Tribute to Bantam Ben

Legendary golf hero "Bantam" Ben Arda reports for work every day, except Mondays, at the Alabang Golf and Country Club in Muntinlupa. He’s lost a bit of his zip and memory because of a stroke he suffered in 1990 but he remains as good-natured as ever.

Arda, 72, doesn’t teach much golf anymore. He still checks on how you swing at the Alabang driving range and suggests ways to improve your stroke. Golf is and will always be his passion. He’s been a club pro at Alabang for seven years.

Arda, 72, was introduced to golf as a 12-year-old caddy at the Club Filipino course in Cebu. One of 11 children, he was self-taught in the game. And through the years, Arda became one of the greatest Filipino parbusters in history.

In his era, Arda played against the world’s best–Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Billy Casper, Gene Littler, Roberto de Vicenzo, Frank Byrd, and Johnny Miller. He wore the Philippine colors proudly in international competitions and proved there was a place for the little man–he was barely 5-5–in golf.

As Arda comes close to retirement, a group of weekend golfers from Alabang thought of organizing a tribute tournament on May 9 to raise funds for "Bantam" Ben. The group is called the Alabang Club 515 because according to secretary Tom Banguis, the sun usually rises at 5:15 a.m. and golfers like to greet daylight with a tee shot. The club has 65 members who are a mix of professionals, senior executives, businessmen and entrepreneurs.

The Alabang Golf and Country Club will host the tournament and to show respect for Arda, is closing the course that day. More than 120 players will be accommodated so the Alabang Club 515 organizers are requesting interested parties to list up as soon as possible. The contact numbers for players and sponsors are 811-5617 for Banguis and 842-3530 for the Alabang Golf and Country Club.

"Ben has fallen into hard times since he suffered a stroke," says Banguis, president and general manager of AB Communications. "As a club pro, his monthly salary is not much. Whatever supplementary income he earns as a teaching pro is probably not significant as well. Our club is now reaching out to potential sponsors and we hope we can generate interest from those who sincerely want to help Ben. The proceeds of our tribute tournament will be turned over to Ben who needs financial assistance as he faces the prospect of retirement."

At Alabang, Arda will talk about his golf exploits to anyone who cares to listen. Sometimes, his memory falters and his voice softens. But he’ll try to remember those juicy details that make for interesting story-telling.

When I spoke to Arda the other day, he couldn’t remember the names of his three children and how old they are. He remembered his wife’s name Ludette but couldn’t recall how long they’d been married (some couples prefer not to remember)–he estimated about 30 years. He said his brother Margarito, also a golf pro, now lives in Nueva Ecija and teaches in a driving range.

Arda said his all-time golf hero is Palmer and singled out Frankie Minoza as the country’s top golfer today.

You can find Arda at the Alabang driving range from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, except Mondays. He walks with a slight limp. On Saturdays, he goes around in a cart as a sort of field marshal to push traffic along and speed up the game on the Alabang course. He drives to and from Alabang in an "owner" type jeep.

"During his prime, Ben was as big a hero as one could be," says Banguis. "His game was closely followed by legions of fans. He reigned supreme and was loved by a country that marveled at how stronger, taller players could be outplayed by a pint-sized former caddy from the cornfields of Cebu."

Banguis says in talking to Arda, he found out "Bantam" Ben got his start in golf by collecting stray balls as a teenaged caddy in Cebu and at the end of the day, used his collection for driving practice. He hit countless balls then picked up each of them later to hurry back to the starting position for more practice, adds Banguis.

"By the time he was 16, Ben began to play competitive golf and at 19, emerged among the top five in a major tournament in Cebu’s Club Filipino," notes Banguis.

It was on then-Wack Wack president Nanoy Ilusorio’s invitation that Arda moved to Manila to become a club pro.

Banguis says Arda was the dominant Filipino golfer in the ’70s and ’80s. "To keep himself always sharp, Ben was at the driving range every day, Sundays and holidays included" recounts Banguis. "(He) averaged three to four hours of practice (and) played two to three 18-hole rounds every week even when there were no tournaments."

Banguis says Arda once recommended sex at least once a week to keep emotionally and physically stable for golf. "One wonders if this prescription had any basis to medical science as it seems to be a welcome tip which many will find enjoyable, particularly if increasing the frequency would have a direct bearing on the improvement of one’s game," jokes Banguis.

Arda’s achievements are a source of pride for Filipinos. He was overall champion in the Asian circuit in 1969, a three-time Philippine Open champion, and the first Filipino invited to play at the US Masters in Augusta. In a major tournament in Japan, Arda posted his best score ever–a staggering -24 in four rounds of competition.

In 1975, Arda powered the Philippine team to its finest finish at the World Cup in Bangkok. Banguis recalls that Arda placed second to Miller and the Philippines finished third. If not for a double bogey in the last round, Arda would’ve beaten Miller.

Banguis says in the Japan Open once, Arda beat Isao Aoki by a shot in a battle that was settled only in the last hole and won $25,000 and a two-door Nissan sports car. The car was shipped to the Philippines by the Japanese organizers and Arda drove it for 15 years. He claimed two other cars in winning a pair of Japan Dunlop Championships but sold them.

A milestone in Arda’s career was his runner-up finish in Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, a made-for-TV tournament featuring highly-touted golfers playing in flights of three on courses across the globe. He earned a purse of $35,000 for his efforts.

"Ben was a dreamer and lived his dreams as the toast of Philippine golf," says Banguis. "Oh, how one wishes it had stayed that way. But that would be asking for the impossible. Even the great Nicklaus couldn’t hang on to the top. Tiger Woods, for all his brilliance, will one day have to give way to a golfer so outstanding that Tiger’s achievements today will also be eclipsed. Ben is not one to indulge in self-pity. Rather, he is quick to light up when somebody recognizes his greatness in the game that today has fascinated the sporting world. He is quick to smile when he recounts tournaments won and chuckles rather amusedly of breaks lost in close games. And as he looks as aspiring golfers in the driving range, he manages to break out a smile when he sees a well-executed swing."

The Alabang Club 515’s tribute tournament is a fitting gesture of recognition and appreciation for "Bantam" Ben.

The Alabang Club 515 president is Ed Lacson. Vice president and project director is Johnny Castillo. Other members include Leo Villanueva, Angel Apuyan, Cid Diomampo, Paul Cortez, Jimbo Inigo, Ed Limjoco, Boni Pimentel, Boy Leonio, Rody Antonino, Loy Austria, Chuck Buenaventura, Bobby Kanapi, Tony Lozano, Jake Manalastas, Mayor Godofredo Mintu, Neil Stewart, Mayor Ruben Umali, Junoy Verano, Gil Yuzon, and Leslie Croyston.