Four golf courses to close by 2035 as Singapore reclaims land for housing and national needs
This decision, announced by the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) on 7 July 2025, underscores Singapore's continuous effort to balance recreational spaces with pressing national land needs.
The affected courses include Mandai Executive Golf Course, Warren Golf & Country Club, Orchid Country Club, and Tanah Merah Country Club's Garden course. According to MinLaw, their leases or tenancies will not be renewed as the land is required for future developments.
Mandai Executive Golf Course, a public 9-hole course, will be the first to close when its tenancy expires on 31 December 2026. The land will be repurposed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for an Outdoor Adventure Learning Centre, one of three new campsites planned to be completed by 2032.
In 2030, two more closures will follow: Warren Golf & Country Club in Choa Chu Kang and Orchid Country Club in Yishun.
Their land has been zoned for residential use in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Draft Master Plan 2025. Warren's lease ends on 31 October 2030, while Orchid's lease concludes on 31 December 2030.
Finally, Tanah Merah Country Club's Garden course will close after its lease expires on 31 December 2035. MinLaw stated that due to its proximity to Changi Airport, the site is being studied for uses that could support airport-related economic growth. Further details will be shared nearer to 2035.
These closures follow similar land reallocations, such as the closure of Marina Bay Golf Course in June 2024, which is being partially transformed into the new Bay East Garden.
By 2035, Singapore will retain 12 golf courses, including courses whose leases extend beyond 2040.
Two courses — the 18-hole Kranji course under the National Service Resort & Country Club and Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong course — will have their leases renewed until 31 December 2040.
Seven courses will have leases expiring in December 2040. They include Singapore Island Country Club's (SICC) Island and New courses, Changi Golf Club, Laguna National's two 18-hole courses, Seletar Country Club, National Service Resort & Country Club (Changi), and Sentosa Golf Club's Tanjong course.
The last course at Sembawang Country Club, operated under a license by the Ministry of Defence, sits on state land and is not affected by current lease reviews.
MinLaw emphasised that decisions on golf course leases consider competing land needs such as housing, economic activities, 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,' the ministry stated.
The Government also seeks to maintain a balance between access for private golf club members and the general public. To support golf development, MinLaw announced the establishment of a second Centre of Excellence for national and youth golfers. This centre will provide weekly training slots and complement the existing Centre at Keppel Club's Sime course.
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The law firms and lawyer were the latest to be dealt with in relation to the $3 billion money laundering case. On July 4, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said nine financial institutions were given $27.45 million in composition penalties, and action was taken against 18 staff. MAS said the financial institutions did not adequately check on customers' sources of wealth, even though there were discrepancies in the documents they had provided. Eight of the nine institutions did not adequately investigate suspicious transactions flagged by their own systems. For the staff, breaches included failure to detect or adequately assess multiple deficiencies during the onboarding of higher-risk customers. [[nid:719802]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
