Dear Members, By the time this reaches you, my term as Captain of the Royal Selangor Golf Club will be drawing to a close at the Club’s AGM on 20 June 2026.
I have been a Member for nearly 50 years, having first joined as a Junior Member. Back then, I looked up to Committee Members and as a young boy, never imagined that I would one day serve as Captain. It is often said that being Captain is a thankless task. I have never seen it that way. To me, it has been a labour of love, a privilege, and a responsibility I have taken very seriously.
One thing I have learnt is that under the Club’s Constitution, the Captain is not endowed with significant powers. A Captain can only lead meaningfully with the support, confidence and cooperation of the President and the eight other elected Committee Members. I believe this was intentional. No one person should dominate the Club. Decisions may sometimes be slower and more consensus driven but different views are heard and considered. I have been fortunate to have had that support. Without it, very little could have been accomplished. As a consequence of the consensus building, more often than not, one Captain executes the vision of his predecessors while teeing up the ball for the next Captain. The latest proposed golf course upgrading resolution is a good example. If approved, it will be a multi-year project requiring continuity across several Committees and Captains. The proposal has been socialised with both candidates standing for Captain, and both support the broad direction in principle. Doing the groundwork now, and putting the execution structure in place, should allow the incoming Captain to hit the ground running.
My tenure has had its share of temporary distractions: whistleblowing matters, landrelated issues, Companies Limited by Guarantee(CLBG) considerations, F&B health and safety concerns, foreign worker documentation issues, lawsuits and threatened lawsuits, and inquiries involving the MACC and Registrar of Companies. These matters took time and effort, but they did not define the Club. What mattered was that TC always followed process, did right by the Club and continued to move forward.
Many of the solutions put in place are now beginning to bear fruit. Our new F&B caterer has brought a step change in food and service quality, and we are hopeful that cleanliness and operating standards will continue to improve. Our foreign workers are now properly documented. We have also identified a new General Manager to take over from our current GM, subject to final endorsement by the incoming Captain and Committee. This is appropriate, as the new GM will work closely with the new Captain and Committee, and their full buy-in is important.
Membership renewal is a big part of the Club’s future. Our selection criteria for new Ordinary Members has considered RSGC’s imbalanced and ageing demographics. We have since, emphasised ethnic diversity, a younger age profile and younger families, Members’ children who may have missed the boat, and applicants who we believe can contribute positively to the club. Priority for Ordinary Membership has been given particularly to Malaysians living in the Klang Valley. Foreign applicants are encouraged to consider Corporate Membership.
Strategically, I have been particularly keen to upgrade the Club’s facilities not least because RSGC is in a fortunate financial position with RM420 million in liquid assets. Regardless, as a CLBG, Members are not Shareholders and can never receive dividends or other financial distributions. The benefit to Members can therefore come only through better facilities, better services and a better overall Club experience. At the same time, while our cash is earning just over 3% per annum this year, construction and renovation costs have been rising much faster. Put simply, money today buys more than the same money tomorrow. We must never be wasteful, but where a facility is needed or desired and the Club can afford it, we should execute expeditiously.
The lesson from our 2005/2007 golf course renovation is also clear. At that time, the Club did not have the financial resources it has today, and compromises were understandably made. We have lived with some of those compromises for 20 years, especially during wet weather. Retrofitting has helped somewhat, but only to a point. The lesson is that If we undertake a major project, we should do it to the best standard we can reasonably afford, or not do it at all. Quality remains long after the price is forgotten and a compromised solution will always remain exactly that.
Consequently, there is much for Members to look forward to on the facilities front. By the AGM, several major projects should be substantially complete, including the new Sports Community Centre, poolside and new gym at the former Fairway restaurant, new covered Pickleball and Padel courts, and new covered AstroTurf tennis courts. We had also earlier completed improvements to the all-weather and lighting safety aspects of our existing covered hard courts.
The Clubhouse roof renovation and rooftop solar project have also been completed. These projects will reduce power costs meaningfully while relieving pressure on the substation supplying RSGC, which was close to peak capacity. This gives the Club greater flexibility to consider future facilities requiring additional power, including EV charging stations.
The new Trackman golf simulator facility at the squash courts has been brought online, while approved Trackman facilities at the driving range await execution. A full F&B menu in the Main Lounge is expected in June, the new Luna Mediterranean restaurant is targeted for completion around August, and a new games room has also been approved for the space to be vacated by the current gym.
Other exciting projects are also in the works, including the Heritage & Banquet Room upgrade, new Jalan Tun Razak entrance, new halfway huts on both the Old and New Courses and the resurfacing of our covered hard courts.
The role of Captain has brought challenges, but also great camaraderie, friendships and memories, including our historic Quadrangular Games win in Danang against Singapore Island Country Club, Royal Bangkok Sports Club and Hong Kong Golf Club. I apologise if my drinking capacity has not impressed any of you, but I hope I will be thought of as a working Captain who always tried to safeguard the interests of the Club.
My sincere thanks to my fellow Committee Members, Vice-Captain David Mah, Presidents Datuk Nik Azman and Tan Sri Eddy Chen, for their support and wise counsel. I also thank Management and Staff, who have continued to serve the Club through a demanding period, often under considerable pressure. Finally, I thank Members for your support, friendship, encouragement and constructive criticism. Even the less constructive moments have been useful reminders that all of us, whether in office or outside it, should try to contribute in a way that helps the Club move forward.
There remains much to do, and time is one thing no Captain ever has enough of. I am therefore heartened that the two Members standing for Captain are both highly capable individuals, albeit with very different leadership styles.
RSGC has endured for over 150 years. Its best years are still ahead.
Your Captain
Raymond Yeoh
