The Singapore Golf Association (SGA) held the Discover Golf Carnival for the third time in a lead-up to the upcoming SMBC Singapore Open this week. Jointly organized with Lagardère Sports and Totts Golf, the Discover Golf Carnival featured a fun-filled extravaganza of golf-themed activities for golfers and non-golfers alike. The Kids Zone proved to be an instant hit with innovative challenges that included Golf Bowling, Bullseye Putt-Putt, Tic Tac Putt and Foot Golf, while the skills challenge booths like the Pitching Bullseye Target, Long Putt Challenge and Chip In For Arc Challenge put the more experienced golfers to the test. Many of Singapore’s longest hitters also turned up to battle it out at the inaugural SGA Long Drive Challenge. The excitement was palpable as finalists tried to outhit one another with adrenalin-charged swings to take home the much-coveted title.
It was the perfect opportunity to introduce the game of golf to uninitiated. The 43-year old golfer Ken Lim who brought his 3 young children to the Discover Golf Carnival for the second time said, “I am interested to expose them to golf to see whether they have a liking for it and before I start them on golf lessons.”
Lim shared that golf is a great sport as it teaches a lot of good values like discipline, self-control and planning. He also shared,“For myself I have also benefitted from this game in terms of socializing with friends and business partners.”
Mrs Chaw who was at the carnival with her three sons, 14-year-old Chaw Liang, 12-year-old Chaw Zheng and 10-year-old Chaw Sheng, also shared her thoughts on the game saying, “My boys have been playing golf socially for 2 years now. I think it’s a wonderful game. It helps them to focus and also trains up their patience. It might be a boring game when you start, but if you can endure the practise range work, the interest will start to grow.”
The young golfers play at the Champions Golf Course and the Marina Bay Golf Course, both public golf courses. Mrs Chaw went on to share about their keen interest in the game saying, “They find golf very fun. They are very motivated and get themselves organized for their golf lessons. I don’t have to nag at them to get ready unlike for tuition or school.”
Her eldest son 14-year old Chaw Liang who plays off a 17 handicap shared, “I like golf because it is very relaxing and you get to enjoy the scenery when you are playing. I haven’t started playing competitions yet but I would like to.”
The Discover Golf Carnival is one of the SGA’s initiatives to promote the game of golf to the general public. It first started as a lead up event to last year’s SMBC Singapore Open in January 2018. The second edition of the event was held at the Mandai Executive Golf Course in September 2018. This is the third edition of the event.