Pinoy Golfer Blog

As this is written Antonio “Onyot” Lascuña has all but won the Order of Merit on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour. This is the cherry on top of a truly remarkable season for the affable professional from Davao City who earlier in the month finished 12th on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit after playing just 15 events. The success is well deserved and couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Lascuña is one of the most pleasant and most approachable of our local golf professionals. He has a ready smile and a pleasant word for everyone he meets. He is truly one of the good guys in Philippine golf. He also possesses one of the best golf games in the country. I’ve periodically... Read More

Golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf. - From the Rules of Golf It is this that sets golf apart from any sport or game that I have played and it is one of the reasons that golf has come to mean so much to myself and many others. It is therefore unfortunate that the game is contaminated by those that cannot or will not abide by this most... Read More

I can’t believe that it’s been a year since issue volume 1 issue 1. So much has happened in the intervening year that I’m not sure I know where to begin. My mind is a blur. We have many people to thank for our success; our partners and investors who believed in us enough to invest their hard earned money to make Impact a reality. Much credit for Impact’s success goes to Susan San Pascual, our tireless sales and marketing director; without her hard work and passion this magazine would be nothing but a dream. It is a direct result of her efforts that we are here today. We owe so much to our managing editor Katrina “KV” Villareal who manages to keep the department running in spite... Read More

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost When I turned 55 in March, I started working on my golf game again in earnest; determined to make a mark as a competitive senior golfer. After all, I still hit the golf ball a fair way. I don’t mind teeing it up from the tips with my friends on occasion and with the shorter courses set up for the seniors, I was sure that I’d have a pretty good advantage. I knew there would be some adjustments to be made. For one, i had to figure out my strategy from the forward tees. It was a different golf course from... Read More

Please come watch the North vs. South matches. This is a first in Philippine Golf. The venue is the Alabang Country Club. It’s very accessible and admission is free. See you there!  Read More →

Rancho Palos Verdes is the first modern golf course constructed in the Davao City limits. Built by the Sta. Lucia Realty Corporation on the top of a ridge in what used to be a pomelo plantation in Barangay Mandug/Indangan, Buhangin District some thirteen kilometers outside the city proper, the course is a must-play for any golfer worth his salt on a visit to this fair city. The 18-hole course was designed by the renowned design firm of Andy Dye, whose creations have captured the attention of golfers across the country who are as appalled by their difficulty as they are swayed by their beauty. Completed in 2001, the course has a feel mature beyond its years. The old growth rainforest and verdant... Read More

Apo Golf and Country Club is the grand old man of golf in the fair city of Davao. It might not be as pretty or picturesque as its younger, newer neighbour but it is by far a sterner test of golf. At just over 7000 yards in length, Apo will test your abilities with your longer clubs severely. Just two of its par fours are under 400-yards and on most of them you’ll need to lay up short of the many streams that bisect the fairways. The doglegs present yet another test. Local knowledge dictates that you play away from the dogleg but far enough down the fairway to give yourself a clean shot at the green. This is to avoid the overhanging branches of the very tall trees that define the fairways.... Read More

For golfers looking to tee it up in Pattaya, a game at the historic Siam Country Club is an absolute must. The Club is home to two wonderful golf courses including the first privately owned course in the country which gives in a unique place in the history of golf in Thailand. The Siam Country Club is located just 20 minutes drive from Pattaya. There are two courses a few kilometres apart, both with their own excellent clubhouses and facilities. The Old Course was the first privately owned golf course in Thailand. Work began on the course in 1969 and was first played in 1971. The course was originally created by Japanese course designer Isao Izumi but was completely redeveloped in 2006 by Schmidt-Curley... Read More

Bettinardi Signature 3 The Bettinardi Signature 3 is all about aesthetics and feel. This timeless design is a classic blade putter machined out of a single piece of Bettinardi’s proprietary Double Aged Stainless Steel (D.A.S.S.). The Signature 3 features the Bettinardi trademark honeycomb face milling to assure the flattest putting surface possible. I am drawn to this putter because the very first putter I ever played with, a MacGregor Tommy Armour Silver Scott, is this head shape. I have many good memories of my rounds with it but also remember what an uncompromising piece of work it was. Putt the ball well and you can do no wrong. Putt poorly and you won’t have a place to hide. The... Read More

March was a milestone month for me. I turned 55 on the day of the 1st Impact Golf Cup. This marks the beginning of my career as a senior golfer. Really, I can’t believe this time has come. Apart from a few more aches and pains, I don’t feel too different than I did a few years ago. I still tee it up on the blue tees during my casual rounds and I like to think that I’m still competitive from there. I do have a few trophies that back up that assertion. In fact on the odd occasion and in the company of the right foursome, I’ll even tee it up from the tips without too much stress. I rather enjoy pushing myself as I have in other sports in my pre-golf life. But the calendar doesn’t lie.... Read More

Championship – Cebu 507 (123-134-122-128), Del Monte 499 (123-124-125-127), Alabang 493 (124-104-130-135), Manila Southwoods 429 (103-111-116-99), Fil-Am Fairfield 316 (76-72-78-90), San Juanico 304 (71-72-74-87), Pinoy Vancouver 251 (65-76-60-50), Brotherhood Sharp 248 (66-48-50-84), Greenhills West 220 (55-49-58-58), Mabuhay SFO (38-52-47-51), Fil-Oz Sydney 160 (23-44-37-56), Riyadh Golf 139 (28-52-26-33) Founders – Wack Wack 476 (117-116-120-123), Orchard 461 (117-111-121-112), Negros 445 (106-114-120-105), Apo Golf 444 (107-122-103-112), Davao 418 (104-105-99-110), Tagaytay Highlands 412 (90-104-113-105), Palos Verdes 402 (97-105-92-108), Alta Vista 392 (104-92-105-91),... Read More

Day 3 Scores: Championship Division Cebu 379 (123-134-122), Del Monte 372 (123-124-125), Alabang 358 (124-104-130), Manila Southwoods 330 (103-111-116), Fil-Am Fairfield 226 (76-72-78), San Juanico 217 (71-72-74), Pinoy Vancouver 201 (65-76-60), Brotherhood Sharp 164 (66-48-50), Greenhills West 162 (55-49-58), Mabuhay SFO 137 (38-52-47), Riyadh Golf 106 (28-52-26), Fil-Oz Sydney 104 (23-44-67) Founders Division Wack Wack 353 (117-116-120), Orchard 349 (117-111-121), Negros 340 (106-114-120), Apo Golf 332 (107-122-103), Riviera 329 (108-121-100), Forest Hills 323 (106-105-112), Valley 309 (102-100-107), Villamor 308 (96-103-109), Davao 308 (104-105-99), Tagaytay Highlands 307 (90-104-113), Alta... Read More

Championship Division Cebu 257 (123-134), Del Monte 247 (123-124), Alabang 228 (124-104), Manila Southwoods 212 (103-109), Fil-Am Fairfield 148 (76-72), San Juanico 143 (71-72), Pinoy Vancouver 141 (65-76), Brotherhood Sharp 114 (66-48), Greenhills West 104 (55-49), Mabuhay SFO 90 (38-52), Riyadh Golf 80 (28-52), Fil-Oz Sydney 67 (23-44) Founders Division Wack Wack 233 (117-116), Apo 229 (107-122), Riviera 229 (108-121), Orchard 228 (117-111), Negros 220 (106-114), Forest Hills 211 (106-105), Davao 209 (104-105), Palos Verdes 202 (97-105), Valley 202 (102-100), Villamor 199 (96-103), Phil. Navy 199(104-95), Alta Vista 196 (104-92), Tagaytay Highlands 194 (90-104), Sta. Elena 187 (86-101), Manila... Read More

It’s been six years since I first came to Davao as a member of the media covering the PAL Interclub. That almost seems like another lifetime ago; I was the associate editor of Swing Magazine and we were in the process of producing our 6th issue. I was very much a rookie then and wandering around wide eyed and in amazement of everything that was going on around me. This time is different. The 65th PAL Interclub is the biggest ever. This year 160 teams have made the trek to Davao to compete in both the seniors and regular divisions. At ten persons per team, that makes 1,600 golfers that have come to test themselves against two very different and challenging golf courses. Apo Golf Club... Read More

I get invited to a lot of tournaments but there is one that stands out in my mind as the most organized, most meticulously run that I’ve had the pleasure to play in the whole year; the Lexus Cup. The tournament is organized by Lexus Philippines as a way to thank their customers and the Lexus Club of the Philippines for their support and continued patronage. The only requirement for entry is that you must own a Lexus. There is no entry fee, the carts and caddies are included in your entry as was the sumptuous dinner that followed but more on that later. I was incredibly excited when I received my invitation to the tournament which came two months in advance of the appointed date. I played... Read More