Sembawang Country Club

About the club

The Club was founded in 1967 by the British Marines stationed at Dieppe Barracks. On 7 January the following year, Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was invited to officiate the opening of what he refers to in his memoirs as the 'HMS Simbang' golf course. At that time, it was just a 9-hole golf course. The course was located within a British air base which served as both a Royal Air Force station (RAF Sembawang) and a Royal Naval Air Station (HMS Simbang). When the British forces withdrew from Singapore in 1971, the tripartite ANZUK Force was formed as a temporary means of defending the region. The New Zealand Southeast Asia Force took over the running of what was then called the Sembawang Golf Club. In late 1975, the NZ SEA Force explored the option to expand Sembawang's 9-holes to an 18-hole golf course. However, these plans were shelved due to a lack of funds. In 1977, the expansion of the 9-hole golf course to an 18-hole golf course was carried out by the SAF. And in the early 1980s, the SAF formally took over the running of Sembawang Country Club from the NZ forces. From there, the Club has gone on to serve as an extension to Singapore's military diplomacy by providing a facility for key military personnel to build relations with their foreign counterparts.