Fanling golf course must be saved

Your reports on the Fanling courses of the Hong Kong Golf Club (in which I have no membership interest) have convinced me that the knives are out.

Club members must not just wait for this 124-year historical monument to be obliterated; they must boldly tell Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po - hands off.

He would probably say that because the club has paid no premium for the lease, members would suffer no hardship.

Hong Kong needs to maintain an internationally recognised golf club (the mainland has many), where the Hong Kong Open can continue to be played.

It can only be played at Fanling, which has the oldest course dating back to 1911. Also, the three courses have magnificent trees, many over 100 years old, which should not be felled.

The club has a grade-two historic Half Way House, and a summer lodge for former governors and past and present chief executives. It has many well-maintained ancestral tombs where golfers will often take their caps off to show their respect.

Sadly, the development secretary has sent those who are calling for housing to be built the wrong signals, indicating that the golf club is up for grabs.