Taking Golf to the Masses in Singapore

Singapore: The Singapore Golf Association (SGA) aims to build a broader base for the island nation’s golfing pyramid by engaging with ‘independent’ golfers – those who play some form of the game regularly, but are not members of any golf club.

Newly-elected SGA President Lee Lung Nien stressed the need to connect with non-club members, as they make up the bulk of the golfing populace in Singapore. This broad demographic includes ‘pay and play’ golfers, simulator golf enthusiasts, and those who just hit balls at the driving range.

“If you look at the pyramid, we have about 50 high-performance players at the top, to whom we dedicate resources. High-performance golf is important and will continue to be important. But if we have 200,000 golfers in Singapore, of which 40,000 have club memberships, what about the rest? There may be two, three or four potential top players among them, waiting to be spotted and found,” said Lee, who was elected as SGA President in August.

The SGA is exploring a range of partnerships to create more accessible ways for people to play, including with clubs and golf operators in Johor, given its drivable proximity to Singapore. Lee has strong connections to Malaysia, having served as CEO of Citi Malaysia from 2014 to 2020. He is currently the Citi Country Officer and Banking Head for Singapore.

“In Singapore, we are limited in terms of land and space. SGA is exploring partnerships with clubs and golf operators, including in Johor, as well as alternative format operators such as indoor golf facilities, while continuing to develop accessible ways to experience golf in Singapore. This will increase accessibility and create opportunities for Singaporeans to play golf regularly,” said Lee.

“Golf is for the masses. It is not only for the 40,000 that have club memberships … it is for everybody. I also sit on The R&A’s advancement committee, and our mandate is equal opportunity for everybody. Golf for women, golf at the grass-roots level, golf in schools, golf for persons with disabilities. And golf is supposed to be fun,” he elaborated.

Lee’s sports governance CV is impressive. He is a Vice-President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), a post he has held since 2021, and was President of Motor Sports Singapore from 2016 to 2020. Lee also served as Deputy Chairman of one of Singapore’s leading football clubs, Tampines Rovers, for almost two decades, until 2025.

Unlike football, golf requires more facilities and equipment. SGA is exploring formats such as mini-golf to give more people a fun and accessible first experience of the game.

“Where do you start? You can start on a putting green in a mini-golf format, so discussions are on-going to organise a family-oriented, fun mini-golf championship. We’re trying to attract anybody who wants to pick up a club. It doesn’t matter whether you are eight years old or 70. Golf is for everybody, and we cannot progress if it remains an elitist sport,” Lee stressed.

Lee’s extensive experience in banking, corporate leadership and sports governance is highly evident when he speaks about the SGA’s base-broadening objectives. The 36-year Citi veteran cites 'Content, Scalability and Sustainability' as the three pillars for creating a platform that can help achieve those aims.

“We need a strategy, and I’ll look at three things. First is content … what do you bring to the table? What does golf bring to the table? Is it life skills, discipline, health, fun? So that’s the first thing, content,” shared Lee.

“The second is scalability. It’s no point if 100,000 people play golf, and it remains at 100,000. You need to be able to grow that to 150,000, then 200,000, and so on. The next thing is, can you sustain that? You have to keep the momentum going. The scalability and sustainability of anything, whether it’s a sport or a product, is critical,” he added.

Lee noted that the SGA will be investing time and resources towards the creation of such a platform.

“Using technology to make golf more accessible is a key priority for the SGA, and work to strengthen our digital platforms is already underway. The aim is to make it easier for independent golfers to find opportunities to play, access useful information and connect with the wider golf community. If we come up with a good plan and a good strategy, we will need to hire people to drive these initiatives, to implement and execute what we want to do,” Lee said.