Manila Golf’s Golden Tee

Manila’s super elite and the who’s who of society converged at the Manila Golf and Country Club for the 45th Golden Tee — the highly anticipated and most prominent golf tournament in the country. That the Golden Tee’s fame has spread worldwide can be gleaned from the presence of foreign guests who come to Manila to take part in the prestigious event, with fantastic prizes from generous supporters.

Manila Golf president and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez was definitely happy with the success of the event, which had Johnny Litton emceeing the awarding ceremonies as usual. Among the top winners include world-renowned heart surgeon Dr. Jorge Garcia, who emerged as the hole-in-one winner, which earned him a brand-new vehicle from Toyota Motors.

The 18-hole golf course that opened in 1901 has hosted the Philippine Open — the oldest golf tournament in Asia — in the early years of its existence. However, it suffered from neglect for several decades until it received a major redesign in 2006 by noted architect Bob Moore of the JMP Golf Design Group, a world-class golf course renovation and restoration firm that was commissioned for the challenging work.

Whenever JMP undertakes a renovation project, the primary objective is to enhance the playing experience and improve the appearance of the golf course — without losing sight of the underlying qualities of the layout, which are likewise enhanced. Definitely, the renovation has been a great success with share prices of the very exclusive golf club having significantly increased since then.