Sentosa Golf Club may have set another benchmark for the Southeast Asian region when it won the World’s Best Golf Club award at last week’s World Golf Awards in Abu Dhabi, but the much-decorated Singapore club is not about to rest on its laurels.
The club’s general manager and director of agronomy, Andrew Johnston, noted that being at the pinnacle of the industry will entail meeting and exceeding even higher expectations.
“Following our recent success, the goal posts are definitely much bigger now. Now that we have accomplished this, we will be judged differently forever … meaning that, no matter how good our courses and services are, we will always be compared with being number one,” noted Johnston, who received the award during the gala presentation at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort on October 29.
“Resting on our laurels will not work, mostly because nobody cares about the awards you won yesterday. You are judged by the service and standards you provide today.”
Johnston paid tribute to his entire team, emphasizing that it was a collective effort. “We are constantly striving to improve and present two golf courses in tournament-ready conditions, 365 days a year, for members and guests to enjoy … so to win an award like this gives me confidence that we are doing the right things. It makes all our hard work worthwhile.
Andrew Johnston (2nd from left) with the award
“This is truly a team effort, having gone through many years of hard work and perseverance. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated and loyal team at the club, who are always trying to better themselves. It’s this ‘can-do’ attitude that, day in, day out, helps us win major awards and receive recognition,” he said.
Introduced in this year’s sixth edition of the World Golf Awards, the World’s Best Golf Club award was judged by an internal panel of experts who considered a broad spectrum of factors. Sentosa Golf Club’s success was recognition of the role it has played in strengthening Singapore’s position as an international hub for tourism and sports, having hosted six globally-televised golf events in just over 12 months – two SMBC Singapore Opens, two HSBC Women’s World Championships, along with the Men’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship.
Sentosa Golf Club was also recognised for the quality of the club as a whole, including the standard of both its Serapong and New Tanjong courses, as well as a pioneering commitment to environmental sustainability through its #KeepItGreen campaign. The Serapong Course was voted as Singapore’s Best Golf Course for the second time running in the World Golf Awards.
Johnston added that they will continue to focus on environmental efforts and service standards. “It is my ambition to continue to take the lead on environmental sustainability, talking to the golf world about why it matters so much and advising on what can be done. We also want to offer best-in-class hospitality and never be afraid to grow,” he stressed.
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