Location:This course is inside Fort Bonifacio across the Driving range beside the parade grounds. There is easy access from C5 and the South Super HiWay.
Features: It is a 9 hole course with different tee boxes for the second nine. It also has lights but they are not kept on every night. It’s a par 66 and the yardage is 4200 yards for the men and 3600 for ladies. The course is short and some par 4s are under 270 yards but the holes have big ponds and hazards forcing golfers to lay up. However, for a beginner, this is good because few beginners can hit drivers or three woods far enough to reach the green. However, because some of the par 3s have hard carries over water, then the beginner might even have to lay up on a par 3 unless you can afford to lose balls. Still, the course, overall is friendly and easy to walk and if the lights are on, you can play after work. There is not much traffic on the course so you will always see lots and lots of beginners practicing and hitting two or three balls on weekdays.
Amenities: There is, of course, a driving range and putting green but no real clubhouse, just a restaurant. The good thing is there are lots and lots of teaching pros around and the club is open to your having your teaching pro walk with you and teach you as you practice and play.
What You Need: Shots that can carry over hazards, ditches and bunkers. If you can’t make your ball fly and your shot just rolls along, then this “easyâ€
Here are suggestions for our golf beginners who are looking forward to play in their first fairway. Article by Dr. Vince Gomez.
In our first installment of Where to Play for the beginning golfer, we featured what we felt to be the easiest courses to play in Metro Manila, one in the North (Veteran’s) and one in the South (Philippine Navy). These courses allow one to practice everything from drives to pinpoint approaches to playing out of trouble to greens of varying difficulty, yet not frustrating the golfer too much (and not losing too many balls). For our next installment, we are featuring two courses that can be played relatively quickly, are located in the heart of the metropolis but are more challenging in that one’s game must include the ability to carry the ball over hazards and play to smaller greens. These are the two Army courses: Camp Aguinaldo along EDSA and Kagitingan located inside Fort Bonifacio.
AGUINALDO GOLF CLUB
Location: This is inside Camp Aguinaldo right on EDSA between Greenhills and Cubao. You enter through gate 6 on Santolan Ave. (Boni Serrano) and wind your way through the camp (unless they are on red alert).
Features: This is a tiny course that weaves around the homes, offices and buildings of Camp Aguinaldo. It may be short but almost all our local pros and superstars learned the game there. Most of the holes are par 3s which means there is a lot of waiting when the course is busy. All the par 5s are short and big hitters can get on them in two but the beginner will play it true to par. The fairways are very tight and separated by thin walls of trees that allow wayward shots to cross over easily so be on guard and keep your ears open for “FOREâ€
