You certainly can’t accuse Justin Han of being late to the game of golf, having first swung a club at the age of four. While he developed his game on the public courses that existed in the early 90’s in Singapore, golf had to compete with his love for many other sports, football and cricket among them.

With a father who represented Singapore at cricket Justin nearly took the larger red ball to be his preferred sport. Thankfully, his preference for “spending time on my own,” saw the small white ball win out. By the age of 12 Justin had joined Warren Country Club and was enrolled in the junior programme playing off a 15 handicap.

Under the tutelage of coach Kim Baldwin, Justin’s game progressed, and in 2002 he was scouted to join the newly revamped Singapore Golf Association training programme. Golf was now his first love, the bus journey home from school would often go via Warren so Justin could get some hours in on the range. Good performances in the Asian Games, the Faldo Series, and Inter-school events convinced Justin that he wanted to take his golf game to the next level.

In 2005 he made a bold decision to leave Singapore and study in New Zealand at a school that included a golf programme along with academic studies. “My father and I thought that a change in golf and school environment would help me with my quest to one day play professional golf,” Justin says about his decision to spend two years there. “My time in New Zealand showed me a different culture, a different way of life and how to play the game in new conditions. It can be pretty windy and wet down there.” Justin’s time in New Zealand convinced him that he wanted to turn professional.

After completing National Service, he turned pro in March 2009 and began playing mainly on the Malaysia and Thailand tours. He was now receiving coaching from two renowned golf teachers, Kel Llywelyn and Alan Murray.

This paid off with a good first season as a pro followed by an elevation to the Asian Tour in 2010. Justin readily admits he was never the longest hitter on tour but made up for it with a sharp short game. This all changed in 2011. After playing in the Singapore Open at Sentosa, Justin saw first-hand just how far the other pros were hitting it. ”They were hitting six and seven irons into the greens compared to my four iron,” he quips. This striving for extra distance saw Justin change equipment and his swing, however it also led to an old shoulder injury resurfacing.

“I tried to change my ball flight from a fade to draw. Tried longer and lighter clubs. Unfortunately, I had lost awareness and control of my clubface  through all the experimenting.” His concentration on the long game saw his short game deteriorate and his scores suffered. It was time for another life-changing decision. “Funds had become a problem. I had always been interested in coaching from my days being taught. I decided to turn to teaching rather than playing as my source of income.”

In 2012, after a short stint coaching at Warren, Justin moved to be part of an apprenticeship at Laguna under the watchful eye of Alan Kelly. Along with honing his coaching skills, Justin learnt about agronomy and running an academy. Unfortunately, this position was short-lived as the range at Laguna closed in mid-2013 to make way for the building of the new hotel and clubhouse forcing Justin to move first to Seletar Country Club and then to Orchid Country Club.

He was now fully committed to coaching, attending classes as well as reading all he could on golf instruction. This desire to learn paid off as Justin  built a strong “book of clients” and his reputation began to grow. It was time for another bold decision.

”An opportunity to set up my own business with a partner at Orchid Country Club came about,” he recounts. “I had always wanted to work alongside like-minded coaches in a golf academy, and I thought this opportunity would provide that.”

In August 2018 Golf Performance 360 launched at Orchid Country Club. The idea was to combine coaching with club fitting and golf-related fitness, something that other academies were not offering. A great believer in both the science as well as the art of the game of golf led to a sizeable investment
in technology, which included TrackMan, Smart2Move, K-Vest and Capto Technology. Justin’s view is that technology and the data it provides help validate what the coaches eye sees, however the coach must still provide tangible ‘swing thoughts’ that the student can work with when there is no coach by their side.

“Coaching is a balancing act between the students’ goals, their abilities and my coaching philosophy and preferences. Understanding how to help each student the best way I can with my skills is a pursuit that I really enjoy”.

As to how to go about selecting a coach Justin offers these thoughts, “It should not just be down to the eloquently structured videos they put up on social media. I would try and find a coach that I can observe giving a lesson, find out the kind of clientele they coach and their coaching philosophy. From there a golfer can get a good sense of an ideal match.”

At Golf Performance 360 there are seven coaches who teach a range of players from those new to the game to up-and-coming national squad members. In terms of the demographic of these clients the age ranges are broad. While men make up 65 per cent of the students, Justin has noticed a sizeable increase in ladies coming for lessons.

In 2024, Justin expanded the Golf Performance 360 business by setting up an indoor facility at 148 Rangoon Road. This facility has a teaching bay with a simulator equipped with the latest technology, including breaking down the swing in high-definition frame by frame. This new facility provides a coaching venue for clients closer to the city and serves as a great site for club fitting. For those who wish to work on their swing without a coach there is an additional simulator room using the Unekor technology that can be hired for a half or full hour.

“An indoor facility is perfect for the golfer who wants to work on golf swing specifics instead of just ball flight and distance. A good blend would be to work on mechanics inside before taking to the range to see if it can achieve the ball flight the golfer is after,” Justin adds. I rather cheekily ask Justin if AI could ever replace a golf coach given the wide availability of technology and indoor facilities now. His answer is a firm no. “Every human being is made differently. Until AI  can figure out who we are as a human, how we learn, how we move, even how we are feeling that day, then I firmly believe that a human coach is still the best way to learn.”

While golf is his passion, Justin is also a keen sports fan. ”I follow most local sports and regularly go to the gym for workouts. I support Arsenal, the  All-Blacks rugby team and New Zealand cricket team.” Justin tries to get out for a game of golf at least once a week and still competes in the Singapore PGA tournaments, finishing a credible fourth in the order of merit in 2024. This was good enough to earn him a spot in December at the final stage of qualifying for the 2025 Asian Tour. Unfortunately, he wasn’t at his best then, and didn’t get his card.

So, it’s back to the teaching bay where one more big decision awaits Justin, albeit in a few years’ time. With Orchid Country Club unlikely to have its lease renewed post 2030 Justin and his Golf Performance 360 team will need to think about a new location. Justin readily admits he does not have an answer yet but given his track record of making bold but good decisions he will likely make the right move.