Dear Members, Firstly, the very best to all of you and your loved ones in the Year of the Horse and beyond.
At the Extraordinary General Meeting in December, Members considered several proposals relating to the future upgrading of our golf courses. None secured sufficient support and the Club therefore finds itself back to square one. Since that meeting, however, many Members have spoken directly to me, to the President and to other Committee Members to express strongly held views that improvements to the golf courses remain necessary. I believe it is therefore appropriate to share some reflections on what we have learned and how we may move forward.
Members will recall that in November 2023, a resolution was passed approving a full renovation of our courses, following which a Project Steering Committee was established. The PSC and its Chair worked diligently over an extended period to refine the technical scope, review drainage requirements, assess turf options and evaluate cost implications. As this work progressed, it became clear that the originally approved scope and budget would not fully achieve the intended outcome, and further technical work and revisions became necessary. The time required to complete this process understandably led to growing concern among Members and affected confidence in the project timeline.
Looking back over the past two years, I believe that the principal challenges encountered were not with the objective of upgrading the courses, but with ensuring that the governance framework was fully suited to the scale and duration of such a major multiyear undertaking. While the PSC carried significant operational responsibilities, the Committee remained the Club’s apex decision making authority, and this structure at times made continuity, clarity of authority and the pace of decision making more difficult to sustain across the full life of the project. The clear lesson is that any future programme must begin with a governance structure deliberately designed for long term delivery, with the Project Steering Committee led by serving Committee incumbents to ensure full alignment with Committee priorities, consistent oversight and an efficient flow of decisions.
For this reason, we are considering a strengthened PSC model chaired by the standing Captain, supported by the Greens Convenor and Projects Convenor as permanent members, together with additional members selected from the wider membership based on relevant professional expertise. Membership of the PSC would be refreshed annually following each AGM, with a structured element of continuity maintained through the retention of selected members from year to year. The intention is to combine leadership stability, technical capability, continuity of knowledge and clear accountability, while maintaining an unbroken reporting line to the Committee throughout the life of the project.
It is also important to recognise the unique nature of decision making in a members’ club such as ours. Unlike a corporate organisation with a single chief executive empowered to make rapid operational decisions, our Club is governed collectively by an elected Committee whose responsibility is to act on behalf of Members. Consultation, consensus building and accountability are central to this structure. While this protects transparency and member ownership, it also means that projects of this scale must be organised in a way that allows day to day operational matters to proceed efficiently within clearly defined delegated authority.
In this regard, the appointment of a strong, independent thirdparty project manager would be a critical component of any future programme. Experience shows that the success of a project of this scale depends not only on design and budget, but equally on disciplined day to day execution. The most important requirement would be that the project manager is granted clearly defined delegated authority within approved limits to manage daily operational matters, coordinate contractors and resolve routine site issues promptly, while overall strategic direction, project supervision and major decisions remain under the oversight of the Project Steering Committee and ultimately the Committee.
Budget structure is another area that requires careful thought. Rather than relying solely on a single fixed project number, any future proposal may need to incorporate a clearly defined budget range. This would allow delivery to be targeted at the lower end while retaining limited flexibility to address genuine unforeseen site conditions or market cost movements without repeatedly returning to Members for routine adjustments. Such flexibility would not permit any change to the design intent or scope approved by Members without further Member approval.
No new resolution has yet been finalised. The priority at this stage is to ensure that if and when a future proposal is brought forward, it reflects the lessons learned from the past two years and provides Members with confidence not only in the quality of the proposed upgrade, but equally in the Club’s ability to deliver it in a structured, disciplined and transparent manner.
Our golf courses are at the heart of RSGC. Any decisions affecting them must balance ambition with prudence, long term sustainability with present day playability, and improvement with continuity. I appreciate the many thoughtful views shared by Members and will continue to keep you informed as discussions progress.
Your Captain
Raymond Yeoh
