Story & photos by Mike Besa
The Philippines is in an odd position when it comes to golf. As the rest of our Asian neighbors plunge head-long into the game of golf by building more and more golf courses to woo tourists to their shores, we stand pat and don’t do much (if anything at all) to grow the game and reap the benefits that brings.
It’s a sad thing, really. The game of golf has so much to offer—from the discipline and life lessons that the game imparts to all those that play in earnest to the employment and financial benefits that trickle down through the economy from golfers and tourism, that the country loses so much with each passing day that we do nothing to grow the game.
The apathy has had a more insidious effect on the developers that have invested millions on their golf-centric properties. All but the most successful clubs are facing some sort of financial crisis. The root cause can be found in the great club share crash of the late 1990s. It’s been almost two decades hence, but the ill-effects continue to be felt throughout the industry today.
Clubs that were built in areas more distant from the metropolis and those that were built in the tail end of the building boom have been the most seriously affected. Clubs like Eagle Ridge, Summit Point, Sherwood Hills and the Riviera Golf and Country Club and others have all suffered financial hardships in the past. Some have handled it better than others.
We at the BusinessMirror want to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of one golf club that’s managed to weather the crisis and move forward in spite of the challenges. That golf club is the Riviera Golf and Country Club.
In the curious case of the Riviera, the club not only had to deal with external pressures but internal issues, as well. In spite of the amount of tourist traffic on their fairways, the club was suffering from financial pressures. There was much talk about malversation of funds and accusations all pointed to the sitting board of directors for the sad state of affairs at the club.
The bunkers were almost devoid of sand, the fairways were brown and the greens were completely uneven in quality. The employees were disheartened, as many of them were not paid on time. Members stopped playing at the club, and quite a few left to join other golf clubs. Not a good situation for a club that was voted as best in the country by Asian Golf Magazine.
Fast forward to today, and a new board is in place. We were invited to Riviera to see the changes for ourselves, and we came away most impressed. Impressed enough to bestow our recognition on the club for their hard work and dedication.
Both courses are now in beautiful condition. The greens are rolling fast and true again. The bunkers have sand in them again. The club has cleaned up the scrub areas on both golf courses that were threatening to overrun the manicured areas of the course. The Couples and Langer are both looking like the golf courses that won the club the international recognition that was bestowed on them.
The Riviera has two of the most unique golf courses in the country. Both are the only works of two legends of the modern game and are the sole examples of either designer in the Philippines.
The Langer figures in any conversation about the best golf course in the Philippines. Its opening corner measures over a mile in length and is the longest that we’ve encountered in the country. With just three par fours less than 400 yards in length and a monstrous 604-yard, uphill par-5, the one thing you need to score on the Langer Course is a good, long game.
True to the character of its designer, the Couples Course is more laid back than its German stepbrother. That doesn’t mean that it’s a pushover (because it’s not), but it is a more relaxed and more enjoyable than the Langer. Having two golf courses so different in character works very well for the Riviera, and it’s good to see them hale and healthy again.
On the Langer, the stretch of fourteen through sixteen is most impressive. The holes offer serene settings that mask the enormity of the task at hand. Fourteen is the 2-handicap and, after the second hole, it’s the longest of the par fours. It plays 456-yards uphill, dead into the stiff Cavite breeze. The green is miniscule given the hole’s prodigious length and sits hidden to the left guarded on two sides by a ravine.
Fifteen is a gem. It’s short, and the green is reachable off the tee from the forward tees, but that’s where the genius of the hole lies. A ravine sits on one side of the green, while a phalanx of bunkers defends the others. It’s a tricky little hole that offers the golfer several ways to play it.
Sixteen is the most beautiful hole on the golf course. The 577-yard par-5 doglegs to the left to the double green shared with three. The tree that defends the ideal placement of the second shot has fallen victim to years of typhoons, but that has only slightly diminished the degree of difficulty the hole dispenses. The aesthetics are certainly worth it.
The par-3 17th is the Langer Course’s signature hole. A mere 156-yards long, the green sits such a long way below the tee mounds that little more than a wedge is required to reach it. It’s a stunning hole that can wreak havoc on your score.
Interestingly, the Couples really comes into its own on the exact same stretch of holes. Holes twelve through fifteen is a magnificent stretch of holes that mimics a course on the garden isles of Hawaii. It’s as good a quartet of holes as you’ll find anywhere in the country.
Thirteen will test you from tee to green. The fairway turns to the right and the ideal landing position is defended by the fairway bunker at the corner of the dogleg. The approach into the green requires the utmost precision to avoid the hazard short and right of what seems to be the smallest green of the lot.
Fifteen is a great golf hole; a long, sweeping 459-yard monster. Yet another forced carry to a fairway that moves to the left to a green very heavily defended on the left side. Use the contours of the fairway to find the heart of the green.
Your entire range will be tested on the Couples Course, but you won’t feel like you got beaten up when you walk off. You’ll be recharged, refreshed and, perhaps, a bit sad that the round’s come to an end.
There is still much that needs to be done, but the work that was prioritized has already made a huge impact on the club. You can see the effects on both courses and on the faces of the members and staff. The mood is up at Riviera, and hopefully the current leadership will keep it that way.
The club has worked hard, bitten the bullet and made the necessary changes to keep their golf courses beautiful and playable for all. They are a ray of hope in an industry beset with challenges, and their hard work deserves recognition. It is because of this that we bestow the recognition as the most-improved golf course of 2017.
Image credits: Mike Besa
1 comment
Good to hear Riviera is on the comeback trail, I hope to make it back there someday