Tee time's up: Singapore to retire four golf courses for national needs by 2035
The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) announced today that the leases or tenancies of Mandai Executive Golf Course, Warren Golf & Country Club, Orchid Country Club and Tanah Merah Country Club's Garden course will not be renewed, The Straits Times reported today.
This follows the recent closure of Marina Bay Golf Course in June 2024, which will make way for the upcoming Bay East Garden.
MinLaw added that decisions on lease renewals are based on Singapore's growing land needs.
Mandai Executive, a public nine-hole course, will be the first to go when its tenancy ends on December 31, 2026. Its land will be used by the Ministry of Education to build an Outdoor Adventure Learning Centre — one of three new campsites planned by 2032.
Warren and Orchid Country Club will follow in 2030 when their leases expire. Both sites have been earmarked for residential use under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Draft Master Plan 2025.
The final closure will be Tanah Merah Country Club's Garden course, when its lease ends on December 31, 2035. MinLaw said its location near Changi Airport makes it suitable for future uses that support economic growth.
The leases for SICC's Bukit course and Keppel Club's Sime course will also expire on December 31, 2030. Their land will be divided between a new 18-hole public course operator and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), which currently runs Orchid Country Club. Details on how the land will be split and future lease terms are still under study.
Following the closures, 12 golf courses are expected to remain, including the Bukit and Sime courses. Two of them — NSRCC's Kranji course and Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong course — will have leases extended to December 31, 2040.
Seven more courses already have leases that run till 2040:
SICC's Island and New courses
Changi Golf Club
Laguna National's two 18-hole courses
Seletar Country Club
NSRCC Changi
Sentosa Golf Club's Tanjong course
Sembawang Country Club, operated by the Ministry of Defence, sits on state land under a licensing agreement with Mindef.
To support local talent, MinLaw said a second Centre of Excellence will be launched by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) and NSRCC to expand training opportunities for the national and youth teams. It will complement the existing centre at Keppel's Sime course.
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