SINGAPORE – For much of the past decade, golfer Choo Tze Huang’s focus on the course was on firing birdies, sinking putts and making the cut.

These days, the 37-year-old pays attention to very different details, such as the amount of water needed to quench thirsty players and spectators at a tournament.

While seemingly trivial, Choo has learnt over the last few months that these are little things that matter as he spends more time outside the ropes with his company Palladium.

The company, which was set up in late 2023 after he retired from professional golf in the same year, specialises in sports events, advisory and player management.

Its first event was the US$750,000 (S$1 million) Simone Asia Pacific Cup in Jakarta in December 2023, and Choo and his team are currently preparing for the March 7-10 Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open.

It has been a steep learning curve for Choo, who admitted he was surprised by the logistics required to organise a successful tournament.

“Things that are as simple as finding out how much water you need to run the event. What’s the allocation like for different areas? We need to make sure it’s never empty,” said Choo, who won a bronze and silver at the 2005 SEA Games.

“It takes time to plan and experience to know what the flow is like. It’s a learning process for me.”

This was initially not on the cards for Choo, who had not planned to call time on his career so soon as he was looking to play and teach part-time.

But his...