Rancho Palos Verdes is the first modern golf course constructed in the Davao City limits. Built by the Sta. Lucia Realty Corporation on the top of a ridge in what used to be a pomelo plantation in Barangay Mandug/Indangan, Buhangin District some thirteen kilometers outside the city proper, the course is a must-play for any golfer worth his salt on a visit to this fair city.
The 18-hole course was designed by the renowned design firm of Andy Dye, whose creations have captured the attention of golfers across the country who are as appalled by their difficulty as they are swayed by their beauty. Completed in 2001, the course has a feel mature beyond its years. The old growth rainforest and verdant vegetation that border the fairways have much to do with this. This feel is echoed by the tee boxes, which are really quite small by modern standards and seem more suited to an older course of local design. A golf cart is recommended; distances from some of the greens to the next set of tees are quite long on the rolling terrain.
Rancho Palos Verdes has a great variety of golf holes that demand a variety of shots from the golfer. The greens, in true Dye fashion, have significant undulations which making hitting the correct quadrant of the green a must to post a good score. From the championship tees, great accuracy, skill and boldness will be required as well as strength of character, classic “high-risk-high-reward-golf” at its best. However, these tees are best left to the professional of scratch golfer or those looking for cruel and unusual punishment. A premium is put on length off the tee as the course plays far longer than its 7039 yards would indicate. Playing the appropriate tees is instrumental to enjoying one’s game.
I first visited Rancho Palos Verdes in 2005 as the associate editor of the now defunct Swing magazine. I was impressed by its layout and the challenges it posed then and looked forward to renewing my acquaintance with the golf course. I was heartened to discover that the course had been well cared for and matured nicely. The course is characterized by some beautiful short par fours and gorgeous par threes. The finishing holes on both sides are brutal but more on them later.
Possibly the only shot I didn’t care for was the one that started my round. The first hole is 520-yard par five that doglegs slightly to the right and plays uphill all the way. On my first trip here in 2005, you had to carry a tree that was growing out of the hazard on the left which partially obscured the fairway to get into the ideal position for your second shot. Seven years on and the tree has grown considerably. Now so much of the fairway is obscured that the only target you have from the back tees is the fairway bunker on the right. I can’t believe that it was Dye’s intent to have everyone lay up short of the bunker to start the round. Perhaps it’s time for some judicious pruning to restore some measure of playability to the hole.
Two remains an intriguing hole, not so much that the 3-par plays 251-yards from the tips but because of the crocodile pond just to the left of the tee boxes. It’s not in play, of course, and provides a welcome diversion when you’re waiting for the flight ahead to finish. Four and five are the prettiest holes on the front side. The tee shot on four will take your breath away as the fairway sits a good hundred feet below the tee mounds. Deciding where to aim is the biggest challenge. Five is a gorgeous short par 4. Place your tee shot on the left center of the fairway to have a good shot into the well guarded green.
Number eight is a beautiful 5 par; at 509 yards it’s the one of the par fives reachable in two. A well-placed drive leaves you with a second shot that drops almost a hundred feet downhill to a green guarded by bunkers short and to the right. Place your tee shot just short of the fairway bunkers on the left to give yourself a shot at the green. Anything to the right side of the fairway will have your second hindered by the overhanging branches of the trees on the right.
Nine is the beast and although it carries the 2-handicap on the card, it is the most difficult hole on the golf course. At 474 from the gold tees, the second shot must negotiate a ravine that extends all the way to the front of the green. Even from the forward tees, this is a par five for the high handicapper. The exhilarating view of the town of Mandug and the vast banana plantation, meandering along the banks of the Davao River, offers some solace for strokes lost here.
Moving to the back side, the course opens up. Eleven is a gorgeous 196-yard par 3 to a large two-tiered green. The tees are set under large trees giving this hole a unique feel to it. Twelve is a 527-yard par 5 that doglegs to the left off the tee, then downhill to the right with water fronting the green. It is reachable in two but necessitates a well placed tee shot to gain position to attack the green. Pressure is put on the tee shot by old growth trees on the left putting a premium on working the ball into the left side of the fairway.
Thirteen is the signature hole, a 408-yard dogleg right to an island green. The fairway slopes sharply towards the water; a tee shot to the left side of the fairway just skirting the hazard will put you in the best position to attack the green. Fourteen is another short, very picturesque par 4. At 364 from the tips, the tee shot takes you over the lake with the island green of fourteen on your right. The second shot plays uphill to a large but shallow green.
Seventeen is a beautiful par 3, playing 196 yards downhill to a large green. The bunker complex on the left is to be avoided at all cost as tall grasses inside the main bunker will severely punish the errant tee shot. Eighteen is the one handicap hole. Though not as difficult as number nine, at 443 yards long and playing uphill all the way, it will test even the longest hitters. The green slopes away towards the ravine making it important to land the approach just short to have any chance of stopping on the green.
I was captivated with the beauty and playability of Rancho Palos Verdes on my first trip here and this recent visit has reinforced those emotions. It is a very pleasant, very beautiful golf course. It’s a must play for anyone planning a golf trip to the City of Davao.
Image credits: Mike Besa