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Total golf courses in Asia, excluding Japan estimated at 1,600
Singapore, May 13: Singapore-based golf course designer Brett Mogg, whose firm has built 15 courses in China and others in Southeast Asia, said these developments were not necessarily bad for the environment.
Singapore, May 13: Singapore-based golf course designer Brett Mogg, whose firm has built 15 courses in China and others in Southeast Asia, said these developments were not necessarily bad for the environment.
"Always the question comes back to how responsibly a golf course is managed. If it's managed responsibly, its impact on the environment is negligible," Mogg, the managing director of Nelson and Haworth golf course architects, said.
However Mogg pointed out golf course supervisors in Asia were generally not as well educated as those in the United States, leading to problems such as the use of incorrect fertiliser and pesticides or over-watering.
The sheer number of golf courses built in Asia over the past 20 years and the growth projections for the future are the obvious magnifiers in any debate over alleged harmful social and environmental impacts.
Robinson said that although there were no official government or industry figures on how many golf courses there were in Asia, his tally put the figure at about 1,600 for the region, excluding Japan, up from 760 in 1990.
Japan alone has 2,200 courses, he said.
With the number of golfers in the region tripling to five million over the past 14 years and this figure expected to grow annually by almost 20 percent over the medium term, Robinson said golf course construction would inevitably continue to surge.
"We have not yet seen the tip of the iceberg," he said, emphasising the tourism benefits and construction jobs the industry was creating.
Bureau Report
"Always the question comes back to how responsibly a golf course is managed. If it's managed responsibly, its impact on the environment is negligible," Mogg, the managing director of Nelson and Haworth golf course architects, said.
However Mogg pointed out golf course supervisors in Asia were generally not as well educated as those in the United States, leading to problems such as the use of incorrect fertiliser and pesticides or over-watering.
The sheer number of golf courses built in Asia over the past 20 years and the growth projections for the future are the obvious magnifiers in any debate over alleged harmful social and environmental impacts.
Robinson said that although there were no official government or industry figures on how many golf courses there were in Asia, his tally put the figure at about 1,600 for the region, excluding Japan, up from 760 in 1990.
Japan alone has 2,200 courses, he said.
With the number of golfers in the region tripling to five million over the past 14 years and this figure expected to grow annually by almost 20 percent over the medium term, Robinson said golf course construction would inevitably continue to surge.
"We have not yet seen the tip of the iceberg," he said, emphasising the tourism benefits and construction jobs the industry was creating.
Bureau Report