Interclub boosts host cities growth

MANILA, Philippines - The PAL Interclub, the country’s longest-running team golf tournament, shows not just the Asia’s first airline’s commitment to sports development but also its continuing desire to stir up economic growth and progress in the countryside.

For the last 65 years, the PAL Interclub has catalyzed in no small measure the overall economic activity of the host city where the tournament is held, generating job opportunities and revenues for various tourism and hospitality-related businesses as well as to the coffers of the local government.

In fact, local officials and business leaders of Davao, Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro – rotating venues of the Interclub – look forward to their city’s hosting of the tournament by regularly sprucing golf courses and various leisure spots. Next year, the venue will be four golf courses in Cebu.

This year, the PAL Interclub infused at least P60 million into Davao’s economy, representing the expense allocation of more than 150 participating golf teams as well as PAL’s budget for the two-week golf extravaganza set at the Apo and Rancho Palos Verdes golf courses.

More than a thousand golfers, many flying in from various Filipino communities abroad, pumped in more than P53 million for hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, caddies and other golfing fees.

PAL’s direct contribution reached more than P7 million for the lodging, meals and other related expenses of tournament working committee members.

The two golf courses – Apo Golf and Rancho Palos Verdes – earned more than P4 million from registration fees alone. The Interclub’s P29,000 registration fee per team goes directly to the golf courses.

In the run-up to the tournament proper, PAL calls for a meeting of the team captains in Davao. This plus a couple of working committee coordination meetings brought to Davao almost a million pesos in revenues.

Meanwhile, the players’ spouses, companions and alternates contributed approximately P1.3 million also for meals, hotels, taxis, souvenirs and city night-outs.

Caddies and umbrella girls, meanwhile, earned from P400 to P500 a day, or an aggregate income of P6.4 million for two weeks. Another P3.1 million was spent on golf carts and vans.

The 65th edition of the PAL Interclub was held Feb. 15-25 at Apo Golf and Rancho Palos Verdes golf courses.

Last November, PAL revived the Ladies Interclub also held at the two golf courses in Davao, signaling the return of another much-anticipated golfing event.

In 1948, PAL started the Interclub to encourage domestic travel in the years following the war. Through the next six and a half decades, it has attracted golfers from around the country and the globe not just for the prizes but more for the bragging rights as the best golfers among peers.