Keppel Club offered SICC Bukit course; NTUC declines offer

Thu, Oct 08, 2020

Godfrey Robert


After years of negotiations, Keppel Club is set to move to its new premises at Singapore Island Country Club's (SICC)'s Bukit location along Sime Road.
PHOTO: ST FILE

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lif...declines-offer

KEPPEL Club - one of the oldest golf clubs in Singapore - looks to have finally found a new home.

After years of negotiations, the historic 116-year-old club at Bukit Chermin is set to move to its new premises at Singapore Island Country Club's (SICC)'s Bukit location along Sime Road.

This after it was announced on Wednesday that Keppel - whose lease for its existing site will expire at the end of 2021 - has been offered the opportunity to operate the public golf course at SICC Bukit for nine years, from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2030.

A joint statement issued by the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), said Keppel has the "necessary expertise and experience", and its involvement in the operation of the public course will provide golfing access to a broader base of local golfers.

"Keppel's involvement will be conditional upon their acceptance of the terms and conditions for the operation of the public course, which will be set out by MCCY and Sport Singapore," the two ministries said.

Back in 2014, it was announced that the National Trades Union Congress would be offered the opportunity to manage one of the two SICC 18-hole courses at its Bukit location as a public golf course, when its lease expires on Dec 31, 2021.

The two ministries said on Wednesday that the Labour Movement has since informed them that it has completed a review and assessed that it would not be able to take up the offer, citing "financial considerations".

The ministries added that the government "remains prepared" to offer SICC a lease renewal for the other 18-hole course at SICC-Bukit up to Dec 31, 2030, if both clubs are able to reach an agreement on the sharing of the courses at SICC-Bukit.

Singapore's oldest and grandest golf and country club has four 18-hole courses - two at Bukit and two at its Island location.

With its lease expiry looming, Keppel Club's management had been exploring various options at Laguna National Golf and Country Club, Changi Golf Club and clubs in Johor, Bintan and Batam, but could not make headway.

The latest arrangement means Keppel will be allowed to operate the Sime Course, with the requirement that the club make the course available to both members and the general public.

As Keppel's club's reserves have been hit by Covid-19, a members' top-up is necessary for funds for the land lease, capital expenditure as well as other expenses.

The club is targeting 1,500 members to opt-in for the top-up, ranging from S$3,210 (social), S$5,350 (ordinary, associate and subscribing) and S$8,025 (corporate).

SICC president Andrew Low said that he, together with several members of the club's general committee, met with representatives of Keppel Club earlier this week to "broadly iron out the salient points" of the sharing arrangement.

"We are moving these discussions as swiftly as possible to conclude the agreement so that we can proceed with the lease renewal," he said.

K C Choo, a long-time Keppel member, said: "The Keppel management has tried their best to negotiate for an alternative, even going beyond our shores. Now that we have a home, we can continue playing until 2030."

SICC member Joey Chang said the news did not come as a big surprise, given that the club was already going to lose the Sime course. "I'm glad that fellow golfers from Keppel can continue to play the game," he said.