Ah, Sentosa. The true showcase of the duality of Singapore with theme parks and hotels interlaced with several abandoned and historical sites like Fort Serapong. One of these sites is an abandoned mini-golf course called Sijori Wondergolf.
Long before Ultra Golf, this defunct mini-golf park was a popular attraction at the turn of the millennium, with international tournament standard courses and themed holes.
Image credit: The Putting Penguin
Sijori Wondergolf was a mini-golf course in Sentosa that opened in 1999. It was part of Sijori Resort, a hotel that stood right in front of the Sentosa Merlion. Both casual and serious golfers loved coming here, as it was home to 3 courses – 2 18-hole ones and a 9-hole course that was easier than the rest.
Image credit: The Putting Penguin
The two 18-hole courses were called Betong and Eternit. The former was the most difficult out of the 3, with more obstacles and turns that could sway your ball. But Eternit wasn’t a walk in the park, either. Both 18-hole courses were said to meet international tournament standards, though there weren’t any big tournaments held here.
Beginners would go to the 9-hole course called American, which had typical green-mat holes and level ground to make getting a hole-in-one a breeze.
As for entry, it used to be $7.56, including a putter and balls. There was even a refreshment bar and souvenir store at the park’s peak, waiting for golfers after they conquered the courses.
The park cost a total of $15 million to build, which was $5 million more than what the resort cost. However, considering the low entry prices for Sijori Wondergolf, they didn’t make nearly enough to cover this.
Sijori Resort.
Image credit: Page Nation
After 3 years of operations, there was also a sharp decline in customers, with the introduction of other popular attractions on the island. The SARS epidemic also happened in 2003.
Unfortunately by 2008, both the park and the resort met their end. The resort was then renovated and is now the Oasia Resort Sentosa, while remnants of Sijori Wondergolf are still untouched along Siloso Road.
You may be wondering where exactly the remnants of Sijori Wondergolf are. There’s no straightforward path leading to the entrance, but once you find the entrance along Siloso Road, a sloped pathway will lead you right to it.
The trail itself is easy to navigate, with relatively levelled terrain and, of course, the existing holes providing some chronological path through their numbered signboards.
Although Sijori Wondergolf doesn’t have barricades or barring that keeps the public out, it’s still not encouraged to head out there without an expert or on a tour, as the trail is not properly safetied.
Recently, though, some urban explorers and bloggers have made it down to Sijori Wondergolf to find that most of the golf course has been swallowed by Sentosa’s jungles. Fake green grass mats now blend seamlessly into the forest floor and foliage. However, adventurers who’ve tried to locate the defunct golf course found several themed holes and decor still intact.
You can still spot the fearsome volcano hole, where players would have to putt their golf ball into the mouth of the “volcano” to score. There’s also the wavy Surfer’s Paradise hole, one of the more challenging holes where players would have had to send the ball over 3 bumps.
Some of the courses are still in a condition where you could putt a ball through the obstacles, however with all the dried leaves and puddles, you don’t know what might jump out of the hole.
Aside from the individual holes, the design of the park embraced the jungle surroundings, by constructing ponds and rivulets which can still be seen today, possibly home to some aquatic bugs.
Image credit: The Putting Penguin
Perhaps Sijori Wondergolf was ahead of its time, because a mini-golf course tucked away inside a jungle sounds like it would attract plenty of Singaporeans these days. It would have been a fun dual activity of hiking up to the different holes and then playing. But for now, the only golfers at the park would be the peacocks and the toads.
If you were thinking of exploring more spots like these, Singapore has a lot of interesting abandoned places to explore and reminisce about, like Istana Woodneuk or the WW2 bunkers, Kay Siang Bunkers. If you’re looking to go on a nature walk or trail instead, check out our list of hiking trails in Singapore.
Cover image adapted from: The Putting Penguin and Tbone Explores via Youtube
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