Johor tees up for cross-border golf boom as Singapore cuts number of courses

Business Times

5 days ago

[KUALA LUMPUR] With Singapore trimming its golf real estate and some Malaysian courses being just 10 to 40 minutes from the immigration checkpoints, operators across the Causeway are teeing up for a golf boom.
In the southern Malaysian state of Johor, home to 28 golf courses, clubs are sharpening their edge, hopeful that the shrinking number of fairways across the border will drive Singapore golfers up north, in pursuit of greener turf.
Mohd Jamal Salleh, president of the Johor Golf Tourism Association (JGTA), referring to Singapore's recent announcement about the closure of four golf courses by 2035 to make way for housing, said: 'The closures will definitely help the Johor golf landscape.'
The retired colonel may not be indulging in wishful thinking: Johor golf courses welcomed nearly 20 per cent more players – from 520,051 in 2022 to 621,261 in 2024, said the Johor Golf Association.
Insiders are attributing this growth to Singapore's post-pandemic tourism rebound, growing interest from international players, especially Singaporeans, Koreans and Chinese nationals, and the impending course closures.
Mohd Jamal said Singaporeans make up 60 per cent of weekend golfers in the state, with cost and proximity being the biggest pull factors for them.
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Nishit Majmudar, a retiree who plays the game every month in Johor, pays around S$110 for each round. 'It's just a one-hour drive, no visa needed, and the vibe is so much more relaxed,' he said. 'The courses are not crowded, and it's significantly cheaper than golfing back home.'
Gregory Lim, a civil servant who has golfed since the 1990s, plays exclusively in Johor now. 'I gave up my Singapore club membership because I couldn't get bookings. Now, I pay S$50 to S$70 a round in Johor.'
Golfers admit quality can be hit or miss, but there are swanky new courses. One is in Forest City, with its Jack Nicklaus-designed course, just 15 to 20 minutes from Tuas; another is The Els Club Desaru Coast, which offers ocean-front fairways and stay-and-play luxury. Such courses could push others to keep up.
Forest City Golf Resort has a course designed by Jack Nicklaus. PHOTO: FOREST CITY GOLF RESORT
To meet growing demand, Forest City Golf Resort in Gelang Patah, which attracts over 80 per cent international golfers, is planning a third golf course.
'Singapore's high-end golfers are looking for premium experiences nearby, and we're ready to welcome them,' said Anson Li Jun Wei, general manager of Forest City's Golf Resort, Forest City Golf Hotel and Forest City Marina Hotel.
The green fees, at RM399 to RM599 (S$120 to S$180), may be higher than those at other clubs, but still a steal compared to those in Singapore or China, he said.
Not so green pastures
Rosy prospects aside, many clubs in Johor appear to be struggling to stay in the black, say industry players, who say that thin margins and unsustainable business models are undermining the sector's viability, even as some courses are pulling in more international traffic.
Steve Chong, owner of Austin Heights Golf & Hotel Resort in Johor Bahru, estimated that only one in 10 golf courses in Johor make substantial profits – but qualified that this view is based on observation, not hard data.
The 30-year-old Austin Heights facility, located in Johor Bahru's Austin Heights suburb, has an 18-hole layout with elevated tee boxes, ravine carries and undulating fairways offering scenic views and a strategic challenge.
Steve Chong, who owns Austin Heights Golf & Hotel Resort, invested RM20 million to improve the course in 2011. PHOTO: AUSTIN HEIGHTS GOLF & HOTEL RESORT
Some operators are battling steep maintenance costs, limited pricing power and pressure from alternative uses the land could be put to.
Chong noted, for instance, that green fees in Malaysia are typically below RM200, but that the upkeep of the greens can go as high as RM400,000 a month. He should know, from having spent more than RM20 million in 2021 to rehabilitate the Austin Heights course.
'I tried raising fees once and lost 50 per cent of my golfers overnight,' he lamented.
He also pointed out that the land the resort sits on could yield RM600 million to RM800 million if turned over for property development. 'That's the real pressure,' he said.
Glass half full
JGTA president Mohd Jamal does not agree that the majority of Johor's golf courses are struggling financially, because there are signs of expansion and investment.
Sebana Cove Resort in Pengerang, Johor, accessible by car or ferry from Singapore, is preparing to reopen within six months. And established venues such as the Johor Golf & Country Club in Johor Bahru are 'sprucing up for the influx of Singaporean golfers'.
Johor golf clubs are 'sprucing up for the influx of Singaporean golfers', says Mohd Jamal Salleh, president of the Johor Golf Tourism Association (JGTA) PHOTO: JGTA
But he warned: 'Operators should not engage in price wars against one another, as that would affect their profit.'
Forest City's Li said: 'When I first arrived in Johor from China in 2018, many golf-industry friends warned me: 'Don't raise prices so readily; golfers will go to other courses.
'But I saw the local industry trapped in a vicious cycle: price competition leading to lower maintenance budgets, which caused a decline in quality, which drove away golfers, leading to more price wars.'
The golf resort took a different path – it spent two years building professional teams and improving quality.
'After the pandemic, we expanded into new markets ... increasing the number of Korean golfers from 2 to 30 per cent. We proved that improving quality and expanding the pie works. Price wars have no winners.'
He added: 'You can't cut corners and expect sustainable success.'
Rising stars
Ong Seng Keat, general manager of Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club and secretary of the Johor Golf Association, said: 'We're lucky to have loyal members and are expanding our events business.'
The club, which sits in the heart of Iskandar Puteri about 25 minutes from Tuas Checkpoint, blends resort-style calm with tournament-grade credentials. It took the Malaysia's Best Golf Course title at the 2025 International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) Awards, and has hosted major events like the Asia Golf Tourism Convention.
The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone could galvanise the scene. 'Many clubs are planning refurbishments, and if the SEZ grows, it will definitely benefit the industry with more corporate events,' said Ong.
At The Els Club Desaru Coast, general manager Harris Abdullah cites a good mix in customer base for the club's resilience. It hosts top-tier amateur and professional tournaments, and has the 2025 Bridgestone Asean Amateur Open on its calendar in September.
Harris, noting that around 42 per cent of the club's golfers are Malaysian residents (including expats); the remainder are international visitors, primarily from Singapore, South Korea, elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US.
'That diversity smooths out seasonality and underpins our profitability,' he added.
Forest City Golf Resort, which has two championship courses and more than 9,000 rounds played monthly, has won recognition for its environmental and social sustainability from the GEO Foundation, a non-profit body that supports sustainability and climate action in and through golf.
Its general manager Li said: 'International golfers rarely come for just a single round. They stay longer, spend more, and support the wider tourism ecosystem.'