Golf club lease renewals: strike a balance

GOLFERS in Singapore wait with hope and trepidation to hear the terms under which their clubs will have their land leases renewed - or, in some cases, not renewed - when they start expiring in about eight years from now. This comes after a government White Paper indicated that there would be some changes to the usage of land areas occupied by the country's 20 or more golf courses when the majority of leases run out.

With no details forthcoming as land authority officials quietly discuss renewal terms with clubs, rumours and speculation about the outcomes have been rife - so much so that some club membership prices have fallen by as much as 30 per cent this year.

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