With the recent launch of an attractive new annual Weekday Term Golfing Membership, golfers can now tee it up at Orchid Country Club (OCC) and enjoy a host of privileges at the same time without a monthly subscription. These include the use of the club’s extensive golf, sports and entertainment facilities in addition to its three stunning award-winning nine hole layouts.

Situated adjacent to the Seletar Reservoir, the 27-hole course, which has hosted a number of professional tournaments, offers enough challenges to suit both the low-handicapper and novice golfer. Named after three orchids – Aranda, Vanda and Dendro – the layouts are an absolute delight to play on with each having their own unique features. They are also regularly maintained and tweaked to provide members and their guests with a consistently good golfing experience.

The par-36 Aranda, which measures 3125 metres from the blue tees, was the first of the three to be built back in 1993. It has generous fairways and large undulating greens which average 700 to 900 square metres.

Despite being the shortest at 3043 metres from the blues, the Vanda, on the other hand, offers challenging course management with a slew of water hazards. Accuracy is a premium here, especially on holes six, seven and eight so remember to pack plenty of balls. Its par-four fifth is tough as it plays slightly dogleg left, which requires a well-placed driver to the right of the fairway bunker. This will leave you a mid/long iron to an elevated green. The longer hitters can fly the fairway bunker, which will leave you a short iron to the long narrow green. There is a bail out area to the left of the green which is the smarter option with the green well guarded on the right by deep bunkers.

The Dendro is the longest at 3197 metres and has one of the longest par-5s in Singapore at 574 metres (third hole). It is complex as besides its length, it extends from the tee-shot which requires a carry of 180 metres across a pond to a narrow fairway bordered by OB on its left side to the green and protected by fairway sand traps. To tackle this one successfully, you need both accuracy and power to be in regulation, so the best option is take your drive down the left side of the fairway. A par here will feel like a birdie.

In addition to superb golfing, the sports and social facilities at the 100-hectare club are first class. On the golfing side, there is a 160-bay driving range, which features 80 state-of-the-art computerised tee-up systems. And as a respite to the warm Singapore weather, night golfing is available at OCC.

The Social and Recreational Clubhouses provide dance classes, martial arts courses and self-development workshops. There is a gymnasium featuring the mega gym concept, a 36-lane bowling alley, landscaped fun pool, 8-lane Olympic-sized swimming pool, karaoke rooms, mahjong/card rooms, jackpot room and tennis courts.

And you certainly won’t go hungry at the club with its eight dining outlets ranging from Western to Chinese to Japanese. There are also the Aranda and Par Lounges where members can enjoy a game of darts or pool at the sports bar. Other facilities include the 1,200 seater Grand Ballroom and purpose-built function rooms with flexible spaces and state-of-the-art multimedia technology to host weddings, baby showers and birthday parties.

OCC also has accommodation facilities in its Orchid Lodge where each room offers a panoramic view of the Aranda course from its private balcony. Rooms also feature a range of modern interiors and amenities in addition to complimentary Internet access.

If you’re looking to improve your game and are up for some lessons, the club is home to the Phil Brew Golf Academy which offers a number of golf programmes which can be tailored to suit the golfer’s needs. There are also a number of excellent club professionals who can tweak your swing and general game.

The new Weekday Term Golfing Membership has attracted a number of new golfers to sign up. Maurice Yuen Kwok Kee, who took up the game back in 1990, is a prolific player with around eight games a month. He says, “I chanced upon the newly launched Weekday Term Golfing Membership by Orchid Country Club as I was looking out for a new club membership. So, I signed up for a one-year term to try it out.” He adds that he would recommend the membership to other golfers, as with the declining numbers of golf clubs in Singapore he believes that owning a full club membership is no longer viable. He comments, “Instead, having a term membership will be more practical as a lifestyle purchase and it will likely be a more popular choice among the golfers.”

Fellow member Don Puar took the option of a three-year Weekday Term Golfing Membership, and there are a number of reasons that he decided to join the Orchid family. “The Club is well located with great facilities which suits not only the golfers but their family members as well. It is well managed with great staff who provide the members and visitors with a relaxed, warm and comfortable environment. We always feel welcome whenever we visit the Club. In addition, there are ample parking space within the Club, thus there is no stress to look for a parking space.” As to how this type of membership has benefitted him, Mr. Puar adds, “It suits me well as I generally do not play golf during the weekends which does not make sense for me to pay a full membership. I like the flexibility of the Weekday Term Golfing Membership, which offers a term of one, and three years to choose from, and I feel that the pricings are affordable. In addition, it covers the monthly subscription as well. Generally, I get to enjoy full member’s benefits except the weekend golfing.”