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’m an Ultrarunner, while running that stretch of path, I’ve seen golf balls landing on the water edge. If it land on someone’s head, it can be fetal. Since trail running is getting popular and more pple uses that path, I think SICC is fair to take action before accidents happen in their ground.
Perhaps the authorities should mitigate and build a kind of shelter to protect runners and also develope more paths along the water edge of reserviors, example from toilet of Seletar reservior to Gangsa trail.
To re-open the upper pierce reservoir to macritchie reservoir link ( propose )
Dear PUB Director,
If the re-open of this link can not be done, I therefore, take this opportunity to suggest that Npark could either build the boardwalk and running trail converge or reclaim portion of land for walkway at the water edge, pathway and planting hedges in between the golf course (or safety netting) to solve the safety issue as cite.
1. To build the boardwalk and running trail converge. (cost more)
2. To reclaim portion of land for walkway at the water edge, pathway and planted hedges in between the golf course.(cost cheaper)
3. Or safety netting to coverage. (cost more cheaper)
I am so anxiety regarding this matter.
I hope the authority could look into it that can solve the matter.
Thank
runrunrundon
Not only does SICC place guards but the guards have been instructed to divert and runners are not allowed to come close.
It is silly that we(runners,hikers,walker and all people) allow a small minority in PUB & SICC to spoil the fun we have had for more than 40yrs.
By tradition we do have legal acess .Only can be proven if we take legal actions.If all appeals and mediation fails i hope lawyers will step forward to assist us to get a judgement in COURT to free all Singaporeans,PRs, foreigners to run or bypass .
We should bring this in parliament IF NEEDED.
I see the day PUB &sicc will be forced to back track .
Hi Brian Dalby
I am a member of Mcrithcie Runners Club 25 Singapore.
Thank you for posting a most aritculate and forceful petition. I’ve posted your article in our group posts to let everybody know that not only we are upset but people like you are more than upset at the closure of this link. If only every one else that are sorely affected by the closure can feel the loss that you felt, then paradise will not be lost.
Thank you once again, hoping that paradise can be regained with your very well written petition.
YKS
It’s not only you runners who are losing out here but all of us who appreciate access to what bit of open space Singapore has to offer. This particular stretch along the edge of the resevoir is a particularly good open space and once of the few in Singapore offering extensive vistas.
For information, following is my letter to the ST Forum. A severely edited version was published in the online version on 3rd April. I saw no response from PUB.
Has this matter been raised directly to anyone at PUB yet?
Letter to ST Forum:
An Open Letter to the Chief Executive , Public Utilities Board.
I recently visited the Upper Pierce Reservoir Park with the intention of taking one of my favourite morning walks across the dam and then along the embankment between the reservoir and the SICC golf course.; This is one the few walks available in Singapore providing extensive inland vistas and enables access via the SICC road to the HSBC Treetops walk and to MacRitchie Park creating some longer distance walking opportunities.
However, I found that access to the embankment has been blocked to protect walkers from being hit by golf balls. At one level it appears that those of us who can neither afford nor wish to play golf are being denied simple pleasures for the benefit of those who can afford and wish to do so. Now, I don’t wish to sound as though I am creating an “us and them†situation; rather I’m asking for common sense to prevail; live and let live if you will.
I have to ask the question: In each of the last 10 years, how many people have actually been hit by golf balls whilst walking along that embankment and not transgressing onto the golfing fairway itself?
To over-protect people from miniscule risks does seem to be the height of ‘nanny-ism’. The next thing we’ll hear is that pavements are being closed to protect pedestrians from the risk of out-of-control motor vehicles on the road, or air travel banned because of the risk of being in an air-crash.
Would the Chief Executive care to review the decision to prevent access to the embankment and consider allowing mature adults to make responsible decisions. After all, I am allowed daily to make the decision to drive (or not) on the country’s roads despite the fact that 222 people died on the roads in 2008 (source: http://www.spf.gov.sg/stats/traf2008_annexa.htm). By all means erect a notice warning walkers of the risk but then allow common sense and responsibility to rule.
Yours sincerely
Brian Dalby
I’m a member at sicc and can honestly say that ‘golf is such an EXCLUSIVE sport, only some few (the rich & not so healthy-looking) play it’ is absolutely not true. I’m a teen so i play competitively and competitions allowed me to mix around with the other players and i KNOW that the average man can still afford to play golf. They don’t need to join SICC to play! There’s seletarbaseGC, sembawangGC, Safra etc. And it doesn’t cost much to get a full set, maybe 1.2k for last years models. and it’s cheaper than buying the new desktop at the IT show. ain’t exclusive, some courses remain public but you’ve got to get used to some pretty lousy course conditions.
‘running whereas everyone, every age, every size can do it. so why are we being stopped?’ is over reacting. SICC only stopped the non-members from running over at that scenic area on the New Course 13th. Not my favorite hole but sorry guys, the scenery is beautiful. and well i’ve played golf since i was 6 and fat and non-muscled. It’s just that i didn’t play that well for until maybe 10 years later. SO YEAH PEOPLE EVERY SIZE AND AGE CAN PLAY GOLF. ages 5 and above only. HEHE!
‘EVERYONE KNOWS RUNNING burns MUCH more calories than golf’ is true only when players drive the buggy. I & not so healthy-looking? Golf isn’t about the exercise! it’s about the gambling, socializing and to enjoy playing well. We don’t play looking for exercise! although carrying 13 kilos around a 5.9km course does stress the body out a bit. And that 5.9km is only if you’re in the perfect place at every moment. So wild shots and reading contours will get you to walk maybe, 8km? Age limits dude, and buggies are only allowed for those >18 years of age. And old people wouldn’t run! there’s a gym here btw :). they bet 100 bucks per hole over 18 holes for 1800 max payout. so yeah i hope i’ve settled that part.
You could try the forest trek at the sicc island or some jogging track over at sicc bukit. i’ve seen people run over at both sides. non members at that! chillax YO
Hi ranger,
I am a runner and ex golfer so I know the golfer’s frustration. But in this case, it is simply because SICC expand thier courses, and at one of the holes at the New Course, your ball directs to the running path which is recently blocked. It never happened before the New Course opened. Again SICC caused the problem…
Ranger sorry but this is clearly put up by PUB on SICC instruction.You have security guards at each end who actually told a runner they are employed by SICC.There is also PUB signs saying you can’t run in case a golf ball hits you.These signs are actually some 500 metres away from the golf course and routes are quite simply being blocked on SICC instruction.
Take my advice and POLITELY ignore security and run anyway.If you see someone golfing stop,let them play through and remain quiet.I often say “nice shot” or “whoops” and generally have found that the majority of golfers live and let live.
Waht next….banned from running beside roads in case a passing car hits you ?
The whole matter stinks.Its elitism at its very worst.
We would never know whose decision it was, would we? Unfortunately, if SICC does not take a stand about the route closure, they will have to take a share of the blame too. It’s easy to always attribute the decision to PUB alone when SICC is the one using the piece of land.
What’s to stop SICC from telling PUB: let’s build the fence, but leave a small path between the fence and the water to allow runners to run through anyway. That is what being inclusive with the larger community is about. But then, it’s absolutely in SICC’s interest to have it totally fenced up anyway, and it’s finally a great excuse not to have to share the land with runners. So why not just go along with it.
In any case, this is not a rant against individual people who play golf, but of SICC as a club, and the culture that the ‘sport’ breeds.
It’s just the same with cyclists (I am one too): there are some who cycle recklessly on the roads and pedestrian walkways, and it is the job of the larger cycling community to remind each other to cycle the right way. If cycling habits worsen, the community have to share the blame as well.
So, golfers, please do not take it personally. Ultimately, we cannot deny that golf as a pursuit takes up way too much land and space (in an already small country), and such behaviour by PUB / SICC only worsens it. Frankly, it doesn’t do the sport of golf any justice at all.
hello the golfers didnt build the barrier. Its the PUB for goodness sake. Im a runner and a golfer also. don’t aim at golfers la. not as if they wanted to ask us runners to get lost. they could have done that long time ago . PUB takes the blame.
I thought these comments that MM Lee gave about golf and running were interesting:
Then one day I was at the home of my colleague, Mr Rajaratnam, meeting foreign correspondents including some from the London Times and they took a picture of me and I had a big belly like that (puts his hands in front of his belly), a beer belly. I felt no, no, this will not do.
So I started playing more golf, hit hundreds of balls on the practice tee. But this didn’t go down. There was only one way it could go down: consume less, burn up more.
Another turning point came when -this was 1976, after the general election – I was feeling tired. I was breathing deeply at the Istana, on the lawns. My daughter, who at that time just graduating as a doctor, said: ‘What are you trying to do?’ I said: ‘I feel an effort to breathe in more oxygen.’ She said: ‘Don’t play golf. Run. Aerobics.’
So she gave me a book, quite a famous book and, then, very current in America on how you score aerobic points swimming, running, whatever it is, cycling. I looked at it sceptically. I wasn’t very keen on running. I was keen on golf. So I said, ‘Let’s try’.
So in-between golf shots while playing on my own, sometimes nine holes at the Istana, I would try and walk fast between shots. Then I began to run between shots. And I felt better. After a while, I said: ‘Okay, after my golf, I run.’ And after a few years, I said: ‘Golf takes so long. The running takes 15 minutes. Let’s cut out the golf and let’s run.’
For the whole interview, you can go to:
http://health.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20080114-44987.html