Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Singapore’s Justin Kuk learned to throw grenades, fire a rifle and survive five days in the jungle during his 22-month national service.

The army’s oft-repeated mantra, ‘you rush to wait’, and the rigours of army life also taught him patience and resilience, lessons he now carries onto the golf course as he pursues his sporting dreams.

“It was relatively safe,” the 24-year-old said with a laugh, recalling his stint in the infantry unit.

“Most Singaporeans want to avoid that unit. It’s very rigorous without the fancy stuff, unlike the commando unit. It’s not fun to be in the jungle for several days, it was a shock to me when I got my posting. I went through the basic military course … shooting with a gun, throwing grenades, going through five days in the jungle.

“In the army, there’s a saying, you ‘rush to wait’ where you make your way to a certain point and then you wait for the officers to give the next command. It taught me patience, and it does test your patience. I find it applies to my golf, like dealing with slow play.”

At an age where most of his golfing peers are already in the professional ranks, Kuk is in no rush to give up his amateur status, saying he hopes to compete for another full year before considering his options.

This week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Emirates Golf Club is a massive target for Kuk, who is making his second appearance following his debut in 2021, which was also in Dubai, although at a different venue.

Four years ago, he watched Keita Nakajima win the title. The Japanese has since established himself in the professional ranks and is now a DP World Tour winner. With the champion of the AAC earning golden tickets to the Masters Tournament and The Open, Kuk knows there is so much to play for.

“My first Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2021 was one of the best-run events I’ve played in,” said Kuk, winner of the last two editions of the Singapore Amateur Championship. “The level of competition was high and it’s a reminder of how good these guys are. I played with Keita then and he’s now on the DP World Tour.

“I hope to finish within the top-10 (this week) which would be a good stepping stone. Winning is the dream for many golfers. It’ll be great to become the second Singaporean to play in the Masters after Hiroshi (Tai). This is the biggest Asia-Pacific tournament and they’re offering a nice touch for the winner to get into the two Majors. To get this opportunity at the AAC is very motivating.”

Kuk was among the leading amateurs in Singapore before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, and the subsequent national service stint slowed down his golf progress. He has remained positive of his golf aspirations despite the speed bumps.

“I felt like the timing wasn’t great for my golf progress, but I don’t want to complain or have regrets. It’s actually made me learn more about myself and become a better person from these experiences,” said Kuk.

Interestingly, he is taking up a degree in psychology through a part-time course which inevitably is becoming relevant to his craft. “It’s pretty neat to understand how the brain works as it responds to different things,” he explained.

“Sports psychologists often tell us to focus on different things when we’re over the golf ball. For example, if I focus on different positions in my swing, the ball won’t come out as good as if I had thought about how the ball will fly through the air. Small things like that make it interesting and I can apply it better to my golf as I have real life examples when I’m sitting in the classroom.

“We also often talk about the different methods to reduce stress, and I feel like I’ve experienced all these and can try the methods out to see if it works for me.”

His family, which includes a twin brother and a younger sister, has been fully supportive of his golf journey despite the norm for Singaporean families to emphasise on education ahead of sports development.

Kuk’s father took him to a driving range when he was aged four and after winning a primary school golf competition, he was drawn to the sport and knew it would be his career of choice. “That feeling of winning got me hooked to golf. It’s a different route than most Singaporeans would go through and my parents have been supportive of my golf goals. It also helped that I wasn’t too academically inclined!” he laughed.

“My dad always tells me: ‘Long term, big picture.’ Whenever I don’t play well, or if I face a setback, we always fall back to that saying and look at the big picture and learn from mistakes so we can do better in the future.

“I enjoy playing and practicing and getting onto the touring professional life is my ultimate goal. I’ve won a few amateur events around the region but not a big one yet. It would be the greatest win (in Dubai) if it can happen.”