Marina Bay Golf Course
Address
Marina Bay Golf Course
80 Rhu Cross
Singapore 437437
Name of contact for environmental and social issues:
Mr Danny Tan, golf manager Contact Danny
Mr Adam Mortimer, golf course superintendent, TEHC Contact Adam
Phone +65 6342-5730 
Website www.mbgc.com.sg
Course description
- Par 72, 6542m
- Opened in November 2006, Marina Bay Golf Course is Singapore’s first, and only 18-hole golf course which is open to the public. Located strategically in the heart of town, the course offers golfers great accessibility and a picturesque view of the city skyline.
- Designed by Phil Jacobs, the par-72 championship course attempts to connect to the history of golf – traditional links of Scotland and the beginnings of golf - in particular, with its 91 pot bunkers.
- Rated 7th Best New Course in Asia by readers of Asian Golf Monthly in 2006.
Special features/accolades
Marina Bay Golf Course adopts an environmentally-sustainable approach in the design of its water source. The golf course also enhances the natural biodiversity of the site while giving the local community a chance to enjoy golf at an affordable price.
Marina Bay Golf Course is located on a coastal property bordered by the Marina Channel which has been turned into a fresh water reservoir with the construction of the Marina Barrage. With this in mind, all efforts are made on the golf course to protect and enhance the water quality not only within the golf course but also the surrounding areas.
The golf course has been designed to include ten ponds. Rain is collected by the ponds and distributed throughout the pond-system through interlinking “balancing pipes” (major underground piping). When the water level drops, the balancing pipes allow all the ponds to drain into the irrigation pumping pond to maximize the usage of all water that is stored on the course. When the ponds fill again through rain, the ponds will uniformly fill up to the desired levels before discharging into the Marina Channel. The balancing pipes allow MBGC to sustain a water source even through prolonged periods of drought. Excess water collected is discharged into the Marina Bay Reservoir. All irrigation needs are drawn from the pond system, and this system has proven to be sustainable for the golf course needs since construction in 2005.
With ten ponds and a variety of plant species, the golf course has a variety of habitats for fishes, and has attracted ducks and other wildlife.
Key achievements
- Environmental
Water conservation and management
- The golf course is located within a PUB (Public Utilities Board) catchment area, and all of the course’s activities strive to safeguard and preserve the water quality not only within the golf course property but also downstream into the reservoirs.
- Irrigation management is a key component of our environmental initiatives, including water conservation and monitoring turfgrass needs so that a minimum amount of water is used.
- All the interlinked pond systems within the property have been heavily planted with various species of water plants. These water plants act as a natural filtration system for the water by removing any excess nutrients or impurities from the water. With the water plants, the likelihood of high levels of nitrates and phosphates in the water, which might lead to algal blooms, are also reduced.
Other conservation achievements
- The use of turf grass chemicals is minimized due to the use of precise Integrated Pest Management practices.
- All green waste is turned into mulch off-site and then recycled back into the landscape areas when needed.
- Golf course maintenance is outsourced to Toh Eng Hock Construction, a member of the IGOLF Corporate Advisory Council.
- The importance of good house-keeping among our employees as well as our outsourced partners. This includes the disposal of refuse channelled to external authorized dumping grounds.
Energy Conservation
- To conserve energy, wattage levels are varied for golf course lights on tees, fairways and greens. With this automated system, energy savings of approximately 20% have been achieved.
- Individual lights are also grouped by holes so that lights can be turned off for holes which are not in use. Lights are also carefully timed to the last flight during night golfing – when the last flight finishes a hole the lights go off.
- During periods of low usage only one nine is opened for play instead of the two nines.
- In September 2010, Marina Bay Golf Course collaborated with SANYO Asia Pte. Ltd. on a feasibility study to measure the effectiveness, energy and cost savings of using solar panels to power golf buggies. Marina Bay Golf Course will provide a two-seater marshal buggy for a one-year testing and measurement of the battery performance.
- Social
- Marina Bay Golf Course is the only 18 hole championship truly public golf course in Singapore.
Philosophy
"Reduce - Recycle - Reuse."
