Youth Golf Programme receives $100,000 boost

It has spent two years tightening its belt but that has not prevented the Youth Golf Programme (YGP) from aiming higher.

Next year, the 16-year-old project plans to collaborate with the ASEAN Golf Tour to give its student-golfers a chance to play in some ASEAN PGA Tour events and invite visiting pros to conduct golf clinics.

Said YGP chairman Dr Janice Khoo: "Nothing is confirmed at this stage, but we are definitely looking into linking up with the ASEAN Golf Tour."

The community project, which introduces the sport to youth who do not have the means to own golf-club memberships but have a keen interest to play, received a boost of $100,000 from Prudential Tuesday.

The cash will go towards providing professional training for the 380 students enrolled in the programme, which is conducted at the Marina Bay Golf Course.

The programme, whose patron is Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck, develops the golfer in areas from golf skills and sports psychology to endurance development through aqua and gym training.

The fresh funds will also help cover organisation costs for the YGP Inter-School League, an annual four-leg competition involving YGP's 12 member schools. The competition was reduced to three legs last year owing to a lack of sponsors.

Dr Khoo added: "In the past two years, we did not meet the target of funds raised. So we had to tighten activities by limiting the playing opportunities on the course for the juniors.

"But with the new sponsorship, thanks to Prudential, we can make more opportunities possible now."

Added David Ng, chief marketing officer of Prudential Singapore: "We hope that our sponsorship can help to make golf more accessible to youth from all walks of life and help talented young golfers here go further in the game."

The YGP, a brainchild of the late Tay Cheng Khoon, the former sports editor of The Straits Times, has benefited more than 4,000 students since its inception in 1997.

In a testimonial on the YGP website, Joseph Tay from St Hilda's Secondary said: "Before I joined the programme, I didn't even know how to use a golf club.

"Now, I feel joy and honoured to be in this programme."

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