Pinoy Golfer Blog

The ascendance of Rory McIlroy at the 2011 U.S. Open golf championships was the best thing that’s happened to Tiger Woods. Tiger had hardly been out of the headlines since the now infamous Tiger-gate just outside his house at Isleworth, Florida. After all the girls he fooled around with surfaced, checking himself into rehab for sex addiction, his divorce from his lovely wife Elin, leaving his 3rd swing coach Hank Haney and taking up with heretofore unknown Sean Foley then injuring his left knee (again!) and pulling out of the Players’ Championship and subsequently missing the U.S. Open; Tiger has always been top of mid when golf is discussed anywhere in the world. In fact in the... Read More

By Guest Blogger Adrian Flores of GMA 7 News It has been a remarkable first half so far for the country’s golfing scene. The Philippine Open got back its international status last month when it returned to the regular Asian Tour schedule. The Philippine Golf Tour of golf patron International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) increased its prize money for the top men’s professionals considerably. The Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) is once again active in terms of organizing tournaments. “PHL Golf is on an upswing. Hopefully, this trend goes on especially now that the economy is on the rebound,” said Jake Ayson, a long-time serving executive director of the... Read More

The Veranda at CJH Golf Club is a great place to dine and make merry There’s so much that defines the ultimate golfing experience at Camp John Hay Golf Club; we’ve gone into the weather and that glorious golf course, but there’s also the rustic clubhouse, the expansive veranda with marvellous views of the sunset and oh yes; the food. The best thing that happened to Camp John Hay was Billy King moving there to handle the food. I’ve long been admirer of Chef King; when I moved back from the United States back in the early 90’s, the restaurant at which my coming home party was held was Le Souffle in the old Greenbelt of the Ayala Center. His food was exquisite then and it remains so to... Read More

As the irresistible urban sprawl invaded Baguio City, I grew increasingly despaired at the destruction of the Baguio I knew as a youth. Taxi cabs and diesel dust drown out the fragrant aroma of the pine trees. Houses stacked one on top of another decimated the beauty of the mountains. I have to wonder what in God’s name happened? My first trip to Baguio as a boy was with my parents and grandparents. We didn’t have a house there at the time so we stayed at the stately Pines Hotel. It probably wasn’t as grand as I remember but the rustic ambiance of the log-lined interior and that great fireplace around which the adults would convene for cocktails is indelibly etched in my memory. The pines... Read More

Although Nike Golf’s product line has expanded to include everything that you could possibly want or need, their core product in my eyes will always be their golf shoes. After all, athletic shoes are what got this company started in the first place and through savvy, good management and a bit of luck, Phil Knight and company have grown Nike into the largest athletic equipment company in the world. As a runner, I first happened upon their waffle trainer in the late 70’s and logged many miles in half a dozen pairs of them. As a basketball player I’ve worn out about my fair share and in each case the shoes displayed comfort and support that was second to none. The launch of the Nike Lunar... Read More

It’s been quite a while since TaylorMade Golf produced a forged iron for its ardent admirers and now it’s got three; the MB (a muscle back blade), the MC (a forged muscle-cavity back) and the CB (full under-cut cavity back). Since all three are Tour Preferred or TP class irons, they all require a measure of skill to use effectively but as we’ll see later in this piece, the CB reaches out to a demographic heretofore untouched by anything TP. Professional golfers and top amateurs are just like the rest of us; they want golf clubs that will allow them to play their best while being somewhat forgiving of their miscues. There is quite a bit of variance in these tastes as ultimately individual... Read More

18 at sunrise Known to the rest of us as Mimosa, the CDC Golf & Country Club was built on the original Clark Air Base Golf Course. Intended to be the ultimate getaway complex in golf boom of the 1990s Mimosa is built on what was known as the Clark Air Base Golf Club. The original eighteen was split and expanded into what are now two lovely golf courses. Redesigned in 1992 under former Mimosa Leisure Estate chair Antonio Gonzales by Hawaii based course architects Robin Nelson and Neal Haworth, Mimosa now boasts 36-holes of delightful golf that exploits the differences in terrain of the vast property. The course that concerns us is the Mountain View. It is the championship course and at a... Read More

The 2011 ICTSI Mount Malarayat Championship was almost washed out by a tropical depression turned typhoon. Driving down to the golf course, the weather got bleaker and bleaker. By the time we drove onto the property, the rain was coming down in sheets. The first day start was delayed by an hour then quickly aborted when the greens became saturated with water. Play was delayed by another hour and change before being abandoned altogether because of the inclement weather. What we didn’t realize was that the typhoon had descended on us full force. The next day was only slightly better. It rained all night leaving the greens barely able to sustain play. The maintenance crew was kept busy all... Read More

Juvic Pagunsan is the hottest player on the Philippine Golf Tour Juvic Pagunsan is on a roll. After winning the Tour’s opening leg at Royal Northwoods and just two weeks after his record setting performance at the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship, he outlasted “Marvelous” Marvin Dumandan to win the ICTSI Eastridge Classic by a single stroke. This makes it 3 wins out of 4 events for the indomitable Pagunsan; a record for the Philippine Golf Tour. Marvelous Marvin shot the round of the day but 3-putted away his chance for the win on 16 Dumandan didn’t make it easy for him though. “Marvelous” Marvin shot the round of the day; a six under par 65 to push Juvic all... Read More

The 2011 ICTSI Eastridge Classic saw a bunch of new names on the leaderboard. Long hitting Arnold Villacencio and Richard Sinfuego posted rounds of 67; 4-under par on the hilly golf course carved out of the limestone hills of Rizal. Ruben Sasutil showed he still had some game to sit one shot behind with a 3-under par 68. Richard Sinfuego Ruben Sasutil But on day 2, the cream rose to the top. Juvic Pagunsan fresh of his record setting victory at the ICTSI Orchard Championship shot a 5-under par 66 to take the lead. Pagunsan was actually 7-under par before going for the green on the short par 4 15th hole. He made a double and then parred in from there. The unmistakeable finish of Juvic Pagunsan He... Read More