SINGAPORE: Opened in 1993, Mandai Executive Golf Course at Upper Seletar Reservoir has been a go-to place for players both young and old. 

Long-time patron, Mr Daren Lim, first started golfing at the Mandai course about 30 years ago when he was still a junior player. 

The 43-year-old, who is now a full-time golf coach at Tanah Merah Country Club, still visits the golf course once a week.

But he will soon have to bid farewell to the public golf course, as a new outdoor adventure learning centre is set to be developed on the site it currently occupies after the tenancy expires on Dec 31. 

This move comes as the Ministry of Education (MOE) consolidates eight outdoor adventure education sites to four locations, to allow all schools to conduct upper primary and lower secondary cohort camps at those locales.

The four consolidated locations include the existing MOE outdoor adventure learning centre at Dairy Farm, which is in Bukit Timah, as well as two new centres to be built in Mandai and Sembawang, the ministry announced last Friday (Feb 23). 

Golf coaches CNA spoke to pointed out that the announcement was “sudden” and came with no prior notice.  

Drawing comparisons to Toa Payoh Golf Range, which ceased operations in 2018 for residential use, professional golfer Dalston Koh said: “All of us thought it was a safe place … that Mandai will never be gone.” 

“(The news) was quite shocking to us,” said the 33-year-old, who runs SG Golf Coach Academy at Mandai.

Mr Koh added that it was “very disheartening” given the string of golf courses and ranges in Singapore that have closed over the past few years.

LAST PUBLIC GOLF COURSE? 

Before the closures, Singapore had 14 private and three public golf courses - including Mandai Executive Golf Course -  taking up 1,500ha of land. 

Of the two other public golf courses, Champions Public Golf Course had its last day of operations on Dec 26, 2023 according to a closure notice on its website. 

Meanwhile, Marina Bay Golf Course will be closing down soon on Jun 30, due to “imminent land lease expiry”, as stated on its website.

“Once (Mandai Executive Golf Course) is gone, I don’t think (the public) has anywhere else to go,” said Mr Bobby Poh, the operations and sales manager of Poh Bros Golf Management, which runs the golf course.

While Keppel Club - a private club with a golf course - is an option for members of the public, there is limited capacity, Mr Poh told CNA. 

The golf course at the country club is also just partly open to non-members, noted Dr Lou Antolihao from the department of sociology and anthropology at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

“As a result, the golf course has seen a significant increase in visitors, making the place crowded even on weekdays,” said Dr Lou, who teaches sociology of sports and social theory. 

The closure of the Mandai golf course “will definitely make golf less accessible to the average player in Singapore”, he added.

Additionally, if golf can only be played at country clubs, there will be “little to no exposure” for the public to try out the sport, said Mandai Executive Golf Course’s Mr Poh. 

“In order to use the service or facilities provided by the country club, you need to actually own (a) membership and it can be quite costly.”

CNA previously reported that Singaporeans and permanent residents had to fork out S$500,000 (US$372,000) to become a member of Sentosa Golf Club, while locals had to pay S$300,000 for a Singapore Island Country Club membership as of December 2022 - both of which house golf courses. 

“TAKING AWAY OUR PLAYGROUND”

Mr Poh and the three golf coaches CNA spoke to also stressed the importance of the Mandai golf course for those who are just picking up the sport.

Tanah Merah Country Club golf instructor Mr Lim pointed out that Mandai course is the “perfect place” for beginners to learn the game.

“It is … a safe place for golfers of all levels, especially kids, to play as the course is short and it does not take long for one to complete a round of nine holes.”

This is reflected in the golf course’s visitor traffic, which records about 100,000 patrons a year. Of this, about 40 to 50 per cent are juniors, noted Mr Poh.

But with the Mandai golf course gone, SG Golf Coach Academy’s Mr Koh said he would not be able to find another location that can house many junior players. His academy teaches about 120 such players a week, ranging from as young as three years old to 70. 

“It’s like taking away our playground,” said Mr Koh. 

The golf course closure also means that beginner players would have to go to other clubs to start their journey, which may be “difficult” as there may not be flexible booking options, said another golf instructor, Mr Philip Ang.

These students may then have to resort to going to neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia to play the sport, added the coach who has 17 years of experience under his belt.

“You have to cough up more money to go to Batam to learn golf … (Those) who cannot afford it may not even start (the sport),” said Mr Ang.

WHAT THE CLOSURE MEANS FOR COACHES

Jobs and livelihoods are also in limbo for some of the coaches CNA spoke to. 

“We need this (space) because we need a place for our jobs, “ said Mr Koh.

“Not all of our guys are ready to ... do other jobs … Like myself, I’m 33. All my life I’ve been doing golf.”

With three children and two elderly parents to look after, it is “almost impossible” for him to make a career switch now, he added.

“There are so many people working there from maintenance to reception. It’s a big spectrum.” 

In its announcement on Friday, MOE also said the four consolidated locations are projected to fully meet the camping needs of some 100,000 students participating in cohort camps and uniformed group programmes each year, from 2032.

Mr Ang expressed confusion over the eight-year gap between now until 2032, adding that coaches like himself do not know how the takeover process will materialise. 

The 66-year-old said he has also been getting questions about the golf course from teachers of school students he conducts lessons for. 

“We don’t know how to answer to these schools … We don’t know what to do,” he said.