As private golf courses in Singapore dwindle, more public facilities are the way to go
With expensive club memberships out of reach for many, having public courses will ensure the sport remains accessible
THE initial reactions to the Ministry of Law’s announcement on Monday (Jul 7) about the non-renewal of leases for six golf clubs were of disappointment and frustration, and understandably so.
The feeling was that the sport had taken yet another big blow, despite recent successes by Singapore’s golfers on the national and international levels.
After all, golf enthusiasts here have endured the departure of prominent courses – such as those at Raffles Country Club and Jurong Country Club – over the years, as well as the impending closure of the well-patronised Mandai Executive Golf Course’s nine-hole layout, which had produced many future champions.
Therefore, there were many sighs when the news broke that there will soon be even fewer places to play golf in the coming years.
But it should not come as a complete surprise to many, as clubs were already forewarned about their land expiry dates, although some had prepared strong arguments for the authorities to reconsider their decisions.
Warren Golf & Country Club executives banked on their community involvement and high utilisation rate of their course to state their case. Those at Orchid Country Club, meanwhile, thought they would lose only its Dendro nine-hole course, but now its entire lease won’t be renewed when it expires at the end of 2030.
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Tanah Merah Country Club, which hosts many corporate events for fundraising, believed that its award-winning Garden course would receive an extension from 2035, but that wish did not materialise.
The latest numbers show that there are some 140,000 golfers playing actively on Singapore’s courses and 75,000 others making use of indoor golf simulators and short courses. With so much interest in the sport at all levels, there must be a greater effort to keep this flame alive and encourage more younger golfers to play too.
One way is to ensure that there are enough public courses available. As things stand, once Singapore’s only public course – Mandai Executive – shuts at the end of 2026, there won’t be any other dedicated public course until after 2030.
That is when the leases of Keppel Club’s Sime course and the Singapore Island Country Club’s (SICC) Bukit course expire, with the two courses reallocated for public use, with at least one 18-hole public golf course. Even then, part of it could be used by the National Trades Union Congress for its members.
As seen in many countries, public courses are very popular and they engage a segment of the population who cannot afford expensive private club memberships.
Lee Lee Langdale, the founder and owner of membership broker Singolf, said this would be the right direction to go in.
“At the moment, there are plans for an 18-hole facility at Bukit. If the authorities can provide another such facility, maybe at Keppel Club’s Sime too, it would be great for the sport which recently has seen our golfers making an impact on the global scene,” she said.
Club prices could go up
Affordability is a big issue for golfers. With the reduction of golf courses in Singapore from 16 to 12, prices for the remaining golf clubs should rise.
Brokers reckon that memberships for premier clubs such as Sentosa Golf Club, SICC and Laguna National Golf Resort Club could go up.
Sentosa Golf Club’s award-winning 59-hectare Serapong course has seen its lease extended by 10 years to the end of 2040. SICC, despite losing its courses at its Bukit location, will remain popular with golfers as it still has its championship-standard New course as well as the Island course, which is now undergoing renovation.
Fion Phua, who’s been in the business for 36 years as the owner of club membership broker Tee-Up Marketing Enterprises, shared that Seletar Country Club’s price went up from S$63,500 to S$66,000 within a day of the law ministry’s announcement.
Sembawang Country Club – operated by the Ministry of Defence under a licence agreement – is a 49-hectare course that also takes in civilian membership by regular balloting on an 80:20 military-civilian ratio. It was priced at S$50,000 at the last round of balloting.
Langdale noted that price changes will also depend on whether older golfers will be keen to hold on to their memberships, given the ongoing trend of the government taking golf courses back for other uses.
“Many of our golfers are ageing and are becoming inactive. So it’s a question of whether the memberships serve their better interests,” she said.
“I believe that it is inevitable that better land use is a priority in land-scarce Singapore. It seems that golf is going back to being elite with those who can afford to play probably left to enjoy the game.”
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