A Golf Course Reborn as Shared Green Space

　What was once an exclusive golf course with high entrance fees has been transformed into Kaohsiung Green Park（高雄果嶺自然公園）, a 70-hectare green space open to everyone. The history of this park dates back to the years just after World War II.
　In 1961, Kaohsiung's then-mayor, Chen Ci-chuan（陳啟川）, chose the area beside Dabei Lake（大貝湖） — now called Chengcing Lake（澄清湖)— as the course's location; a course meeting international standards was subsequently completed. It went on to serve as a venue for strengthening diplomatic relations, hosting visitors such as former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi（岸信介）and commanders from the U.S. Seventh Fleet（美國第七艦隊）.

　After 2000, the course was leased to a private operator. In 2024, however, the Kaohsiung City Government reclaimed the land. On October 10, 2025, it was reborn as Kaohsiung Green Park. The name “Green” nods to the site's golfing past, symbolizes the renewed natural landscape, and reflects a vision of coexistence with nature as well as the core values of environmental justice and shared public access.

　The park follows the original terrain and now features a 7.2km-long trail system, preserving more than 2,600 trees. It connects to Chengcing Lake, Shuanghu Forest Park（雙湖森林公園）, and Jinshi Lake（金獅湖）, forming Kaohsiung's largest green corridor. Fifty-three bird species have already been recorded inside the park—including crested serpent eagles, crested goshawks, and black-naped orioles—making it an ideal outdoor classroom for ecological learning.
　Since its opening, social media has been filled with photos and posts from those who have visited and enjoyed the park, showing a city breathing together with nature and its citizens.

高爾夫球場轉型自然公園 打造全民共享綠地
文/李曉萍

從過去收高額入場費的高爾夫球場，如今轉變成全民共享的「高雄果嶺自然公園」，這片佔地70公頃的綠地，它的歷史要從二戰後說起。

1961年，時任市長陳啟川選定大貝湖（今澄清湖）畔興建高雄高爾夫球場，完成符合國際標準的高爾夫球場。自此這裡成為拓展外交關係的場地，日本前首相岸信介、美國第七艦隊將領都曾造訪。

隨時代更迭，球場在2000年後由民間承租，至2024年高雄市政府收回土地，並在2025年10月10日以「高雄果嶺自然公園」的面貌重生——「果嶺」象徵過去的高球場，「Green」代表重生的綠地，「自然」則是與萬物共存的生命力，也落實「環境正義、全民共享」的理念。

公園依原有地形規劃7.2公里步道，保留超過2600株喬木，串聯澄清湖、雙湖森林公園、金獅湖，成為高雄最大的綠色廊帶。園內已記錄53種鳥類，包括大冠鷲、鳳頭蒼鷹與黃鸝，豐富的生態是市民最佳的綠色學習場域。

果嶺自然公園開放至今，社群上滿是民眾來訪的留影，讓城市與自然、與公民一同呼吸。