Philippines
One of many friendly faces you will encounter in the Philippines.
If you are ever fortunate enough to visit the Philippines, do more than merely bring your golf clubs; prepare to leave your troubles back home. This is a nation that moves slowly and is completely content at that pace. It is well-deserving of its moniker, “Where Asia Smiles.” The Filipino ideal also manifests on the golf course in the form of exceptional, friendly service and a relaxed pace. Caddies are compulsory on most courses, and the loopers are chipper and eager to assist with any aspect of your game (even the mental game, should you need a pep talk). If rain rolls in and threatens your round, some courses offer “umbrella girls” for rental. Also impossibly friendly, these ladies do nothing more than hold a large golf umbrella over your head from the moment you leave your cart. This kind of pampering will be tough to live without when you return home. In fact, by the time your return flight is scheduled to depart, it’s highly likely that you won’t want to get on board—
but you will. (Remember, Magellan did not have this luxury.) In the meantime, here are a few of the many islands worth visiting, along with some enticing golf options that will quell your fix for Filipino fairways.
An umbrella girl at work at Alta Vista.
What’s a jeepney, and how did it get that name? After World War II, U.S. forces elected to leave behind hundreds of Army jeeps in Manila rather than ship them home. The locals, looking for a way to put the vehicles to use while also eliminating the painful memories of war, painted them flashy colors and used them for public transportation. Today, anyone can hop into a jeepney for just a few pesos. The name “jeepney” is actually an abbreviation. While Americans might commonly call their significant other “hon,” short for “honey,” the Filipinos went the other way, dropping the first letters while keeping the “ney.” Its literal translation is “sweet jeep.” 58
aagolf.com
SPRING 2008
Photos on toP by mark edward harris; jeePney Photo by regina banda
without being greeted by a smiling face. This does not apply only to tourists. Filipinos commonly grin and greet passersby in a fashion usually reserved in the United States for college campuses and the most rural of towns.