By Les Tan/Red Sports
Runners used to dot the ridge that ran parallel to the golf course. No more. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
I remember the day well. I started my run at MacRitchie and about 25 (make that 40 – see comments below) minutes later, I hit a path and saw the most beautiful scenery in Singapore.
It was drizzling but the sun was still out, the waters of Upper Peirce Reservoir were shining in the fading light. The place transported me out of place and time. This was my home and it was paradise.
For runners, the path that linked MacRitchie and Upper Peirce Reservoir is a magical path, one that takes them away from the urban jungle of Singapore life.
The path ran along the edge of the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) golf course. But if you were of humble means, if you were an everyday man, if you didn’t have $250,000 to pay for a membership, it didn’t matter. You could still get the view, if you were willing to run.
But that view is lost to runners now.
PUB, the landlord, recently put up a barrier to the path, depriving runners that simple, edenic pleasure.
Now, unless you have a quarter of a million dollars in spare change and can join the 7,500 members of SICC, runners will have to stay out.
The ostensible reason for putting up the barrier is for the safety of runners from flying golf balls. For years, runners have taken that risk and most are willing to continue taking that risk.
Perhaps the restriction came about because a recent group of hooligans entered the golf course and the members raised it with the landlord to enforce the restriction.
Most reasonable runners have always kept to the top of the ridge. Most just want to run and don’t bother the golfers.
Running is a free pleasure for many who can’t afford fancy country club memberships and the view is a spiritual tonic.
For runners, it is paradise lost.
If you started from Upper Peirce, you would head down this path… (Photo 2 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
… and you would soon notice a barrier that wasn’t there before… (Photo 3 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
… with a security guard making sure you don’t go around the barrier. (Photo 4 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
When you get close, you’ll see this barrier and a sign… (Photo 5 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
… telling you that paradise is lost – unless you have a quarter of a million bucks. (Photo 6 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
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i agree with catman. come on, golf is such an EXCLUSIVE sport, only some few (the rich & not so healthy-looking) play it. running whereas everyone, every age, every size can do it. so why are we being stopped? im sure at some point of time in most ppl’s life, we have gone down to MR, be it to run, walk, trek or school cross-country!
why is this being taken away from us? from our younger friends. if the govt has been saying abt lowering obesity rates, does this not totally contradict their stand? EVERYONE KNOWS RUNNING burns MUCH more calories than golf. which is basically swinging a club, how taxing can that get. plus they dont even carry their clubs or walk the holes, they’ve got buggys, caddies.
i have always been a neutral towards golf, but because of this SELFISH behaviour. i really am begining to detest the golfers here. we want to run, even if at our own risk. what problem do theire selfish, arrogant eyes see with that?
I shall not comment on the merits of the sport (golf) – to each his own. But it’s not the sporting pursuit of golf that is a problem, but rather the whole culture of golfing here in Singapore (probably not in other countries) that is unsporting and ungracious.
From the expected privilege of being exclusive, out-of-bounds to others, wasteful use of water and land for the benefit of a few, etc. And now, to demand that PUB close it off for their own benefit and protection!?
But I feel strongly that ALL golfers, especially the ones at SICC, have a responsibility towards the greater public, and help breed a more inclusive culture, and not treat everyone else as enemies. Runners will definitely have no say in this cos we are all mortals with no money, no club membership.
I am sorry to be so harsh, but for a small country like S’pore, golf has no reason to be here beyond a few golf courses. If this means its popularity will never grow, then so be it. We can’t be tearing down old heritage buildings, kampongs, nature reserves for the benefit of nation building, yet preserve these humongous courses. Just zoom in from google earth or streetdirectory and we will see how out-of-proportion the size of these golf courses are.
I hate to put it into such a me-vs-them situation, but I have no sympathy for golfing. As a sport, perhaps. But as a culture, the way clubs such as SICC conduct themselves show they never have any intention to be part of a larger community. So I don’t see why we should be with them.
thecatman
PUB is not in tune with government’s policy of connecting parks. Here it is disconnecting the two lovely reservoirs – greatly admired by Foreigners and Local. There is no longer any access to Trees Top Walk from Upper Peirce Reservoirs (UPR). Government had spent huge amount of money to build the Trees Top Walk and PUB had closed down the easy access from UPR. I wonder before the decision was made the many users such as Running Clubs, Birds Watcher Society, Nature Society and Tourism Authority etc had been consulted. The PUB had blundered.
no intention to dilute the original purpose of teh article, but I just have to highlight that Les, you are a fast runner !
“I started my run at MacRitchie and about 25 minutes(wow !) later, I hit a path and saw the most beautiful scenery in Singapore.”
Consider the hilly terrain when you start at lower carpark of MR and onto SICC path along the course, I thought that was an awesome time to reach paradise ! Or maybe I am way too slow…
Uh Oh.
I think I am giving the wrong impression about my running time! I think it takes me about 25 minutes just to get onto the road from the lower car park of MR.
I still remember going for one of the MR 25 runs. It was a 15km run along the link to Upper Peirce. I took so long to come back, the uncle manning the table at the finish line could only shake his head when I came back and gave me that “Boy-you-so-slow-uncle-here-can-run-faster-than-you” look. I never went back for another MR 25 run. Too paiseh.
But I felt so sad the route was closed that I had to go down to take pictures to see for myself.
It breaks my heart.
If the ipmportant notice by PUB were justified they have to close the MR loop as well – it runs from 3,5k omwards next to the SICC Sime Road. Very dangerous. It’s so ridicoulous…
Little sparrows flying with you? That’s beautiful… 🙂
I hope they can work out a compromise.
I don’t suppose the running community was even told that this was going to happen, right?
I’m just glad that PUB is the landlord.
If SICC actually owned the land…
Les, thanks for the article and pictures! Really appreciate the writeup highlighting the issue. 🙂 I’ll take the risk of flying golf balls in exchange for that scenic 1km. Once when I was jogging there, little sparrows flew alongside with me. Awesome….
Hey guys, let’s not make this a golfers v.s runners thing. I’m sure everyone (including golfers) have enjoyed the sport of running at one time or another. Let’s try and appeal to that side of them and put forward a rational argument why we think the closure of the routes are a ham-handed measure to ensure the safety of the public.
Hi all,
Not only this UPR path, SICC blocked the entrance to Rifle Range Trail from Island Club Road. this area is absolutely safe and nobody faces the danger (to be hit by a ball). So I do not think they just want to avoid an accident.
How do you think?
seriously golf is a stupid sport
ed’s note: comment edited for foul language
They talk about and spend so much on part connectors that go nowhere, this is the only route that connects two reservoir and yet they close it. Just spend some money on nets on the side of the golf course and everyone get to enjoy their activity.
Win Win situation.
well im seriously hoping that the petition to get rid of the barrier will succeed. This is very unfair to runners. Already the running routes in Singapore are short because we are a very small country. Now if we cut this connector we are making things worse. How ironic that we’re trying to build a sporting nation that actively participates and excels in sports but here PUB is restricting that. So many runners have taken the risk to enter the golf course despite the danger of getting hit. The responsibility should be on the runners to be careful not PUB to stand up and say ” we want to help all runners avoid accidents by stopping them from entering the golf course”. Public Utilities Board not really serving the PUBLIC are they? Self-centred thinking i tell you….
Blame it on those drunk punks with nothing better to do… ruined it for everyone else
Haha, that’s a good observation there Renuka. People power!
How can these so called ‘golfers’ do these. MacRitchie is my fav and best run routes. Lets get MR25 runners and SGRunners members together and do something about it. We really need to get organized to do something. For Runners by Runners.
This stretch is the greatest pull factor to inspire runners to run run run. When putting the first foot forward at MR, the thought of this stretch comes alive and when reaching there, the runner’s high experienced is exhilarating. It is really cruel to deprive us of this high.
The risk of a runner getting hit by a golf ball is almost 0. SICC has wanted to keep runners away for years. Seems like they’ve finally kissed the right $%& at PUB. Too bad for Singapore.
MR25 is trying to get in a official protest-type thing. They’ve been discussing it on the yahoogroups for awhile, it’s quite an issue since it affects the progressive run routes.
The ‘flying golf balls’ excuse is nonsense; the 10.5k loop that you and Dev run on every week has little signs warning us they bear no responsibility for danger. So why is this side of the reservoir so much more dangerous?
I think it’s ironic that just as LKY’s vision of island-wide park connectors is coming to completion, they decide to cut off this natural connector!
thanks to the hooligans
Noooooo! How can they do that? I didn’t know that! We, at Red Sports, must lead a protest, Les. Haha.