IN FOCUS: With all public courses set to close, what is golf's future in Singapore?

SINGAPORE: What started as a fun pastime where golf coach Daren Lim records videos of himself playing on various courses has now turned into a popular Youtube channel.

Lim’s videos, which now rack up thousands of views, could be a barometer of how interest in the sport in Singapore has picked up pace.

According to the R&A Global Golf Participation Report 2023, the total number of golfers in Singapore was 120,000 in 2022 compared to 80,000 four years before.

While the number of registered golfers has largely remained the same since 2018, the number of non-registered golfers - those without a golf handicap - has ballooned from 40,000 to 80,000.

But whether this interest can be sustained remains a key question, as access to public courses dwindles.

Such courses are seen as a way of getting into the sport as playing on them doesn’t require the high membership fees needed to play at private clubs. They are also seen as helping to change the perception that golf is a rich person’s pastime in Singapore.

Previously, Singapore had 14 private and three public golf courses taking up about 1,465ha of land. 

Of the three public courses, Champions Public Golf Course had its last day of operations late last year, while Marina Bay Golf Course will be closing on Jun 30, due to “imminent land lease expiry”.

Then came the news in February that the remaining public course, Mandai Executive Golf Course, would have to make way for a new outdoor adventure learning centre after its tenancy expires at the end of the year.

About two months later, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Eric Chua announced in Parliament that the public would be able to play at the course for two additional years, after the