Ah time flies so fast. It's already been more than 4 years since I first stepped inside a golf course. Seems like my job has some sort of travel perks after all. Haha. Let me tell you how and why I was able to get in even if I didn't play or swing anything.
First I just want to say I've never been into any kind of sports. When I was younger and even now during the pandemic I only use a bicycle from time to time. The rest of my sporty activity revolves around biking and then sometimes walking a lot, that's it!
Even when Tiger Woods was really famous I never understood the hype about golf at all. The only time I got involved in such a sport was while playing on some console game as a child. Still it was meh. It was something to play a few times and then move on to other games. But of course I'm still curious about it.
Fast forward to 2017 and I had the opportunity to get inside a golf course for the very first time!!! Back then I had the impression that it was a place where celebrities and big shots would play. Didn't see one when I was in there though. 😅
What's Up With Golf Anyway?
Before getting there, all I knew about this sport was that mostly rich people play it. You need to swing a club and hit a small ball that should go into a hole across some grassy fields and other terrains. Man, I'd rather play pool instead. 🤭 Anyway here's some info for you.
Short History of Golf in the Philippines
On Wikipedia it states that golf is an old sport that dates back supposedly to the Middle Ages. It's said to have gained popularity during the 19th century.
Well how did Filipinos learn about this game? According to an article in the Philippine Star, British expats of the Manila Railway Corp. introduced it in Manila in 1886. They built a 3-hole golf course in Intramuros ("the walled city") which then became a 9-hole course by 1901. Eventually Manila Golf Club was formed.
Unfortunately it was exclusive for colonialists until 1928 when an American urged the members to let a Filipino play in The Philippine Open. Larry Montes eventually won but was still discriminated against. Another golf club was created by an American because of that incident and I guess from then on, the rest is history! 😁
But wait, there's some more! In Visayas, another club was created in 1907 by other British and Scottish expats of the same company. Originally just a 9-hole course, it became 18-hole and is now known as the oldest golf course in the country. You can find it in the province of Iloilo.
However it's not really a popular sport for the masses at all. Of course there are still a sizable number of players even if it's not a favorite.
Two Important Golf Terms for Newbies
I know ordinary folks like me don't know much about certain terms used so let me share two of what I learned.
1. Driving Range
Do you know what the place for practicing golf swings and hitting golf balls is called? That's what a driving range is. Perfect place to also learn how to hit your targets and such.
To the uninitiated it may look like it's just a covered walkway. I mean, look at it. Haha. But of course since you can't hear the balls being hit and see the people swinging their clubs it does look ordinary.
Here's the only video clip I have of PAGC.
I wasn't really able to explore PAGC that much as I was stuck manning the booth. Didn't think of really walking around and exploring the place. Hey I didn't want to be hit by any of the golf balls. How should I know where else to go around the place, there wasn't any tour or anything. 😅
Anyway I did notice the driving range was always full of people. I was there from past lunchtime until early evening and saw various men, women and teens playing for hours. I could see some of them were wiping their sweat and such too. Haha. It was a windy day, not hot at all but refreshing and yet they were sweating.
Watching them for hours, I can say practicing golf can be a good exercise too. 👍
2. Golf Stroke
Out of curiosity, when I got home I did some online research about golfing. I can definitely say if you're interested to play this sport, the stroke is the most important thing you need to learn. All you have to focus on is the target, hitting and swinging plus using a circular rotation.
What I found out then and now is still the same. Aside from having the right posture, learn to do golf strokes (or swings) well.
Let me share an instructional video on how to hit the perfect drive by Rory McIlroy. He's a former world No.1 in world golf ranking whom Yuka Saso studied to become a champion. (She's the 2021 US Women's Open winner by the way and a Fil-Jap, thus the last name sounds Japanese. She's also going to play in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics! Pinoy represent!)
I'd say, if you want to study more about this sport, find a reputable and professional player and study how they do it. For example, you can watch this YouTube video for a sort of technical look on how Bianca Pagdanganan does it. (She's a Fil-Am and a 2018 Asian Games Gold medalist, also playing in Tokyo 2020 Olympics with Saso!) But of course it wouldn't hurt to have a certified coach as well.
After watching basic instructional videos from pro golf players, I realized those practicing in the driving range wasn't doing them right. Somehow my final verdict back then was everyone there was not swinging the right way. 😂 Then again what do I know, I was just watching them.
How I Got Into A Golf Course for the First Time!
It's always exciting for me to travel and go to places I've never been before, especially places I am unfamiliar with. It gives me a sense of satisfaction once I've finally been there.
At the time I was working directly for a certain top developer. One day we were informed by our manager that our team was given a slot to man The Residences at The Westin Manila Sonata Place booth there. (A Westin branded luxury and wellness condominium in Ortigas Center.) It was so we could offer the property to any of the golfers who might be interested. Oh wow. Imagine how happily surprised I was! I have never been inside a golf course until 4 years ago, ever.
Not that it was on my bucket list but hey, there's always a 1st time for everything right? I didn't have any reason to get in one before because I don't even get why people love the sport. 😅 I'm just not a fan of it at all. But of course it wouldn't be bad if I went and saw what's inside. Who was I to not go there even if it was too far from where I live? 😆
About the Philippine Army Gold Course (PAGC)
A quick online search would tell you this was called Kagitingan Executive Golf Course (Kagitingan = Valour or Bravery) before they changed the name to the current one. Sometimes it is called Kagitingan Golf Course or just Army Golf Course. However you want to call it, it's just one and the same.
It's a public golf course so it's open to anyone. Not only can army personnel play and unwind at PAGC but even civilians like you and me can enjoy the place too. Apparently it's also best for newbies. Of course since it's the nearest public course to Makati City (where the major central business district is), I'm sure various businessmen would go there when in need of a break. For an affordable fee you can play a quick 9 hole game as well.
My First Impression of PAGC
On Saturday, January 21, 2017, I rode several public transportations to get to PAGC in Taguig City. Thanks to my teammates I was able to find it without a hitch. It was my first time to go there so I wasn't familiar with the area at all. Didn't use any taxi and such because it would take too long to get there due to the traffic.
At the time no jeepneys were passing Bayani Road so I walked a little bit from the nearest drop off point before I got to the place. (Not sure if there's one now since I haven't gone back there since then.) I asked some people around where it was and then I saw it too.
Not sure what I was expecting but I was somewhat unimpressed. I thought it would look posh or whatever but it looked like an ordinary place to me. 😅 See I didn't even take a picture of the entrance because I thought I might be lost or something except for the small signage.
The updated image in Google Maps captured in Oct 2019 doesn't even have the small sign anymore. Oh well. But of course once you get inside and find the lobby you might finally change your mind. Especially if you're a nature lover and enjoy seeing plants, ah what a place to be in.
What's Inside PAGC
Since I wasn't really able to explore the place because I'm not a golfer, I can only show you a few more pictures. When we were there, we found out there was a tournament early that morning thus the welcome banner.
There were also some people playing in the area shown above. I don't know much about golf so all I can see are the grass. Haha.
It's actually a long stretch of green and if you go to the farthest point of the driving range you will see this area.
Can you see the high nets? (It was getting dark so my phone camera couldn't seem to catch all the light.) Of course they should have that to prevent flying golf balls from getting lost, etc Lol.
Turning to the right of the nets this is the view:
That's the driving range from the "front". As you can see the people aren't so noticeable since everything is so refreshing and green. You can also see the white golf balls on the grass. Actually I saw ball pickers there but I didn't take a picture or video of them. I did have fun watching them as they all had big protectors on their backs. For sure that's so they won't get hit by any stray shots while picking up the balls.
In total it was just another day at work for me. Didn't have much fun there but it was okay. At least I saw things I've never seen before.
After everything I've learned I still don't want to play it. 😅 How about you? Do you like golf and can you play it well too? Are you going to watch the golf tournaments during Tokyo Olympics? I know I won't but hey I'll watch some winning clips maybe.
XOXO,
P. S. This is an updated and more detailed version of an old blog I had of the same topic thus most of the pictures I used are the same. :) I use Artgirl as my username in other writing sites.
(Lead/header image from Pixabay)
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I've never been sporty but I find golf not as appealing as the other sports. A churchmate who experienced it said it was fun. We only say that it's not because we haven't experienced it. E di siya na haha!