Being an environmentalist, I admire the tenacity of Alan Deidun in defending the diminishing Maltese countryside (The Sunday Times of Malta, January 11).

However, the Marsa golf course is now bereft of the mosquito-ridden marsh that spanned an area of land partly below sea level. British wisdom converted a ‘derelict’ marshland into an ever-expanding sports complex.

The complex accommodates activities such as polo, horse racing, rugby, football, swimming, athletics, tennis, cricket, bowling and of course golf. Participation in these sports is high especially among young people.

Naturally, there is no space for another golf course in Malta which would certainly rob Malta of agricultural land. Yet the Marsa golf course is an asset, for it has enhanced the environment.

The hundreds of endemic trees, the flora and fauna, including seagulls, together with the morning sprinklers, combine into a spectacular daily scene.

Golf club membership does not deserve criticism. Compared to the running of a football club, a golf club is not expensive.

Hundreds of people play golf, not 11 players. The age of members ranges from six to 90. My granddaughter is six, my son is 50 and I, like others, am an active octogenarian.

Being a pollution-free, green esplanade, the annual membership fee pales into insignificance. The fee entitles members to play as many games as they wish. Thus a game is cheaper than an admission ticket to a football stadium.

The membership fee covers all expenses. The club employs a foreign ‘green’ expert. His fee is less than that of a football coach.

The clerical staff naturally work for a salary but the committee members receive no remuneration. An army of groundsmen keeps the whole vast course spic and span.

The underground water, though non-potable, has to be paid for: so has the lease owed to the main club. Need I say more?