| Manila Southwoods |
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| Address |
Southwoods, Cavite, Manila
www.manilasouthwoods.com |
| Course Information | |
| Designer | Jack Nicklaus |
| No. of Holes | 36 |
| Info | Legends
Course: 7,093 yards/Par 72 Masters Course: 7,225 yards/Par
72 |
| Course Transport | Walking or Golf Carts |
| Access | Private Member's Club; Member's + Guests Only. Visitors staying at the on-site hotel - Southwoods Manor - are also allowed to book. Other visitors are advised to call or email the club in advance as some tee times are usually made available for golfing tourists. |
| Getting There | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| The club is situated approximately 50km south of Makati City, Manila. If there's little traffic - which is extremely rare apart from on Sundays - then the taxi journey will take 30mins. It's a very good idea to allow at least one hour during the week; even more during the morning rush hour. Taxis: Manila's taxi drivers are generally open to negotiation when it comes to fares. A return journey to Southwoods should only cost 2,000 pesos (HK$330), possibly even less depending on your bargaining skills and their mood (generally very friendly). Drivers will be more inclined to give better prices when traffic is light. |
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| The Golf | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Both courses lie on generally flat-to- rolling terrain, and both feature Nicklaus's trademark expansive bunkering. Water is less of a factor on the Legends, while it makes an appearance on the majority of holes on the Masters, usually in the form of dastardly creeks. Despite Tyhoon Durian, which swept through this part of the Philippines in late 2006 and uprooted thousands of trees at courses all around the region, Southwoods is one attractive place. Mango trees, rain trees, and towering palms frame many of the holes here, and although the sound of traffic from the nearby highway can sometimes be heard (more so on the Legends Course), there is a definite serenity to proceedings. |
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| Course Maintenance | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 First
class. They take their course maintenance seriously in the Philippines and
the playing surfaces are normally perfect: Greens running nice and quick,
while the fairways, althoughly cut low, provide nice lies. Zero complaints
here. And to think, they use the same grass as the courses in Guangdong
(hardy strains of Bermuda), yet suffer worse weather. It just goes to show
that you CAN have great playing surfaces in tropical climates. Methinks
that maybe Chinese course owners are spending too much money off the course
and not enough on it! |
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| Caddies | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Very good. The best part, of course, is the fact they all speak English. Unlike in China, caddies in the Philippines get to keep the entire caddie fee (normally around 400 pesos; HK$85) which is normally paid directly to them. They do expect a bit of a tip on top - paying 500 pesos all-in is pretty much standard. |
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Hole by
Hole Guide |
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Masters
Course
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| 007 Rating | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Very fine indeed. If you are playing well, try and get on the Masters Course, which is a cut above the Legends, but really they're both first rate. Remember to book the tee time early because the course is fairly bust & getting a tee-time isn't the easiest. Like everywhere in the Philippines, the staff are very friendly and normally accommodating. Ace 1/07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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This
is undoubtedly one of the best 36 hole clubs in Asia. The Legends Course,
which opened in 1994 and is the older of the two, is a bit more friendly
on the higher handicapper, while the superior Masters Course is a bear
of a track, requiring both length and precision if a decent score is to
be returned. 
