In the coming decade, six golf courses across the island are set to close, making way for housing and urban redevelopment. That includes Mandai Executive Golf Course — the country’s only public 9-hole facility — which will shut its gates by the end of 2026. In its place? New residential projects and an Outdoor Adventure Learning Centre.

Supporters say this is a necessary trade-off in a land-scarce city where housing needs are growing. Critics argue it marks the slow erosion of public access to a sport already seen as elite and exclusive.

So what does this shrinking golf footprint mean for Singapore’s urban priorities, sporting future, and socio-economic landscape? Is this a long-overdue reset — or the loss of a shared public good?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Nicholas Fang, Managing Director of sports consultancy Novastella, former Nominated Member of Parliament and former national athlete, to find out more.

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