural habitat, conserve water, and minimize chemical usage are essential.
Every detail matters, from signage and branding to the condition of restrooms and catering services. It all contributes to the overall experience of the event. These efforts, among others, ensure that a golf course is primed and ready to host a major event, providing an unforgettable experience for players, spectators, and stakeholders alike.
How do you see hosting LIV Golf Singapore improving the reputation of Sentosa Golf Club further across the globe, especially as it returns for a second year in a row?
We are of course grateful to be chosen as a key event to host such a global event for the second consecutive time. LIV Golf has a collection of some of the best courses in the world and it is something Asia is hungry to see and why not hold it at one of Asia’s, and the world’s, best venues.
Did LIV Golf Singapore present any challenges or opportunities in terms of maintaining the course’s environmental impact while also catering to the tournament’s needs?
Sentosa Golf Club is a market leader when it comes to environmental management. The positive movement LIV Golf has made is to bring GEO certification on board to this year’s tournament to help level up their efforts and become a leader in environmental management for major golf events through its Potential, Unleashed campaign.
How do you plan to leverage this increased exposure from LIV Golf Singapore to attract golfers and further establish Sentosa Golf Club as a premier golfing destination?
The global exposure is great, but it is the actual tourism exposure that makes the club and community the real winner. Tourism is important to Singapore, and therefore very important to us. Singapore and Sentosa Island are international business and travel hubs. It is a key destination for many people travelling around the world, and we are always looking to play our part when it comes to major events such as LIV Golf.
What specific adjustments are being made, if any, to enhance the spectator experience at Sentosa Golf Club for LIV Golf Singapore compared to past tournaments?
One of the key changes to this year’s event is that the merchandise area has been relocated and the fan village has been given a redesign. In 2023, the fan village was located out on the course between the 17th green and the 18th tee box. However, for this year’s event, it will now be located closer to entrance points to allow for better access for fans.
Both the merchandise area and fan village will boost the experience to a new level, meaning that spectators will have an even better experience than last time.
How did you approach the challenge of balancing the innovative aspects of LIV Golf with the established traditions and legacy of Sentosa Golf Club when hosting the tournament?
There has been a lot of progress made when reviewing this topic since last year, but I think the key here from our point of view is, we are a venue and only a venue. Sure, we may be one of the world’s greatest venues, but we are open to golfers playing golf at every level. We prepare our facility for anyone and everyone to play golf on two of the world’s best courses, so let’s play!
How do you see hosting LIV Golf Singapore impacting the local golf community, both in terms of potential inspiration for aspiring golfers and any opportunities for collaboration or engagement?
We know the event brings spectators to the venue who are not golfers, and this helps build awareness and bring in new people to our beloved game. We are also aware the event has nearly 40% of its spectators from overseas so that is a win-win for tourism.
