GOLFING IN CEBU

Golfing is taken seriously by the Cebuano elite. Tournaments are frequent and prizes are lavish. For instance, a recent hole-in-one prize was a Chevrolet mid-size sedan plus US $4,000 in cash.

There are six 18-hole golf courses in Cebu. Two in the city, and three in the remoter parts of the island. Cebu Business Park used to be a golf course, but has since become the central business district, encompassing a mall and office center. ~~However, a floodlit driving range survives, the Power Drive Driving Range, right next to the Ayala Center.~~ The driving range in Ayala has long closed, but there is a new Korean-owned driving range along A.S. Fortuna.

The most famous golf course in Cebu is Cebu Country Club, conveniently located in Banilad, which was founded in 1928. USGA rules apply unless modified by a local rule. Marcos-era architecture abounds. The other one in the city is the newer Alta Vista, founded in 1997, about an hour's drive south from Fuente.

A new golf course with a considerably less uptight atmosphere and lower green fees is the Mactan Coral Golf Club. It has a small driving range.

A convenient drive from the city is Club Filipino Inc. De Cebu, in Pulangyuta, on the outskirts of Danao City. The access road from the coastal highway is pretty bad, so you'd better leave your Porsche in the garage.

There's a rather charming course far in the north, near Bogo, 3-4 hours from Cebu, called Mercedes, and another less charming one way in the south, the Cebu International Golf & Country Club, which caters mostly to Japanese visitors; Japan Golf Association rules apply unless modified by local rules. The CIGCB is also referred to as Green Island or Badian International.

If you are a golfer, you'll appreciate the golf column which regularly appears in the SunStar, Cebu's leading daily.

GOLF COURSE DATA

POWER DRIVE DRIVING RANGE

LOCATION Cebu Business Park, Cebu City

PHONE/FAX NONE

OPENING HOURS 06:00-10:00, 17:30-22:00 on weekdays. 06:00 - 22:00 on Saturdays, 06:00 - 21:00 on Sundays.

FEES P15 / 25 balls, P20 / 25 balls after dark.

CEBU COUNTRY CLUB

LOCATION Arch Reyes Ave, Banilad, Cebu City

PHONE/FAX +63-32-231-0345/+63-32-231-4096

GREEN FEES PhP 2,850 on weekdays, 4,350 on weekends.

RENTAL FEES Umbrella Carrier Fees, P200; Golf Set P400; Golf Shoes, 250; Golf Cart, 1000

TEE-OFF TIMES 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM onwards

REMARKS No tee-off time reservations for non-members. Members will always have priority for tee-off times. No non-playing guests are allowed in clubhouse.

COURSE DATA

HOLE BLUE T WHITE T HDCP/M PAR RED T HDCP/L

1 390 375 11 4 361 13

2 510 498 1 5 337 1

3 175 165 17 3 160 17

4 371 363 7 4 351 7

5 156 152 15 3 127 15

6 311 300 5 4 292 3

7 524 482 3 5 450 5

8 424 374 13 4 305 11

OUT 3245 3085 36 2688

10 344 329 10 4 325 6

11 513 503 2 5 460 2

12 413 407 12 4 326 8

13 197 191 18 3 152 16

14 354 335 8 4 323 14

15 192 165 16 3 149 18

16 529 495 4 5 430 4

17 393 363 14 4 343 10

18 366 360 6 4 297 12

IN 3301 3148 36 2805

TOTAL 6546 6233 72 5493

ALTA VISTA

LOCATION Pardo, Cebu

PHONE +63-32-272-7971

CEBU INTERNATIONAL GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

LOCATION Lumbug, Badian, Cebu

PHONE +63-32-422-5791

COURSE DATA

HOLE HDCP PAR MEN LADIES

1 18 4 320 270

2 7 3 184 156

3 9 5 528 446

4 3 4 444 324

5 15 3 172 112

6 11 4 278 258

7 4 5 558 494

8 5 5 496 474

9 1 4 434 421

OUT 37 3410 2955

10 13 4 344 300

11 14 4 338 210

12 16 3 131 118

13 17 4 338 324

14 8 4 338 248

15 2 5 528 448

16 10 3 182 146

17 12 4 404 366

18 6 4 364 276

IN 35 2967 2436

TOTAL 72 6377 5391

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BALL COLLECTION AT POWER DRIVE

CEBU COUNTRY CLUB