By Mike Besa
IT’S been six months since we last reported on Summit Point Golf and Country Club’s fight back from the brink. A small, dues-paying membership and a large monthly maintenance bill will put any golf course in bankruptcy court quickly but, fortunately, Sta. Lucia Realty and Summit Point Golf and Country Club President Robbie Leviste were never going to let that happen to their beautiful golf course.
The golf course’s fairways and greens have come a long way. The greens seem to have stabilized and roll pretty consistently from one to the other. The fairways still drain very well (we had occasion to experience this firsthand after we got caught in a thunderstorm) even if most of them have been overtaken by carabao grass. No nasty surprises here. MJ Carr has done a magnificent job bringing the course back into shape.
It’s a good thing, too. If Summit Point had succumbed, Philippine golf would have lost a gem.
Summit Point Golf and Country Club’s golf course is best described as a “World 18”; the esteemed golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., whose other designs here in the Philippines include Santa Elena Golf and Country Club, the twin courses at Canlubang Golf and Country Club, Calatagan, Ayala Greenfield Estates and several others, laid out golf holes inspired by holes from great golf courses from all over the world.
With the world as his palette, Jones selected Saint Andrews, Carnoustie, Augusta National, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Spyglass Hill, Oakmont, Winged Foot and other great courses most of us would give their eye and teeth to play to lend inspiration to Summit Point. The result looks and feels like a golf course; a good one to boot. Even with the extreme variety from different styles of courses, the routing flows smoothly from one hole to the next, integrating holes from 16 parkland and links courses into a cohesive 18. Though not identical in appearance (mostly due to the local flora), Summit Point’s World 18 retains the shot values the originals demanded; those aren’t championship tracks for nothing, so bring some game.
The French colonial clubhouse sits majestically on a hill overlooking the out and back layout. The front nine loops around the clubhouse and runs next to virgin rain forest on holes 6 to 8. The back nine goes out and down to the lowest part of the property then back up to the clubhouse. The stretch of holes from 11 to 15 is the most scenic on the property. The view out from the veranda is sublime; the adjacent greens of 9 and 18 in the foreground, rain forest beyond the fairways and Mounts Makiling, Banahaw and part of the Malarayat mountain range looming large in the background. This is an impressive piece of property for a golf course.
Here’s your guide to the holes and Summit Point and the golf courses that spawned them.
- Inspiration: Seminole #17—A short tee shot that skirts the left side of the fairway bunker on the right will leave a short iron or a wedge to the green over water.
- Inspiration: Pine Valley #4—One of the most beautiful par 3s is the first you’ll play. Beware the prevailing wind from left to right.
- Inspiration: Spanish Bay #1—An elevated tee shot sets up the shortest par 5 on the course. The lake guarding the right side of the green will make you reconsider any thoughts of taking on the green in two. Unreachable in two when the wind blows.
- Inspiration: Oakmont #3—A medium-length par 4 with very aggressive bunkering on either side of the fairway. Thankfully the green is fairly level and straightforward.
- Inspiration: Shinnecock Hills #16—A true three-shot par 5 for all but the longest hitters, the tee shot is played over the fairway bunker on the left just to the left of the large tree. Placing your second shot to the left of the large fairway bunkers will give you the best angle at the large green.
- Inspiration: Cypress Point #15—The longest of the par 3s at 195 yards, the hole plays slightly uphill and is bordered by rain forest on the right. Large bunkers guard the left side of the green, placing pressure on the tee shot.
- Inspiration: Pebble Beach #10—The 1-handicap hole, this par 4 is also guarded by the rain forest on the right. Play your tee shot to the left side of the fairway over the large bunker for the best angle at the green. Shots to the right half of the fairway will be played over the ravine that forces the fairway to dogleg around it to the green.
- Inspiration: Carnoustie #16—Straightforward long par 3 with rain forest on the right.
- Inspiration: Sotogrande #12—A long drive over the bunker complex on the left will leave the ideal angle to attempt the green in two. Your best chance for birdie on the course.
- Inspiration: Oakland Hills #16—Medium-length tee shot over the left side of the fairway bunker will leave a short iron to a large green with large bunkers beyond.
- Inspiration: Royal Melbourne #1—The longest of the par 4s; a good drive is imperative here. The second shot plays longer than you think; take a bit more club to the elevated green.
- Inspiration: Augusta National #11—This 416-yard par 4 plays directly into the prevailing wind. The green is guarded by a lake to the left and huge bunkers short, right and long. The start of the prettiest stretch of holes on the course.
- Inspiration: Augusta National #12—The shortest, prettiest par 3 on the course. Pay special attention to the wind here, the tee shot is threatened by water short and right of the green.
- Inspiration: PGA West #16—One of the longest, if not the longest, bunker in the country guards the left side of the fairway from tee to green. The green complex is severely elevated and very heavily bunkered.
- Inspiration: Seminole #6—The most interesting of the short par 4s; leave your driver in the bag for best results here.
- Inspiration: Saint Andrews #14—Placement of the tee shot sets up the hole; to the right of the huge bunker complex in the middle of the fairway is optimal. The second shot will play directly over another set of pot bunkers in the middle of the fairway to set up a short iron or wedge to the uphill, heavily bunkered green.
- Inspiration: Winged Foot #10—The most difficult green on the course is heavily fortified by bunkers on all sides.
- Inspiration: Spyglass Hill #16—A slight dogleg to the right, a tee shot over the fairway bunker at the crux of the dogleg will yield a short approach to the slightly elevated green.
There isn’t a weak hole in the bunch. They’re all challenging and gorgeous in the bargain. Our sole gripe is with the 16th; the lone hole inspired by the 14th at Saint Andrews, the home of golf. We aren’t quibbling with the design, but the application of the design. You are well aware that Saint Andrews is as flat as a pancake so we take issue of building this hole on the hilliest part of the golf course. Blind tee shots are one thing, but we feel that a blind second shot to this par 5 is excessive. This is, unequivocally, the most difficult hole on the golf course. Apart from that, this is a wonderful layout that will challenge and entertain all golfers regardless of handicap.
As with any rehabilitation, there are still challenges that remain. The bunkers present the biggest problem. Mr. Jones does love his bunkers and at Summit Point, they are abundant. Most notable is the sand trap that lines the entire right side of the monstrously long par-5 14th hole and the array of bunkers that line the left side of the fourth hole. They are lovely to look at but extremely expensive to maintain.
Nothing has brought that into sharper focus than the recent rains. They’ve washed down what sand there was left in the bunkers and have left the golf course looking rather untidy. Summit Point’s management is taking steps to address this but, again, with so many bunkers to maintain, they’re going to need some help.
That, my dear reader, is where we can lend a hand. If you haven’t yet, bring a group down to Summit Point. Have fun, eat, drink and enjoy yourselves. If you had a good time, spread the word to the rest of your golf group and by that simple act, one of the nicest golf courses around survive and perhaps flourish.