Pinoy Golfer Blog

Callaway used to be known as a company that produced golf clubs for the mid-to-high handicap golfer. Not so long ago a fellow named Roger Cleveland joined their brain trust and things were never the same again. He spear-headed a drive within the company to produce clubs for the better player and his efforts were met with much success. The latest such product is the Callaway Jaws wedge with its ball-shredding Mack Daddy grooves. These wedges can do some major damage. Even on chips just from around the fringe, this Jaws wedge was filling its grooves with the outer layer of every golf ball it came in contact with. Other than a lot of damaged golf balls, the result is very impressive spin on... Read More

Just off the beaten track that is the Tagaytay Ridge on the Diokno Highway heading down to the town of Lemery in Batangas is the sleepy, scenic Canyon Woods Residential Resort. A project of Tagaytay Grasslands, a subsidiary of G2 Global, Canyon Woods seems to have somehow survived and prospered while other golf clubs and resorts have fallen on hard times. The Tagaytay fog cloaks the Clubhouse The project started with the development of a 35-hectare property and today sits at over 220-hectares with 200 hectares more ready for future expansion. As early as August 1995, small-lot sizes were offered initially and had been depleted with an average of 18 units per month. Price performance indicators... Read More

My time at the 93rd Philippine Open was not all fun and games. There was lots to do and a lot of it was important work. The 13th (4th on the Lobo) My morning usually began at 6 AM when I would go into the tournament office, pick up a pin sheet and go do the rounds of the golf course. On my way out I also checked the tournament tees to make sure they were in the right spots and the correct width apart but the real objective was to make sure the pin placements were correctly reflected on the pin sheets. The pros needed to be 100% confident that the information they have is correct. If there was a discrepancy, a radio call was made to the two starters and the other tournament referees to make sure... Read More

The Mini was one of the seminal cars of my youth. I grew up going to slaloms and drag races with my father watching Conrado “Dodo” Ayuyao in his Mini Cooper 1275 S duking it out with Pocholo Ramirez in his Toyota Corolla and Chito Monserrat in his Ford Escort. The Mini Cooper was very competitive and often won those duels; it became the dream car of a car crazed youth. I had mixed feelings when the brand was eventually acquired by BMW in 2001. I was afraid that the Mini would go the way of so many other brands whose fate was doomed by a merger or acquisition, but BMW is an enthusiast’s car company and I was needlessly concerned. The new car is faithful to the original but slightly bigger... Read More

Birthday boy Elmer Salvador is the 93rd Philippine Open Champion Elmer Salvador celebrated his 40th birthday in magnificent style by winning the 93rd Philippine Open Golf Championships by 3 strokes over Dutch National Guido Van der Valk. Salvador bucked a rough start when he briefly lost the lead on Mt. Malarayat’s Makulot 9 but rallied to pull even again at the turn. Van der Valk then bogied the par 3 11th and Elmer pulled ahead by one. NGAP Secretary General Commodor Danny Pizaro, Mt. Malarayat Chair Antonio Turalba, Sr. and NGAP Tournament Dircetor Pablo Soon award Salvador his trophy and a hefty check “That was the turning point,” Salvador said in Tagalog, “I knew... Read More

Elmer Salvador endured an up and down round but remains tied for the lead Elmer Salvador’s game lost steam today and that allowed pursuers Guido Van der Valk and Angelo Que to make up ground on the halfway leader. Salvador started off on the wrong foot with a bogie on number 1 and a double on number 5 but regained his footing somewhat with birdies on 5, 6 and 7 to finish even par on the front side. His roller coaster round continued with a birdie to start the back but he quickly gave it back with a bogies on 12, 13 and 14. He birdied 15 and 16 to pull back to even par but quickly bogied 17 to surrender another stroke to the course to finish at 1-over par for the day when he only managed... Read More

Elmer Salvador leads the 93rd Philippine Open by 3 strokes after two days Moving day at the Philippine Open saw the country’s new rising star Elmer Salvador remain red hot and still in the lead of the 93rd Philippine Open by three strokes after backing up his opening day 63 with a 6-under par 66 for a two day total of 129. Playing with a borrowed putter after his regular gamer was somehow damaged at last week’s ICTSI Canlubang Invitational, his putting remained as hot as his ball striking and continues to keep the rest of the field at arm’s length heading into the weekend. If he keeps this pace of play up, he should think about keeping this putter in the bag permanently. Defending... Read More

Elmer Salvador file photo from ICTSI Canlubang Invitational Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner Elmer Salvador took full advantage of the benign weather conditions and soft greens to post a 9-under par 63 to lead the first day of the 93rd Philippine Open at Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club. Starting on the back nine, Salvador, playing with defending Philippine Open champion Angelo Que made the turn in 33 and went on a tear. He birdied all but one of the par-4s (the first) and eagled number 7 (on the Makulot course) for a 6-under par 30 on his inward nine. His considerable ball striking was complimented by a red hot putter on the day; no one could keep up with him Angelo Que tried to... Read More

Arrived at Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club this morning before the proam started. I didn’t play as I still had stuff to do for the Business Mirror Golf section due out this Thursday. After the proam, I did manage to sneak out for a quick nine holes on the Lobo course which will serve as the back nine for the pros at the Open. The course setup today was forgiving. Pins were cut in friendly positions and the greens were heavily watered and were soft and receptive. I don’t think they’ll be watered again until the end of the tournament, but you never know. The field is strong; the only one missing is Juvic Pagunsan who told me at Canlubang last week that he probably would be... Read More

The Orchard Golf and Country Club opened to great fanfare some 14 years ago in historic Cavite with two championship golf courses designed by golfing greats Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. The Palmer Course opened just in time to host the Johnny Walker Classic, the first international golf tournament in the Philippines since the World Cup in 1977. The tournament saw the best golfers in the world slug it out for the title including then world number one Nick Price, Greg Norman, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Woosnam, Vijay Singh and eventual winner Fred Couples. The Johnny Walker cemented the Palmer Course’s place in history and made it an instant hit with all who came to play at the club. After all,... Read More

Since the Golfer’s Network lost the distributorship of TaylorMade golf equipment, news has been thin about the industry giant’s new products. This was a real shame since TM has come out with some really interesting product since then. They’ve found a new distributor and we managed to wrangle demos of two of their new irons; the R9 and Burner. R9 Irons I eagerly anticipated the arrival of these irons since I was very impressed with last year’s Tour Preferred set; they looked the business (as they say) and backed it up with soft feel at impact, a very versatile sole that performed admirably in a variety of conditions and a look that a touring professional would love. R9 5-iron cavity R9... Read More

Juvic Pagunsan Juvic Pagunsan played steady golf on the tough Canlubang North Course to win his second ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour event this year. Banking on his knowledge of the North Course, he birdied 14, 16 and 18 on his way in to finish 1-under par for the day and 9-under for the tournament to hold off another two time Tour winner, Elmer Salvador and reigning Philippine Open Champ Angelo Que by three strokes. ICTSI Chair and Philippine Golf Tour Patron Ricky Razon was on hand to award Juvic his prize with Canlubang head honcho Luigi Yulo. Reigning Philippine Open champ Angelo Que looks ready to defend his crown Que shot a second consecutive 68 to catch a sputtering Salvador who fought a... Read More

Juvic Pagunsan Juvic Pagunsan shot a second consecutive 68 to lead going into the final day of the Philippine Golf Tour’s season ending tournament; the ICTSI Canlubang Championships. He leads by two over Order of Merit leader Elmer Salvador who shot consecutive 69’s. Juvic’s round could have been much better. He missed good opportunity on 17 after getting around the green of the par 5 in two. But a misjudged chip and a lipped out putt kept him from going lower. Still, Juvic is playing on his home course and has to be the prohibitive favorite tomorrow. The onus is on the others to catch him. Elmer Salvador Salvador likewise had his chances. He also missed a birdie putt on 17... Read More

The fledgling Philippine Golf Tour winds up its first year with the ICTSI Canlubang Championships at the beautiful Canlubang Golf and Country Club’s North Course. Set a week before the Philippine Open, if features the strongest field in Philippine Golf with the veterans of the Asian Tour all home and accounted for. The finishing holes on Canlubang's North Course Former Canlubang stalwart Juvic Pagunsan leads the field after a 6-birdie, 2-bogie four under par 68 and leads current Order of Merit leader Elmer Salvador by a single stroke. Juvic’s former team mate at Cangolf, Jay Bayron is a stroke further behind and five more golfers lie another stroke in arrears. The course is playing... Read More

Epon, the maker of what are arguably the finest forged irons in the world, introduce two new irons that round out its product line and reinforce its reputation in the golf world. The Epon AF-302 and AF-502 forged irons do not replace current models, but instead slot neatly into the line broadening the appeal to a range of golfing ability levels. The AF-302 is made for the competition oriented player seeking optimal feel and control. This super precision forged iron is made from premium Japan S20C steel for the ultimate in soft feel which has been enhanced by additional thickness in the cavity behind the sweet spot. This gives the AF-302 pure blade like feel and control allowing unparalleled... Read More