It seems like a universe yet to explored. You know they exist but you haven’t explored them. Its views are breath taking; its aura nostalgic. And sinking the championship putt is an imagination away. Every yard is a test but the memories that you have after you leaved will be among your best.

Though it may not be one of the premiere sports in the country, golf courses are scattered through the archipelago. They offer yards of championship-caliber golf courses that were designed by some of the best that have embraced the game. And because only a few Filipinos play in them, its beauty has been well preserved throughout the years. It’s for you to explore the wonders of our golf grounds. It is a haven at par with golf courses in Europe and the United States.

It’s hard to determine which Philippine golf course is the best for they have their own unique facets that makes them a good pick for a week-end tee fest with your old buddies. Yet, you can handpick a few great courses among them. I

n Metro Manila alone, there are still a few courses left for play. Some of them are for members use only while some are open to the public. In terms of accessibility and visibility, nothing beats the Veterans Golf Course in Mindanao Avenue, Quezon City.

Built inside the compound of the Veterans Hospital, this course is convenient if you cannot spend a day out of the metropolis. The 18-hole, par 72 course boasts of its tight fairways and small greens. Sturdy Kakawate trees line many of its fairways up. Though it is easily accessible, you might not want to hear the honking of automobiles and jeepneys since the course and the main thoroughfares in Quezon City are only separated by grilled fences. And as you know, concentration is everything in golf.

If that’s a big minus to the Veterans Golf Course, there are still other so-called “military courses” waiting for you. Nearest to Veterans is the Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club located of course inside Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Its fairways are wider as compared to that of Veterans so you don’t have to be an expert sniper when playing this course. Although, bunkers and water hazards compensate for the short-distanced courses in Camp Aguinaldo. The front nine is tough due to water hazards that come to play in every hole. In the back nine, you have to bring out your accurate short drive game out. The course’s signature hole is the sixth one for it has an island green that requires a precise middle-iron shot off the tee.

Camp Aguinaldo is open to the public so you won’t have any problems about being alienated by members. As for its caliber, the club has produced the likes of Gerald Rosales, Jennifer Rosales and Ramon Brobio. Not bad for a public golf course, isn’t it?

If the camp’s golf course is whopping with whack masters, then you can try the Villamor Air Base golf course and the Philippine Navy Golf Club. Villamor could be the best course under Philippine conditions since the fairways are composed of indigenous carabao grass combined with imported zoysia grass. This course is the best example of how well-maintained local turf grasses could remain playable even after decades of wear and tear. Villamor is the most prestigious among the military courses and the only one that remains championship caliber in terms of its design. Built in the 1960s, the course now features several humps and bumps due to redesigning for an improved drainage of the flood prone course.

The high agoho trees are still present but a lot of concrete-lined, man-made lakes have been constructed to protect some of the holes and the make the courses tougher. Consistency is what you must have when you are playing in Villamor for you will be treated to combinations of world-class golf. Doglegs, elevated greens, tight fairways, name it and the course has it.

If you feel the need of a challenge, this is the course for you. Although, a lot of people play here mainly because of the toughness of the course. It would be advisable to call their office first to check out availability of the course.

If there are really no available slots though, the nearby Philippine Navy Golf Course is a happy fallback for golf enthusiasts. No other golf course in the metro has gone through more redesigning than this par 70, 18 hole, and 5022-yard course.

The whole course was built on gently rolling terrains and its design offers combinations of dog-leg and straightway holes that are bordered by Ipil trees.

Started as a nine-hole course in the 1980s, the course became a compact 18-hole field before expansion projects made it bigger and better. It is only a few minutes away from the Makati Business District, is open to the public and makes a distinction between Filipinos and foreigners in terms of playing fees.

But if you can really spare time and go out-of-town, golf courses outside Metro Manila is just as satisfying for you and for your swing.

Some of the best golf courses outside the metropolis are in the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal) area. Due to the availability of huge chunks of land in this area, setting foot on these spacious and scenic golf courses is a must for everyone who has held a golf club.

One of the best in this area is the Riviera Golf and Country Club in Silang, Cavite. Though it is a relatively young course, it is becoming to be one of the premiere tournament venues in the country having sponsored the Philippine Open in 2000 and 2004.

A few kilometers from Taal Volcano on the Aguinaldo Highway, the courses boasts of 36 holes of action and are covered with well-maintained Bermuda 419 fairways and Tif-dwarf greens.

None other than Masters Champions Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer designed the two courses. Langer’s 18 holes is much more open, has narrower landing areas and a great length off the tee shot would do you wonders. Also, the best approach angles are well protected. On the other hand, the Couples course is reminiscent of Hawaiian resort courses as tall palm trees and undulating greens dominate the place.

Since the courses have been layout on wide areas, strong prevailing winds are a big factor in terms of club selection and shot efficiency. There’s a good mix of direction though and rarely you will be facing consecutive courses playing into the wind.

If Cavite has the Riviera, Batangas has the Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City. Architect Michael Poellet’s design of three lovely, playable, all-weather nine hole courses looks as if it was a picturesque obra maestra of Fernando Amorsolo. With its rolling fairways accented by contoured bunkers and sneaky water hazards, Malarayat is one of the most photogenic courses you will see.

It is also the most weather resistant course in the country due to its wall-to-wall sand capping with ample catch basins. After heavy rains, the only thing that you will find in your shoes are raindrops. The greens have small openings and is usually surrounded by several bunkers or hazards, making a seemingly straightway course difficult. As an added twist, the three nine-hole courses are named after nearby mountains, Mount Lubo, Mount Malipunyo and Mount Makulot.

For Laguna, its strongest best would be the TAT Filipinas Golf Club. Formerly called Holiday Hills, this 18-hole, 7173-yard golf paradise was designed by famous Japanese Golf Architect Seichi Inoue and has hosted the Philippine Open Golf Championship in 1994. 3000 young ornamental plants and fruit trees were planted to add to the 1000 coconut trees and 200 bearing mango trees lining the fairways. Also, ponds and bunkers serve as obstacles to the greens, giving you the chance to really use all of your golf clubs. This course though is exclusive to members only and a member must accompany guests. As for Rizal, nothing beats the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City. Nestled at the foothills of Antipolo, it was the first golf course built east of Manila as it opened for operation in 1961. Another nine fields were made on the northern part of the land while the third nine was redesigned to have an 18-hole executive course.

The courses are a combination of uphill and downhill shots and are dominated by a combination of Tifton and Zoysia greens and carabao grass fairways. Its finishing holes are the toughest in the country. Valley can get hot during the summer but the shade from the trees makes it a great experience. Valley has maintained the ambiance of a country club although it has been around for half a century.

Outside Metro Manila and CALABARZON, there are still a few courses worth of praise. There’s the Baguio Country Club wherein the ambiance and nostalgic golf amidst the pine trees is second to none. Also, the Fort Ilocandia Golf and Country Club in Paoay, Ilocos Norte is worth mentioning. The course is just a stone throw away from the famous Paoay Lake with the green of hole 3 and the whole hole 4 placed beside the lake. This golf course is a few meters away from the Malacañang of the North. Fort Ilocandia was designed by golf great Gary Player.

The Peninsula Golf Club in Bataan is a great course as well. Carabao grass grows on wide and undulating fairways and you get a panoramic view of Manila Bay and the metropolis’ skyline on most of the elevated greens. On the west side of the course you will be spectacled by the majestic mountain ranges of the peninsula.

And for an unusual play of golf, the Wallace golf course in San Fernando, La Union and the Isabela Golf Club can give you that thanks to its sand greens that are a challenge for beginners and advance players alike.

Going South to the Visayas region, finding a great putt arena is not a waste of time. These courses are found in the Negros Island and will surely give tee players a superb run of their money.

The most amazing among these courses is the Bacolod Country Club. Designed by the great Celestino Tugot, this 18-hole, 6050-yard golf hotspot has tight fairways that require accurate iron shots. Located 600 feet above sea level though, prevailing winds is a big factor especially in the afternoon.

A drive towards Victorias City will bring you to the Victorias Golf and Country Club. Built in the land of the Victorias Milling Corporation, its challenging ravines and island greens compliment its narrow but majestic fairways. Built in the 1970s for the Victorias Milling Company, it was expanded in the 1990s as a difficult 18-holer.

Cross to neighboring Negros Oriental and you will be able to witness the Pamplona Plantation Golf Club in Tanjay. Constructed on a rolling terrain, greens are smaller in the back nine though fairways are wider in the front nine. Pocket landscaped areas break the green fairways and man-made lakes are present to increase difficulty.

There is one catch though, Bacolod and Pamplona are exclusively for members so if you’re a guest, better have a connection with a member. Victorias though is open to the public.

Hopping into the southern part of the country, Mindanao is a real promised land not just of its abundant natural resources but also due to its wondrous golf locations that combine wonderful landscape with top-notch golf.

Golf players will find Cagayan de Oro a great place to visit once they have embarked on the Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club. Nestling in a plateau 350 meters above the Cagayan de Oro sea level, each hole is beautifully crafted, accented by multiple bunkers and etched against lush vegetation and Tifton fairways.

What was one 80 hectares of rocky pastureland was converted by architect Robert Trent Jones to a golfer’s dream. The course’s signature spot is “Pretty Poison” located between the third and fourth holes.

Folks of Lanang in Davao City would definitely bragg the Lanang Country Club as one of the greatest courses in our country. And why wouldn’t they: a notable product of golf tourism efforts of the government in the 70s, the lush fairways are planted with coconut and hardwood trees giving the feeling as if the golf course was naturally there.

And last on the trip, the Zamboanga Golf and Country Club, the course, a combination of dog-legs and long par 4s, is a true gem with its difficult elevated greens protected by mighty acacia trees. Claimed to be the oldest golf course in the Philippines, the Zamboanga Golf and Country Club was built in 1911. None other than Brigadier-General John Pershing served as the first president of the golf club and no Filipino was allowed to play in its lush greens back then. It was only after World War II that Filipinos got to whack dented golf balls off tees in this golf course. It is now a public course managed by the Philippine Tourism Authority.

So there ends our wonderful trip among the wonderful and majestic golf courses throughout the country. Come visit them for a golfing experience you will never forget.