Pinoy Golfer Blog

AFTER THE UNITED STATES TOOK OVER THE PHILIPPINES in 1901, the new regime inaugurated a raft of development programs. Among these was infrastructure building to support to hasten economic growth. The U.S. Congress approved in 1905 the construction of railroads all over the archipelago. In Panay the task fell on Scottish and British engineers. But beyond building what they had been commissioned for, they built something else—a golf course. Not just any kind of golf course, but one that echoed the dramatic dunes of Scottish links. How did they do it? They wanted the course in Iloilo City, where they were based, perhaps somewhere around the scenic harbor. Trouble was that area was flat and prone... 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

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

Number 3 with the Ortigas skyline in the background Wack-Wack Golf Club’s East Course is the country’s oldest and most storied championship golf course. William J. Shaw was the impetus behind the club’s genesis. Disgusted with the elitism and policy of exclusion displayed at the 1926 Philippine Open when then sixteen-year-old Larry Montes was refused a seat at the victory dinner because he was a caddy, Shaw determined to build a golf club with the aim of promoting peace and harmony between golfers of all races. Working with a group of golfers from the old Municipal Golf Links, he succeeded and Wack-Wack was formed in 1930. The club’s name derived from the squawks of the crows that used... Read More

The eighteenth green with the clubhouse in the background Mention Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club to most people and the first golf course that comes to mind is the fearsome Dye Course. “You play the Dye and you will DIE!” goes the saying. But to most of the members of Eagle Ridge, the Dye isn’t the most difficult course on the property; that honor falls on the course designed by Nick Faldo. Course and slope ratings from the blue tees are 74.4 and 144 making this one golf course you do not trifle with. At a staggering 7,443 yards from the tips and just slightly more reasonable at 6,897 yards from the blue tees, the Faldo is, in a word, relentless. There is precious little time to catch... Read More

We’re privileged to play as many different golf courses as we do to bring this section to all of you. This is the time to reflect and look back at the beautiful places we’ve been. Canlubang Golf and Country Club If anything we’d written needed vindication of any sort, we got that when Asian Golf Monthly named Canlubang Golf and Country Club’s North Course as the best golf course in the Philippines. While we concur, we shouldn’t forget the breathtaking South Course. More dramatic and flamboyant the South Course is the Yin to the North Course’s Yang. No matter how you cut it, these are two of the very best the country has to offer. Splendido Taal Golf Club Normally, we ask for 3-4... Read More

One of the great pleasures in golf is traveling to play a famous course on whose hallowed fairways once trod the greats of the game; St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Augusta National, Pebble Beach, what we wouldn’t give to play them at least once before we go to that big fairway in the sky. A lucky few have made or will make this trek; for the rest of us, Summit Point Golf Club in nearby Lipa, Batangas, has a few surprises in store. When the decision was made to join giant property developer Sta. Lucia in the development of a golf property, Summit Point President Robbie Leviste searched the golfing world for a unique concept for a golf course, one that would make their course stand out. He found it... Read More

The signature 10th with Manila City Hall in the background In the five-odd years that I’ve been writing about golf, I’ve played a lot of golf courses and of the lot, Club Intramuros 2000 is indubitably the most unique. Established in the early 1900’s, Club Intramuros began its existence as a short nine-hole course known as the Manila Municipal Golf Links more commonly known as “Muni”. In the early 1930’s, the course came under the management of the City Government of Manila and was expanded to a full 18-holes 3,896-yards in length playing to a par of 60. In 1981, control and management of the golf course was transferred to the Philippine Tourism Authority by presidential decree.... Read More

Eleven is a strong risk reward hole Smack in the middle of Cebu City in Banilad sits the scenic Cebu Country Club. The club traces its beginnings to the early 1900s as a nine-hole golf course built by British and American executives. Today, almost a century later, it has blossomed into the first course in the Visayas. The course is beautiful. The trees that border the fairways are as mature as any golf course I’ve seen. The fairways are carabao grass but this is part of the charm here; it is golf the way my grandfather played it, the way it used to be. Fairways are well defined and lined with trees; this is number 4 The course is flat but is no pushover. The fairways are defined by mature tree... Read More

The greenside bunker at 16 It’s been nigh on 12 years since the first time I set foot on Calatagan Golf Club’s fairways. I was enthralled and completely enchanted with it then and if possible, I am even more enamoured with Calatagan; the town, the people and the golf course than ever before. It has become the site of an annual pilgrimage, my annual golf retreat to the sleepy Batangas town, the site of one of my favorite golf courses in the country. The 17th green Driving into Calatagan, I tried to put my finger on just what is it that has so completely seduced me. For one, the Nasugbu/Lian/Calatagan area holds many happy memories from days gone by. It began with summer trips with my friends... Read More

In the course of our travels, the question that is often asked of us is, “What is your favourite golf course?” Often the strategy is to remain diplomatic. There are indeed some marvellous golf courses in the Philippines. But some are better than others so we set about to come up with a list of our favourites. Now our criteria here is golf only; these rankings do not consider the food, quality of service or other criteria. Our sole consideration is the golfing experience. The 17th is the signature hole of Canlubang's South Course The Best If you told me that I could only play at one golf club for the rest of my life, I would be perfectly happy at Canlubang Golf and Country Club. The two... Read More

It’s been nigh on five years since I first visited Caliraya Springs Golf Club in Cavinti, Laguna on the shores of Lake Caliraya with friend Doc Vince Gomez. Let’s face it, Caliraya Springs isn’t exactly a short hop from Makati and there are so many other great golf courses that you pass on the way here so you’ll forgive me if it’s taken a while to come back. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking deprives you of some really good experiences and this was certainly one of them. Yes, it is quite a hike to get here. But I do miss the drive through Calamba, Los Baños and Pagsanjan. We used to frequent Pansol and Laguna in general in our college days and the national highway through here... Read More

Much as I hate to say it, Negros is one of the places that I’ve golfed the least. I have two rounds of golf total on the island both during the 2005 PAL Interclub where I attended as part of the media. The shame stems from the fact that my Mother hails from Silay City, just 14 kilometers North of Bacolod City. I spent many summers there as a child and later a full 4 years as a young adult and consider it my spiritual home. My grandfather Aguinaldo Severino Gamboa built the first golf course on the Island; he had three holes on the farm in Buenbaño, Silay and later built a full 18 hole golf course on the Southern outskirts of the city by the sea in Guinhalaran. My father, grandfather and... Read More

Infared shot of the Caliraya Springs clubhouse by my cousin, Marty Ilagan Alas, all good things must come to an end and our time here at Caliraya Springs was no exception. I got up early one last time to see what mother nature had in store. I went out at 4:30 AM and was greeted by a blanket of fog so thick that it obscured visibility almost completely. I took a few photos but it was quickly apparent that they wouldn’t be suitable for publication. While I was doing so, VP Operations David Du rode up and his cart and we started a long conversation that continued through breakfast and beyond. I managed to get some work done and post pics on the blog before time quickly came to check out of... Read More

My objective today was to get better acquainted with the golf course for the forthcoming article. Normally it takes me three rounds but rains the last two days limited the amount of time I spent on the course and restricted us to just one nine per day. This was going to have to do. Scorpio_18 suzywong We got a treat when Telly Arce (suzywong) and Noel Mescallado (Scorpio_18) decided to drive out to play a round of golf with us here. Telly’s a real newbie in golf, one that’s been bitten hard by the bug and this was her first time to golf outside of Metro-Manila. Noel was our Pinoygolfer of the Year in 2009 and one of our original members. They’re tagging along on the sighting... Read More