The Singapore Island Country Club has an illustrious past that is tied intricately to the rapid and dynamic growth of Singapore. From the early years of its parents club to its present stature as the leading golf and country club in Singapore, the SICC remains unsurpassed in its rich history and allure.

The Birth of Singapore's first Golf Club

The Singapore Island Country Club story - also the dawn of golf in Singapore - began on 17 June 1891, with the opening of The Golf Club, Singapore's first golf club, at the race course (now Farrer Park) by Governor Sir Cecil and Lady Clementi Smith. The man responsible for forming the club, Sir John Tankerville Goldney, had the honour of driving off the first ball in the opening game. The Supreme Court judge had arrived in 1887 with his clubs in his luggage, eager for a place to use them. But Singapore had no golf links then. Noticing that the race course owned by the Singapore Sporting Club had a nice patch of greenery, Justice Goldney proposed a resolution that club members be allowed to play golf on the race course "under the control of the Singapore Sporting Club Committee", which was passed. With that, the first 50-acre, 9-hole golf course was born and Goldney became the Golf Club's first president. Just three months after its official opening, the then Singapore Free Press noted : "Singapore has been fairly bitten by the golf-mania. The cricket bat mopes in its bag and the tennis racket warps wearily in the lumber-room while the ladies are getting cross at being deprived of male society." By the end of the year, membership had reached 60.

Golf mania spread, mainly among the British, as only they could join the Golf Club. Even ladies, who were not allowed to become members, took full advantage of golf on Tuesdays, the only day in the week they were allowed to play. With increasing enthusiasm and membership, a $3,000 clubhouse was built and opened for golfers on 27 January 1894.

By 1905, the Golf Club had about 200 members and almost $3,000 in the bank. That year alone, 11 major tournaments were played in addition to the Monthly Medal competitions. In 1907, the clubhouse was extended.

Other clubs sprung in the wake of the success of the Golf Club but it retained its premier position. However, it became obvious that with business activities growing in the area, the Golf Club would soon have to move.

With considerable foresight, the president of the Golf Club, John Sime, chose a new home for the golfers at Bukit Timah next to the reservoir catchment area (today's MacRitchie Reservoir).

Work to clear the jungle started in 1920, and in 1924, the 18-hole Bukit Course was opened for play. The cost of creating the course plus other auxiliary works which included the construction of a road, gardener's quarters and a temporary attap clubhouse, was more than $45,000.

To ease the financial burden, it was agreed by the members to abandon the links at the race course, which had cost $7,689 to maintain in 1923. To mark the departure from the race course, a foursome between the president's side and the captain's side was played on 31 August 1924, the last day before vacating the course. The abandoned links were subsequently taken up by the Race Course Golf Club, the other ancestor of SICC.

For his vision and contribution, John Sime was elected as the first life member of the Golf Club. The road to the clubhouse was later named after him.

At their new location, Golf Club members voted for a one storey clubhouse to be built. This building was officially opened by the Governor, Sir Laurence Guillemard on 17 March 1925.

In 1930, 12 holes were constructed on the east side of the club. These were later lengthened and combined to form the first nine holes of the new Sime Course. In 1938, the second nine, affectionately known as the goat track, was completed.

On 12 November 1938, King George IV became the patron of the club. The club was hence renamed the Royal Singapore Golf Club and became popularly known as "the Royal".

The Island Club

Following the relocation of the Royal Singapore Golf Club, the race course links were handed over to the Race Course Golf Club, Singapore' first truly multi-racial club. Formed on 1 October 1924, the club was made up of Asians who wanted to learn to play golf but could not join the exclusively European Golf Club. Others were Golf Club members who did not want to move to Bukit Timah. And then there were young Chinese men like Harold Lim who had returned from studies in Britain where they had learnt the game.

Three years into its formation, the club had to move because the Turf Club had sold the land. John Laycock began the search for a suitable golf course land. Finally in 1929, after two to three years of searching, Laycock, then a Municipal Commissioner of Singapore, and his friends set their sights on the large catchment area in the middle of the island. Their proposal got approval at the General Committee Meeting of the Singapore Municipal Council on 28 June 1929.

The following March, work began on the 18-hole course designed by Peter Robinson of Braid Hills, Edinburgh. A grounds committee comprising members John Laycock, Wee Kiah Kiat and Dr Harold Lim supervised the construction which took over two years.

A new golf club called the Island Club was formed for the new course, with S J Chan as the first president and John Laycock as the first captain. This club was open to any one, although its members were mostly members of the Race Course Golf Club which was liquidated in 1932. A one-storey, bungalow-sized clubhouse was built by the 6th green of the Island Course below the machinery shed and was officially opened on 27 August 1932 by the Governor, Sir Cecil Clementi Smith.

The Island Club was also to be Singapore's first country club, with other non-golf sports facilities including two tennis courts and plans for a swimming pool.

The golf boom at both the Royal and Island came to a sudden halt with the Japanese occupation of Singapore in 1942. Both clubs were requisitioned by the Japanese military and the Island clubhouse further fell victim to a bomb. Within days after the war ended, work commenced to restore the two clubs and their golf courses.

At Island, a new clubhouse was built where the Island Clubhouse is now. It took two years and was officially opened in October 1951 by Oliver Lyttleton, Secretary of State for the colonies. New facilities included a practice tee, better dining facilities, a cocktail lounge and a 19th hole bar.

In October 1952, the Duchess of Kent came to Singapore and was invited to have tea at the Island Club. The club was given a royal charter and became known as the Royal Island Club. In September 1957, a swimming pool and changing rooms were added and declared open by Malcolm MacDonald, Commissioner-General for the United Kingdom in South-east Asia.

Over at the Royal, the clubhouse was extended to include a spacious Men's dressing room, a ballroom and a golfers' terrace. With a membership of 430 in 1957, there were efforts to draft new members, including non-Europeans. Despite that, membership continued to dwindle in the late '50s while Island's membership continued to grow.

In February 1961, Island Course hosted the very first Singapore Open. The Club also carried out ambitious plans to build a modern, air-conditioned 10-pin bowling centre, Singapore's first automatic pin-setting facility. The centre was opened on 16 March 1963 by then Finance Minister Mr Goh Keng Swee.

During this time, the birth of a self-governing Singapore saw the emergence of a people with a passion for the new nation and a national identity. The Royal considered several options to render the Club more relevant to the changing political climate. A merger with the Island won the Committee's votes by a narrow margin. Representatives from the Royal then approached Loke Wan Tho, President of Island, with the merger proposal.

Establishment of The Singapore Island Country Club

At an EGM on 17 December 1962, Island members passed a resolution for the Committee to negotiate with the Royal on the merger and the new club was to be named the Singapore Island Country Club. Members of the Royal, faced with a no-win situation of merging or become non-existent, voted on 4 January 1963 to negotiate for "a complete and unqualified merger of the two clubs."

A steering committee was set up with representatives from both clubs. In the evening of 21 June 1963, Loke Wan Tho chaired a meeting for delegates of both clubs, in which he declared that the Singapore Island Country Club was to be established on 1 July. Loke Wan Tho was elected as the first president of the club.

Immediately after the merger, many members of the Island went to play at the Bukit location due to its proximity to town and better golf courses. Demand was so great that restrictions had to be placed for both Bukit and Sime Courses. The car park had to be extended. Membership grew at an average of 50 new members a month. By the end of June 1964, when entrance fee was $4,300, there were 4,235 principal members with almost half of them golfing members.

Over at Island, the need for a new and better course was more keenly felt than before. When PUB gave the green light in 1964, the club engaged Frank Pennink, a former captain of the British amateur team who was from the British golf architects, C K Cotton and Co., to design the New Course. A special New Course Committee comprising Norman Sutcliffe, Lee Kim Yew, C Y Koh and Cheong Thiam Siew, was formed to monitor the construction work, which was undertaken entirely by the club staff. After four years and $1.2 million, the New Course was completed in September 1969 and officially opened by the late Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin.

To cover the cost of maintaining the additional course, the club decided to introduce corporate membership in late 1970.

With more families using the club, there were plans to build a bigger swimming pool at Island. Members approved a new complex which would house a 50-metre competition pool, a diving pool, squash courts and changing rooms. The project was carried out in two stages and was completed in 1974. It was so popular that parking space for another 100 cars had to be built.

In November 1972 the club, with over 6,000 principal members, closed its membership.

At Bukit location, a $2.5 million master plan for Bukit Clubhouse was drawn up in September 1973. However due to insufficient funds, the project was delayed. In 1981, the club was asked to develop the 1.6 hectares plot of land or face acquisition of the plot. A new ad-hoc committee was formed to commission a design for the new Bukit Clubhouse. An architectural competition was held, with the winning design by T K Quek of James Ferrie and Partners accepted with minor changes. The old Bukit Clubhouse would be refurbished and a separate tennis and squash complex was to have seven and a half courts and six squash courts. Next to it would be a caddies' complex. Members readily approved the budget for the development. This new Clubhouse, which consisted of a restaurant, theatrette, jackpot room, hairdressing salon, billiard room, card room, library and a recreational pool with changing and showering facilities, was completed in 1987.

Transferable Membership

1 January 1992 witnessed a new era in the club's history. The Public Utilities Board (PUB), which owns the club's land, offered a 30-year lease on the conditions that the SICC was to introduce transferable membership and the PUB would appoint a chairman who would have veto powers and who would appoint the club's president, captain and honorary treasurer. Thus, the Club membership went transferable.

Management of The Club

The Club shall be governed by a General Committee (or GC) comprising a President, a Treasurer, and seven other ordinary GC members, from which one would be appointed to serve as Vice-President. The President may also nominate no more than three members to join the GC as nominated GC members. Captains for the various sections will be appointed by the GC.

The President, Treasurer and seven ordinary General Committee members would be elected by the members at the Annual General Meeting.

In 2005, a landmark change was made when the positions of Club Captain and Honorary Treasurer were once again elected. However, in 2007 the position of Club Captain was removed while the President's position was open to contest.

In the Singapore Tatler's 2006 issue of `Society', the SICC is regarded as a Club for "those who want the biggest and the best". Today, the SICC continues to maintain its stellar position as the most prestigious club in Singapore with strong loyalty and pride amongst its members.