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View the complete list of all golf courses tournaments schedule for July 2015, GolfPH.com offers updated list of all golf courses’ events and tournaments all over the Philippines for the month of July 2015.

View the complete list of all golf courses tournaments schedule for August 2015, GolfPH.com offers updated list of all golf courses’ events and tournaments all over the Philippines for the month of August 2015.

You hear it all the time. There are literally thousands of articles throughout the past year and a half that share the exact same theme.

“Rough Times Ahead for Grassroots Golf?” (CNN)
“Decline in Golfers Around the World” (STRIKER GOLF)
“Where have all the golfers gone?” (CBS)

It’s not very attractive is it?

Everyone has their theory:
– Lack of interest in youth, because of the internet
– Failure to change old ways
– Tiger Woods falling off the planet

But in my humble opinion, one huge over looked reason why golf is on the decline in the Philippines is because it’s hard for beginners to even get on the course.

If you wanted to golf in the Philippines, what are your real options?

1) Buy a Membership at a Country Club, where you will continue to pay pricy monthly dues for the rest of the time you want to own that share.
2) Piggy Back or Mooch off of your friends who are members therefore inconveniencing them and yourself because you have to wait for their schedule to free up.
3) Play at a Public course = long waits and poor green conditions.

That’s the old way and sadly, it’s getting harder and harder to convince people to take up golf.

So What Can We Do?

One way is to make it easier and convenient for people to golf. In the US, they have a variety of options.

These sites allow players to choose a course, book a tee time and pay a discounted rate with their partners. This system makes golf way more convenient, cheaper and less committal than your traditional route. Unfortunately, these sites don’t service the Philippines.

What we do have is Vouchers

A voucher is like a gift certificate to a golf course. Usually it covers the green fees and you dont need to be a member of the course to use it (unless the terms and conditions state otherwise). All you would have to do is show up to the course, present the voucher and pay any additional fees that the course may have (caddy, cart, consumables…etc).

Where to get these Vouchers?

After partnering with golf courses for the past 8 years, we have convinced them to let us offer their vouchers to the public at a discounted rate. You can find them at the new golf voucher page that we created.

Here’s how it works.

1. Go Online here – http://www.golfph.com/products/golfph-vouchers/
2. Select the course you want to play at and click more info
3. Select the type of voucher (weekday or weekend) and quantity.
4. Hit Add to Cart
5. Hit Proceed to Checkout
6. Let us know where to send the vouchers to and choose your payment method.

We plan to continually add more courses throughout the months. The more vouchers we sell for each course, the better the discounts and bonuses that the courses give to us, which we extend to you. Please let us know if you have any questions, we look forward to hearing your comments.



PS: For a Limited Time… Since you have read this far, here is a secret 20% off coupon that won’t be available shortly.

Image source: wikimedia.org

Congratulations to Jason Day on his record setting finish on August 16, 2015 at Whistling Straights. Not only did Jason Day won his first major, but he also did it with a record breaking 20 under, which is the lowest score in a major ever. It was an incredible battle to the very end by outpacing the 2015 player of the year, Jordan Spieth, who ended up finishing just 3 strokes behind. Many would have though that a score of 17 under would have been enough to win any other major, but today was Jason’s day.

Today was also a day for aspiring Filipino golfers worldwide to celebrate the presence of an international PGA golfer’s rise to the top. As a native Australian golfer, with a Caucasian last name, many do not even know that Jason’s mother is Filipino. Jason serves as not only an amazing golfer to aspire to, but also as a role-model for many Filipinos who have been told they “couldn’t” or “wouldn’t” be able to make it in the pros.
What an emotional time for our nation.

Just as Day said about his win, “I didn’t expect I was going to cry […] A lot of emotion has come out because I’ve been so close so many times and fallen short. To be able to play the way I did today […] Just to be able to finish the way I did was amazing.”

Today, Jason now ranks No.3 in the world. Congratulations again Jason, we salute you.

View the complete list of all golf courses tournaments schedule for September 2015, GolfPH.com offers updated list of all golf courses’ events and tournaments all over the Philippines for the month of September 2015.

View the complete list of all golf courses tournaments schedule for October 2015, GolfPH.com offers updated list of all golf courses’ events and tournaments all over the Philippines for the month of October 2015.

Discover the most beautiful and finest golf courses in the “Land of the Ascending Dragon”.

GolfPH is inviting you to join the “2016 Vietnam Golf Trophy Amateur Event” .

• This tournament will held on February 21-26, 2016 in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.
• It will be a 6 day / 5 night event will include 3 rounds of golf at the best courses in Hanoi.
• You will have the ability to select your accommodations from variety 4 to 5 star luxury hotels guaranteeing flexibility for you and your golfing buddies.
• There are also amazing “add-ons” for optional tours that allow you to maximize your trip and make it into an exceptional vacation. Optional tours include, but aren’t limited to: Ha Long bay overnight cruise and gala dinner in an exotic cave in Ha Long Bay.
• This very exciting event is open to all golfers from around the world and you can also bring along your non-golfer loved ones with you, so they can experience the majestic wonders of Hanoi.

Here’s the schedule for the event:

There are only limited slots so please send us an email at concierge@golfph.com for any assistance and for the complete details of the event. You can also call us at: Trunkline (02) 832 8215 / (02) 357 6827 / Smart: 0939 926 6496 / Globe: 0915 694 1698 /Sun: 0923 637 4985 or you can drop by our office in Makati

Thank you so much!

View the complete list of all golf courses tournaments schedule for November and December 2015, GolfPH.com offers updated list of all golf courses’ events and tournaments all over the Philippines for the month of October 2015.

Every year, millions are spent by the top golf brands on modern technology to improve their golf equipment and enhance one’s golf game exponentially. Shoes that will have better grip, club heads that will help you connect with the ball, lighter shafts, better steel, tougher grip and balls with an interior core that will add distance to your swing. There are so many things that can contribute to getting a few extra yards out on the fairway and one of my favorite, yet overlooked piece of golf equipment is…

The tee.

Considering that we use the tee at the start of every hole, it’s actually a pretty important part of your round. But the real question that everyone has is… Can it really improve your game? Can it really add extra distance off the driver?

To be honest, I don’t know.

In fact, there are so many flaws in my swing that even if I were to hit several times off of each tee, I probably wouldn’t get the most consistent results.

But… since we are all amateurs here, I did my best job to see what’s out there in the market, took it for a spin at Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club and gave my opinions on what I liked.

Here’s our criteria for choosing the top 7 golf tees:

1. Can it be purchased locally here in the Philippines?
2. Is it accessible?
3. Is it affordable?
4. How’s the quality?
5. How’s the feel?

Here’s our Top 7 Golf Tees (in no particular order):

Option #1: Professional Golf Tees System 2.72

Description: Consistency is critical to your game of golf and this tee helps you ensure that. Similarly to the Pride Golf ProLength Tee that the majority of the PGA Tour players use. The  2.72 gives you the proper line measurements for the tee and ensures that you will line up your shot with the perfect height every time. This pack comes in 80 and is created from environmentally friendly wood.

Pros: Aerodynamically designed. Low resistance tips to create less friction between the tee and your ball. Also, there are tee height marks which allow you to set up to the exact height every time.

Cons: Since this is made of wood, it most likely will break more often than some of the other tees listed in this article.

Review: Like the description says, consistency is crucial and just a few millimeters in height difference can result in a much different shot result. I really like these tees because I know that even though my swing isn’t consistent, my golf ball will be… and that’s one less thing that I have to worry about. Overall, I would recommend this.

Cost: It’s on sale right now for only P469, which is 50% off it’s retail price. Coming in at just under 6PHP per tee, it’s really a small price to play to add consistency to your game.

Get the Professional Golf Tees System 2.72 Here

Option #2: Professional Frictionless Golf Tees

Description: A uniquely designed head plastic tee that is available in the color wheat.

Pros: Lightweight with a 5-prong top that reduces the contact between the tee and the ball. It is made of plastic, so the tees will last longer. The tees are also pretty cheap for a plastic tee at only 6 php each.

Cons: The tee isn’t that tall, so you are restricted to using it mainly for long irons or if you are very accurate with your driver. Not as strong as other plastic tees.

Review: Overall, these tee’s are a great bang for the buck. My only complaint is that they’re a bit shorter than I would like. I usually tee my ball a bit higher than standard, so these tees wouldn’t be for me. I also had a few of these break on me, which shows that they are not as durable as some of the other plastic tees.

However, considering that the price of these tees go for around the same as the wooden ones, you won’t go wrong. I would recommend this.

Cost: It’s on sale right now for about 6PHP per tee at 50%, which is a great price.

Get the Professional Frictionless Golf Tees Here

Option #3: Castle Tee Height Control Step Down Tees

Description: Improve your shot by having a consistent height of 38mm every time. These tee’s are plastic, super durable and easy to carry.

Pros: Plastic is great because it probably won’t break. You can use these tees for a long time. The tees have a height control with the bottom ledge which means you will be more consistent with your tee shots. Fun colors!

Cons: You will be restricted to only one height 38mm. Can only use this for driving, not irons. Will need to hold a separate tee for the iron shots.

Review: I am a little bit biased because before this review, i’ve actually been using this tee for the past few years. I bought a bag of these at the Navy golf club driving range several years ago and they don’t ever break. I like the preset height because it matches me perfectly. Only downside is that I have to carry another shorter tee around with me for the par 3’s. Overall, I would still recommend this tee.

Cost: At almost 15php per tee, it is definitely a bit more expensive than some of the others, even with the 50%. However, 15php is not that much considering this tee will probably last you a couple of rounds is you don’t lose it.

Get the Castle Tee Height Control Step Down Tees Here

Option #4: Wedge Professional Tee Training System

Description: Uniquely wedge shaped plastic tees that are designed to help train the beginning golfer.

Pros: The tees are easy to set up with their triangular shaped design and long with total length of 72mm. It’s also very durable and are hard to break. They come in multiple colors and won’t easily tip with a nice large opening for ball placement.

Cons: Can be tougher to insert in dry tee boxes and tough grass. Ball rolls off easily if the tee is not inserted perfectly straight.

Review: These tee’s are very similar to the Callaway Eterni-Tees. I like these better though. The problem with the Eterni-Tee’s is that the teeth break. These tees don’t have teeth, but instead a round circle to fit the ball.

So far, I have still yet to break one.  The downside is that the ball can slip out at times. Overall, I think these tees are a great alternative to you usual and I would highly recommend them.

Cost: This tee is currently 50% off at just over 12 php per tee. It’s mid priced and will last you a really long time.

Get the Wedge Professional Golf Tee Here

Option #5: Anti Slice Tee Nails

Description: You probably have never seen a tee like this before. It has a Hemisphere shaped design which is supposed to help your cure your slice. It’s also made out of plastic which is supposed to make it more durable.

Pros: Unique design. Made out of plastic. Is supposed to help you fix your slice off the tee.

Cons: The height of the tee is limited and a bit short, so you will need to adapt your swing if you will be using the driver. It also has an unproven unconventional design that could affect how you normally hit your shot.

Review: These tees were a bit of a disappointment. It didnt cure our slices, even when we tried to exaggerate them. These tees actually broke a lot quicker than we expected (every 1-2 holes), which makes it an expensive choice. Overall, I would not recommend these tees.

Cost: At just under 12 php per tee, this is a mid priced plastic tee at 50% off. Keep in mind that they break pretty often so overall, it makes it an expensive tee.

Get the Anti Slice Tee’s Here

Option #6: Golf Brush Tee

Description: Short color tees with a brush like top. Supposed to allow optimal face impact on the club.

Pros: This is yet another very unique tee mainly used for creating a consistent lie on the grass before you tee off. It has a variety of color options and is made out of a decent quality plastic. Perfect for playing at short par 3 type of golf courses like at the Army Golf Club. It’s also supposed to provide more distance by providing less friction.

Cons: Very hard to place ball on the tee. The tee is very short and may be limited for only use with long irons. It’s expensive.

Review: My biggest complaint is that it takes about 3x longer to put your ball on the tee, which would also annoy your flight mates. Especially when there is wind. Overall, it was a disappointment. Would not recommend.

Cost: Almost 117PHP per tee, making it the most expensive tee on our list.

Get the Golf Brush Tee Here

Option #7: Rubber Cover Plastic Golf Tee

Description: Traditional look and design of your typical golf tee but with a rubber head cover to provide added protection when the tee is hit. The tee is made of plastic for extra durability. It’s also tall at 83 mm.

Pros: Tall height at 83mm. Very sturdy and will last you a long time. Proven technology shape and design. Bigger cup to hold your ball easier. Can be used for drives and irons.

Cons: The biggest con has got to be the price. At almost 100 pesos per tee, it makes this one of the pricier tees on our list. Also, the tee can get bent (minimal) after a few hits (6-8 drives).

Review: You can’t go wrong with these tees. If you buy a bag of these (5 pieces), it’ll probably last you several rounds a piece and that’s no exaggeration. I love how the height is adjustable and that I only need to carry one tee in my pocket. Overall, I would recommend these tees.

Cost: These tees cost about 94 pesos a piece. For a bag of 5, that is only P464, which ain’t too bad.

Get the Rubber Cover Plastic Golf Tee Here

Bonus #1: Sexy Bikini Hot Woman Golf Tees

Description:  There’s nothing better than having a few laughs on the golf course.  This is a  unique tee that will surely get peoples attention.

Pros: Tall height at 80mm. Made out of plastic so it will last a few beatings. Unique design that will get you a lot of laughs. It’s Fun!

Cons: Can only use it for drives, not irons. Might make you nervous because suddenly all of your friends will be paying attention to your drives.

Review: Not sure if this will get you a few extra yards but it will be a hit around the course. Do I recommend this… of course!

Cost: P406 for a 6 pack

Get the Sexy Bikini Hot Woman Golf Tee Here

Bonus #2: Nude Lady Golf Tee

Description: Even better than the last one. Imagine taking this tee out of your bag and setting it up before you drive. What would your friends say?

Pros: Fun, Unique Design. Very durable and can be smacked around a few times. Long legs can also be used as a divot tool

Cons: Everyone will want to hit off of it. Might not improve your game. Might offend the ladies in your group

Review: Overall, this is a fun tee to bust out when you are with the guys. It might not add a few yards to your swing, but it does it’s part and will hold the golf ball up. Overall, I would recommend this.

Cost: P438 for a pack of 10

Get the Nude Lady Golf Tee Here
This is a great list of options that are locally sold here. Choosing the right tee is more about the feel, than the design so I recommend that you choose a few to pick up a try them out.

Got any tees that we missed?

We want to know. Share with us what you use, your favorite tees and where to get them in the comment section below.

October 24, 2015 marks the entrance of one of the finest premier Japanese golf brands to re-enter the Philippines market. This year, Asiatraders Corporation announced its partnership with Dynamic Sports (Empire Sports) as the new local authorized distributor of the prestigious Japanese golf brand, Honma. With this new partnership, Honma is hoping to give the brand a boost in the Philippine market and increase it’s distribution network.

Since 1959, Honma Golf Co., Ltd. has been the leading Japanese Golf Manufacturer and currently boasts its product line in over 45 countries worldwide. For over half a century, Honma has established its brand on the idea that golf is a game for the finest. In response to this idea it has created a line of true “art”, created by the highly skilled craftsmen residing from a the small town of Sakata, which is in the northern part of Japan. Not many have ever graced the opportunity to visit Sakata, nor do they even know that this is home to Honma.

For 56 years, the brand has focused on innovation, product development, and passion in its pursuit to create “the perfect club.” This idea is one that cannot be compromised and requires a true dedication to creating clubs that integrate art with innovation therefore allowing every player to experience enhanced distance, direction and precision unmatched by any other club.

The founders of this brand started with a passion and a dream revolving around their love of golf. Asiatraders’ has announced its shared dream at this year’s GDAP 2015 Golf Expo held at the SMX Center Mall of Asia. We received a personal invitation from the Marketing Manager of Asiatraders Corp, Hector Aquino, who leads the company’s marketing division for all of its brands like Dunlop, Slazenger, Ogio and Carlton as well as others. The launch event introduced the visiting marketing team from Honma Japan as well as an introduction of the new relationship.

The booth was surrounded by media, like us, who joined in the excitement of the prestigious brand now available in the Philippines.

A prayer, an introduction, and a vision were all shared that day with other marketing, industry related professionals and guests.

After the announcement, Asiatraders’ provided free food and drinks for its guests and generously made its rounds to make sure each of us were welcomed at the event. The vision of Asiatraders’ is “to provide quality products to support the needs of young individuals, while continuously promoting a healthy lifestyle, camaraderie, and love for sports by actively participating in various tournaments, and fun game activities across the country.”

You can find the latest Honma products at: Empire Sports SM Aura, Empire Sports SM Mega Mall, Empire Sports City Golf Driving Range, Empire Sports Erechem, and Empire Sports Ayala Cebu.

Treat yourself. Take a break from the madness and heat of Manila. Go to Uniqlo and buy yourself a long sleeve sweatshirt with some long-johns.

If you were to interview 100 people from all over the world, what 3 words come to mind when they think about Christmas, some of the top would probably be “Family, Food and Winter.” Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, we can only really experience 2 of those 3 things, but this year you can get close! Visit Baguio.

Baguio City, the Summer Capital of the Philippines, is undeniably one of the top favorite travel destinations in the Philippines. Anytime of the year is always a good time to visit this city. Visiting Baguio during the yuletide season is probably the best since it’s the time of the year where Filipino families get the chance to enjoy the cold weather, celebrate the holidays and have get togethers for reunions. Yup, you will get a chance to “feel” like Christmas.

Even better, why not include a couple of rounds of golf the next time you visit the City of Pines? Play a round at Camp John Hay Golf Club, an 18-hole championship course designed by the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus. What would it be like to play in cool a cool breezy temperature like the guys you see on tv? Let’s find out.

You can tee off early, so you can get back in time to eat breakfast at the famous “Café by the Ruins” restaurant where you will feel the beauty of a relaxing ambiance, freshly baked breads (try the Kamote, it’s a must) and generous portions. Their coffee is excellent as well.

For lunch, take in the views at the “Hill Station” restaurant, which has a great bookshop attached to it. All the food is prepared by the acclaimed, Chef Aklay. Try their Chicken Galantine Salad and Pork Cordon Bleu with sweet potato chilli croquettes. Try their Death by chocolate cake served in the Bistro. Yum!

Or if you don’t feel like something so fancy, try the famous unique Balbacua beef stew dish served for 50PHP at the “Balbacua by Urban Camote” at the lli Likha Artist Village. It’s the newest food community and this 6 hour slow-cooked stew is served with love over a huge amount of rice or noodles.

For dinner, there are so many choices. It’s very hard, but for Christmas, skip the cooking and the mess, but don’t miss out on the variety. Take a visit to an 8-course degustation meal made up of freshly baked goods, Chef Vicky Tinio ads adds amazing selections of chicken liver pate, amuse bouch, seafood, and meats. This can be experienced at “Mama’s Table.”

Honestly, there is so much to do. Experience nature, food, cold weather, family-togetherness, golf, and the ability to just do something DIFFERENT this year.

GolfPH is offering you the “Christmas Holiday in Baguio” package. This package would let you experience a world-class golf course and be able to relax all at the same time.

This package offers a one of a kind experience to the golfers and to their companions as well. This is consists of a unique itinerary unlike any other. You’ll get great service by a well-trained tour guides, exquisite entertainment and a chance to experience the delectable cuisine that Baguio has to offer.

Below are the proposed itineraries:

Itinerary

Tour package Inclusions

• 3 Night Hotel accommodations at choice of hotels
  • AIM Igorot Lodge
  • Villa Cordillera
  • Iggy’s Inn
• 2 Rounds of Golf green fees and twin sharing carts.
• Round trip Land transportation from Manila to Baguio
• Golf course transfers to and from the course
• Food and meals as stated in the itinerary

Price

• ₱22,000 (USD$468.60) per person
• Minimum 4 pax
• Special offer is only available until 1/31/16

Additional Requests

• Premium Accommodations (upgrade) can be made upon request – please contact us for custom pricing.
• Special Discounted pricing for non golfers
• Special City Tours are available upon request

For more information, kindly send us an email at admin@golfph.com

Thank you!

Join the 1st Fr. Horacio Rodriguez Cup this upcoming Monday, November 16, 2015 at the Ayala Alabang Golf and Country Club!

This fundraising event is hosted by Colegio San Agustin Makati Batch ’91 in partnership with Globe Tattoo and part of the proceeds will be donated to the Foundation for the Advancement of Surgical Education (FASE) of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

For inquiries, please call Art Gamban at 0917-8135066.

While I have been to Jakarta over 30 times in my previous work, but unfortunately golf was never a prerequisite for the job. That is why I was thrilled to hear that the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia was hosting a Golf Indonesia Familiarization Trip program in Jakarta-Bogor and we were invited.

Prior to this trip, GolfPH had already made partnerships with a few Indonesian golf courses and tour providers to create pretty affordable golf packages to Indonesia. However, because we never actually experienced it firsthand, we were always hesitant to promote them as an elite golf tourism destination. Until now…

The 2015 Wonderful Indonesia Golf FAMTRIP

On November 8-11, 2015, the GolfPH team had the honor of being one of the representatives from the Philippines. The purpose of this trip was for the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia to showcase Indonesia as a popular golf tourism destination with 55 golf courses registered as members of the Indonesia Golf Courses Association. In addition to these lovely golf courses, Indonesia also has dynamic city life, temples and lovely beaches.

Team Manila with Errol, Maripaz from GolfHolidays, our lovely host Merry and me on the right

The trip started on Sunday evening November 8, 2015 with a welcome dinner that was simply amazing. The venue Dapur Babah is a beautifully designed atmosphere highlighting Indonesia culture and design and Peranakan/Babah cuisine, which highlights the countries influences of Indonesia, Chinese and Dutch.

The evening was the perfect icebreaker for old friends meeting new friends and enjoying a lovely evening of food and drinks.

Group Pic at Dapur Babah

After dinner, we retired back to the new JS Luwansa hotel located in Jakarta’s Kuningan district in the south. The 244 well equipped room hotel and convention center is one of the best locations for both work and golf trips. The facilities are also top class with a sparkling infinity pool, fitness center and spa on the mezzaine floor and a good selection of restaurants covering Japanese, to BBQ, to local cuisines. The JS Luwansa was also the hotel of choice by the players, professionals and delegates of the Indonesian Masters.

The Luxurious JS Luwansa Hotel

The next morning started early as we headed to Royale Jakarta Golf Club, one of the newest and premier golf courses in Asia, designed by Bob Moore Jr. & JMP Group. There are 27 challenging holes with stunning visual scenery filled with expansive greens and highlights of exotic plants and calming water elements.

Once we arrived, we made a quick stop to the well stocked Pro Shop to load up on balls, tees and a last minute hat. The locker room downstairs was well designed, maintained and even had those fancy individual RFID cards to get in. After changing into our gear, we headed up to the cart parking lot and took a nice group picture with the gorgeous view behind us.

We then broke into our flights and headed out onto the course, eager to get to know each other better and enjoy a lovely day of golf. The course itself is quite difficult with sand traps aplenty and we certainly got our practice chipping out of them!

The weather cooperated wonderfully and while it did get a bit hotter on the back 9, the every attentive and colourfully dressed caddies were always present with our GolfPH umbrellas.

Ms. Vu from Vietnam Golf Magazine and her matching Caddies

After completing our round of golf at Royale, we headed back to the locker room with their unique combination lock/card system to get our towels and head for a hot shower.

The GM George Chandra hosted us for a nice buffet lunch where we dined with great view and compared our scores and favorite holes.

Errol, George Chandra – GM of Royale Jakarta, and Yours Truly

From Left to Right: Me, Our Royale Jakarta Host, Errol, Tom from Asian Golf Solutions in Thailand, Merry from OB Golf Indonesia, Candra from PSD Travel Cambodia, and our gracious event host Santi from Golf Wonderful Indonesia

In the evening, we were treated to another Indonesia delicacy of roast duck at the uniquely named Bebek Bengil, or Dirty Duck Diner! We had a nice long table covered with appetizers and we each got our own half roasted duck.

The skin was crispy and flavorful while the meat had great texture and taste. We washed it all down with the ubiquitous Indonesia beer Bintan and enjoyed a fun evening together.

Hanging out with the Malaysian Party Crew in the Back.. Saiful from BestStar Travel, Brian from MyGolf, and Raja from Golf Magazine

The next morning hour long journey had us in a totally different environment in mountains of Bogor Raya. The weather was much cooler and the beautifully designed resort of Klub Golf Bogor Raya welcomed us with elements of Balianese design and immaculately manicured lawns and landscaping.

This 18 hole 71 par course covers a total land area of over 64 hectares and was designed by a well known Golf Course Architect from Australia Mr. Graham V. Marsh. The expansive and luxurious locker rooms are certainly a highlight and have been featured in top 10 lists of golf courses around the world!

Upon changing, we headed off with new flight-mates into the rustic yet elegant golf course.

The fierce competitors Jacqueline from SPH Golf Singapore and George from Golf Vacations Thailand

This course had much more contour than the Royale Jakarta course so we spent much of the day on difficult terrain and lies.

We completed the course just as it started to warm up but with the cool mountain breeze, that helped maintain our comfort through the 18 holes.

My man Sylvester (Stalone) from Cambodia Golf Today Magazine, Errol, Saiful, and Dody from the Minstry of Tourism Indonesia

After returning to the locker room and enjoying a unique outdoor shower experience overlooking the holes, we tucked into a nice buffet meal with local Indonesia delicacies. Everyone had a great time at Bagor Raya

The whole crew

As Bogor Raya is south of Jakarta, on the way back to the hotel, we were able to stop in the highlight of Jakarta tourism, the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. This 150 hectares tourism park showcases the different shape and building style of the 33 provinces of Indonesia and even has a lake with a miniature of the Indonesian archipelago, with the six zones of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua.

Everyone having fun at the city tour

In the evening, our gracious hosts took us out to one of Jakarta’s hottest rooftop establishment called Skye Bar & Restaurant, which was developed by the experienced local Ismaya Group. The skyline panorama was stunning and the cool cocktails were a welcome refreshment before dinner. The Skye restaurant has an extensive menu with cuisine inspired by Latin Hispanic, Middle-Eastern and Asian countries. I settled on the lamb selection which was absolutely as delicious as it was beautifully visually presented. The evening was a blast in the lounge style restaurant with chill music and good company.

The last course Damai Indah Golf is located along the Java Sea coastline and was a beauty.

It was also a perfect location for a few of our fellow visitors with earlier flights, as it is quite near the airport located in the North of Jakarta. We checked into the locker rooms which were well equipped and head out on our last round of golf for the trip.

The caddies at the Pantal Indah Kapuk (PIK) course were decked out in colorful and playful almost court jester type outfits and provided both wise club selection advice and great service. This 6048-meter and 72-par golf course is designed to showcase the natural beauty of the coastal wetlands and numerous winding streams and ponds.

This course was the only one in which I “donated” quite a number of balls into the water hazards!

We ended the round and the trip with a friendly competition between new friends from across the region, brought together by the enchanting golf courses and legendary hospitality of Indonesia.

After shooting a combined 22 at the final par 4 of the trip

Although this trip was short, it was an ‘wonderful’ experience. Besides being able to play at 3 world class golf courses, we got to meet some pretty amazing people from different parts of South East Asia. We also learned a lot too because every person was willing to share their experiences and give their tips on how we can work collectively to help each other out. Thanks for the advice.

We would also like to give our thanks once again to the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism for inviting us and giving us the opportunity to visit your beautiful country. Overall, we were very impressed and will surely be back.

Last, we would like to thank Merry, Santi and the Golf Wonderful Indonesia team. You guys were the perfect hosts and were very hospitable from start to finish. Without you guys, this trip wouldn’t have been the same and thank you for making this our best FAM trip experience ever.

Everyone else, start marking your calendars and look out for Indonesia Outbound Golf Packages because they’re coming your way really soon.

For any inquires about planning a golf trip to Indonesia, please email admin@golfph.com. Thanks =)