Interview by JEREMY THESEIRA

A NEW DIRECTION FOR GOLF WITH TIM LOW

LOCAL PRO GIVES GOLF A BOOST WITH HIS SOON-TO-BE-LAUNCHED GOLF MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMME WITH THE COMPASS CLUB

A national amateur golfer who turned professional at 25. 

Then a golf journalist, a television sports commentator and an ambassador for Hugo Boss. 

Now 29, Timothy Low has turned businessman. 

And one of his key projects under his company, Legatum Pte Ltd, is the soon-to-be-launched non-estate golf membership programme, The Compass Club. 

When launched, The Compass Club will offer a wide range of benefits to its members such as preferential golfing fees at local and regional golf clubs, handicap maintenance with the Singapore Golf Association’s Centralised Handicapping System (CHS), insurance, and many more benefits that will be announced when it officially launches in January. 

Entirely self-funded, Low is fully committed to using his new platform to achieve two things; getting more people to discover the sport and providing the means for golfers to be part of a community. 

He says: “With golf, there is a limitless horizon of possibilities and this would be like a compass that points you in the right direction yet also entails a certain sense of adventure, thus the name for the club. 

“We all belong to the same community, and that is the golf community.” 

Apart from the benefits, plans are also in the works for The Compass Club to host networking events, instructional sessions, meet-ups, gatherings and other events that promote a sense of community among members, and even welcoming non-members. 

Although the cost of the membership has not yet been officially announced, Low promises that rates will closely follow that of the SPH Golf card. 

Members of the now-defunct SPH Golf card will be automatically transferred to The Compass Club with effect from today, where their membership, as well as handicap maintenance and insurance, will still be valid for the rest of their subscription period. 

While the year winds down for most, things are ramping up for Low as he juggles between The Compass Club and his upcoming wedding. 

On how he manages everything at once, Low says: “With sheer wide-eyed enthusiasm. It’s a passion project, it excites me, and it’s the only thing that has kept me through the entire process.”

Low has had a colourful sports background. At 11, he was a member of the National Chess Team. The following year, his golf journey began at Green Fairways Golf Complex, which has since been renamed the Champions Golf Course.

Honing his skills and sharpening his game over the years, Low later joined the Singapore Sports School and was part of their pioneer batch of students to enrol in the school’s golf programme. 

After completing National Service in 2012, Low turned professional and played on Tour for two years. 

A bubbly personality on the golf course, Low is also known for his massive drives, averaging 270 metres. 

At 25, Low burst onto the television scene as a presenter on Fox Sports Asia, being one of the youngest to join the team. 

He also does commentary for all Asian Tour events which includes the Indonesia Masters, SMBC Singapore Open. 

Surprisingly, most of the highlights from Low’s golfing career are not from his days of competing, but from being behind the camera. 

Through the introduction of New Zealand professional and co-commentator, Michael Camp- bell, Low had the chance to meet his childhood hero, golfing legend Greg Norman. 

“Greg is brilliant at wearing many hats as a golfer, businessman, course designer and family guy. But I’ve never seen him as Greg, as a person and so for 15 minutes I got to chat with him and it was just the best experience I’ve ever had,” says Low. 

“It’s just the two of us talking about life, and about business, because he is really golf’s first businessman,” he added. 

Low has also had the chance to meet many famous players on Tour including Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, with the former being a close friend who has spent time at Low’s home and met his family. 

Low has also converted his passion for the game in the form of writing, having been a contributor over the years for publications such as Golf Vacations, Golf Digest, Golf Tabloid, Golf Punk and HK Golfer Magazine. 

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SWING BY SPHGOLF | 30 NOVEMBER-1 DECEMBER 2019 | THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND