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Hong Kong can still handle big golf events even after land from Fanling course is taken back, city leader John Lee says

  • Chief Executive John Lee says administration is ‘ready and willing’ to lend site to competition organisers
  • Government taking back 32-hectare site in September ‘no matter what’, he says

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The government will take back 32 hectares of land leased by the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. Photo: May Tse
Willa Wu
Hong Kong will still have the capacity to hold international golf tournaments even after the government takes back part of a course for public housing, the city’s leader has said.
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Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also said the administration was “ready and willing” to lend the site to golf tournament organisers after taking back the 32 hectares (79 acres) of land in September.

Lee’s remarks followed a warning the previous day from the organiser of a Saudi Arabia-backed golf tournament, the Aramco Team Series (ATS), that it might be forced to look for other locations for its Hong Kong round in October if the scheme went ahead.

Chief Executive John Lee says the golf club will still have two full courses and a 10-hole one. Photo: May Tse
Chief Executive John Lee says the golf club will still have two full courses and a 10-hole one. Photo: May Tse
“After we take back the land, we will open it for public use,” Lee said before the weekly meeting of the Executive Council, a key decision-making body. “Meanwhile, we are prepared and happy to offer the course to organise relevant activities for golf tournaments, such as parking, promotions and reception, if needed.

Lee noted the club would still have two complete 18-hole courses and 10 holes for a third course after the 32-hectare site was returned.

“Our assessment is that they will suffice for holding major tournaments. So the return will not have any impact on events,” he said.

The 32 hectares of land on the Old Course is part of the 172-hectare site in Fanling leased by the private Hong Kong Golf Club. The government originally planned to build 12,000 public flats by 2029 to help tackle the city’s long-standing housing crisis.

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