Raffles Country Club one of the oldest in Singapore

SINGAPORE — The Raffles Country Club has become the second country club in Singapore to make way for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR).

The first was the Jurong Country Club, which closed on Dec 31.

Raffles Country Club, which will have to cease operations by July 31, 2018 — some 10 years before its 30-year lease is due to expire (on Oct 31, 2028) — was deemed most suitable to run HSR tracks at ground level before it goes underground towards the Jurong East Terminus.

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the decision was made after having “undertaken extensive reviews ... to carefully select and consider all options”.

The club is one of Singapore’s oldest, having started operations in August 1988. Spanning 146ha, the 2,650-member club has two 18-hole golf courses, as well as facilities including tennis and badminton courts, jackpot rooms, and six dining establishments.

The club’s remaining tenure became an issue in 2013 when plans for a S$26 million makeover of one of its golf courses — reportedly the highest sum for golf course redevelopment — face objections from members who felt the club was jumping the gun, given the uncertainty over its lease renewal.

However, in January 2013, the Government had announced that some golf courses may have to go in order to free up land for other uses as part of measures to cope with a growing population.

The Ministry of Law noted then that there were 18 golf courses which occupy 1,500ha of land — or about 2 per cent of Singapore’s total land area — and the leases of some of the courses would not be renewed after they expire.

The following year, Keppel Club and Marina Bay Golf Club were told that their leases would not be renewed after 2021. 

(click to enlarge)