Ong Teng Cheong, former President of Singapore, promoted the development of a golf and country club for ordinary workers when he was still Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress, a move intended to give employees "a fair share of the fruits of Singapore's economic progress".
And so, a 27-hole golf complex was gradually unveiled on the banks of the Sungei Seletar Reservoir. The Aranda nine holes were first to appear at the end of 1993 and they’re characterised by wide fairways and large greens measuring on average between 700 and 900 square metres in area.
A year later, the other two 9-hole loops (Vanda and Dendo) opened for business and they quickly established themselves as the championship 18-hole course at the Orchid Country Club. Course management is crucial here, particularly at the par five 6th hole on either nine, where water cuts across both fairways. Host to the Singapore Open in 1999, Orchid Country Club has also been chosen as the venue for the Asian Tour’s Singapore Classic since its inauguration in 2010.