SINGAPORE: Six golf courses will not have their leases renewed when they expire over the next 10 years, as the land will be set aside for other uses such as housing.

The Mandai Executive Golf Course, which was previously granted a two-year extension, will shut by the end of 2026.

Four golf courses - Warren Golf & Country Club, Orchid Country Club, Keppel Club’s Sime course and Singapore Island Country Club’s Bukit course - have leases expiring in 2030.

The lease for Tanah Merah Country Club’s Garden course will expire in 2035.

Announcing this on Monday (Jul 7), the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) also said lease renewals until 2040 were offered for two courses: Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course and National Service Resort & Country Club’s Kranji course. Their leases had been set to expire in 2030.

There are currently 16 golf courses in Singapore, and the leases of the remaining eight courses are subject to future review.

"The leases of these golf courses are for a fixed term, with an end date that is publicly known, to allow both the operators and members of the golf clubs to make informed decisions," the ministry said.

"This also ensures that land occupied by golf courses can be returned to the state and redeveloped for more pressing national needs in a timely manner."

LAND USES

The land currently occupied by Keppel Club’s Sime course and Singapore Island Country Club’s Bukit course will become a dedicated 18-hole public golf course after their leases expire on Dec 31, 2030.

Part of that site is being considered for use by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) for its members, taking into account that the lease for NTUC’s Orchid Country Club will not be renewed, said MinLaw.

Homes will be built on the land freed up by Orchid Country Club’s course in Yishun and Warren Golf & Country Club’s course in Choa Chu Kang when their leases expire on Dec 31, 2030 and Oct 31, 2030, respectively.

These sites were earmarked for residential use in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Draft Master Plan 2025. Authorities did not provide the media with more details, such as whether the land will be used for public or private homes.

The Ministry of Education previously announced that Mandai Executive Golf Course, currently Singapore’s only fully public golf course, will become an outdoor adventure learning centre after its tenancy ends on Dec 31, 2026.

As for the site of Tanah Merah Country Club’s Garden course, future use of the land is under study.

“Given its proximity to Changi Airport, the land is being studied for uses that have synergies with the airport to support economic growth,” MinLaw said in a press release.

Singapore is “a small city-state with limited land”, said MinLaw, adding that the government takes a long-term approach to land use planning, including ensuring sufficient land for critical national needs such as housing, transport infrastructure and essential services.

“The demand for land for national uses will become more acute in Singapore, and this will impact the amount of land available for golfing over time,” said MinLaw.

“The government will balance the access to golfing facilities by private golf club members and the general public so that there can be golf courses catering to different segments of the golfing community.”

PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOLF

With the expiry of Mandai Executive Golf Course’s tenancy on Dec 31, 2026, there will be no dedicated public golf course in Singapore between 2027 and 2030.

Located along Upper Seletar Reservoir, Mandai Executive Golf Course’s nine-hole course opened in 1993.

MinLaw said that in addition to the future dedicated 18-hole public course, the government will continue to ensure public access to golf facilities in the long term.

A new centre of excellence will be set up by the National Service Resort & Country Club in partnership with the Singapore Golf Association, in order to give the national team more training opportunities and promote golf among youths.

This will provide dedicated weekly slots for the Singapore Golf Association to facilitate national and youth team training, to expose athletes to different types of golf courses, said MinLaw.

This centre of excellence will join the existing one at Keppel Club’s Sime course, which is run as a hybrid public-private golf course.

Dr Su Chun Wei, chief of the High Performance Sport Institute, said Sport Singapore (SportSG) works closely with the Singapore Golf Association to develop the sport of golf and support elite golfers.

Efforts focus on identifying and developing promising junior golfers and organising tournaments hosted across various golf courses and clubs in Singapore.

“SportSG also supports our promising and elite golfers through our spexPotential and spexScholarship programme, including Ryan Ang, Hiroshi Tai, Aloysa Atienza, James Leow and Shannon Tan,” said Dr Su.

The non-renewal of leases will bring an end to some of Singapore’s most storied golf courses.

Singapore Island Country Club’s 18-hole Bukit course, which opened in 1924, celebrated its centennial last year. It was home to the Rolex Masters, at least 28 editions of the Singapore Open and the inaugural Singapore Masters in 2001.

It stands in close proximity to Keppel Club’s Sime course. Keppel Club, established in 1904 and one of Singapore’s oldest, relocated its 18-hole course from Bukit Chermin to Sime Road in 2022.

Warren Golf & Country Club was founded in 1962 by Brigadier Derek Warren, commander of the British Army’s 18th Signal Regiment. He negotiated to ensure the retention of the course after British forces moved out of Singapore in 1970.

Opened in 1984, Tanah Merah Country Club’s 18-hole Garden course hosted the early editions of the HSBC Women's Championship, which is now played at the Sentosa Golf Club.

Orchid Country Club, which is owned by NTUC Club, runs a 27-hole course that overlooks Lower Seletar Reservoir. It touts itself as the only course in Singapore to offer night golf.