At the 70th edition of the PAL Interclub golf tournament, the big news was about the return to prominence of the new Luisita team in the seniors and the absolute dominance of Manila Southwoods in the men’s championship divisions.
While the performance of both Luisita and Manila Southwoods was certainly notable, I feel the bigger news was most certainly overlooked. Lost in the exploits of the championship division were the twin wins of The Orchard Golf and Country in both the men and senior versions of the Founders Division.
The Founders Division is generally regarded as the true club championship division since the teams here are composed only of true members of the clubs they represent. It is and has been the practice of the bigger clubs to assemble teams to represent them in the largest and most prestigious of the interclub tournaments. Since they don’t come any bigger than the PAL Interclub, both Luisita and Southwoods recruited heavily to boost their already-potent rosters with the best talent available.
Both Orchard teams took different paths to their wins. The Orchard seniors were dominant in their performance; leading from the start, their winning margin was a healthy 20-points over the runners-up from Marapara. They were never threatened.
The story was quite different for the Orchard regulars. They had built up a substantial lead in the first two days of the competition that they were feeling confident that they would reprise their win last year. But they fell prey to a torrid finish by upstarts Forest Hills.
Orchard struggled with 117 points in the final round. Rodel Mangulabnan and Niko Santiano scored 31 and 30 points, respectively, to lead Orchard, which was outscored by Forest Hills by 15 points at the Palos Rancho Verdes. Aaron Dimabuyu (29) and Raymund Sangil (27) rounded out The Orchard’s scorers.
Forest Hills got a big lift from former national player Jude Eustaquio to close out with 132 points. Eustaquio eagled the par 5, No. 8 and had four birdies against three bogeys and a pickup. The other Forest Hills scorers were Iñigo Raymundo, 33, Ronnie Littaua, 33, and Peter Young, 29.
But in the end, the rally fell short. Orchard had built up enough of a cushion the first three days to win by just three points.
The results in the Founders Division of the 70th PAL Interclub point to a mature, healthy playing population in Dasmariñas, Cavite. This is readily apparent from the size of the Orchard’s Intraclub Competition. There are 13 teams of 25 golfers taking part, making it the biggest tournament of its kind in local golf.
If you need further proof, one need look no further than the quality of golf at the Orchard’s monthly medals, all of which are filled to capacity. You need to play your best to just place, never mind win. The handicaps are legitimate, too. In my limited experience, the scores are great but fall within the tolerances of the guidelines put forth by the United States Golf Association and Royal & Ancient.
Look for this healthy population to keep growing, too. The club has a very aggressive junior program that gives junior golfers access to the courses for just a thousand pesos a month. This initiative will pay off for the club in the very near future.
A healthy playing population isn’t without its problems. Getting an early tee time in the morning on a weekend can be quite a task during peak season, but if you don’t mind teeing off later in the day, it is a nonissue. Other than that, the club has no downside.
The Orchard is the best example of a club that has made the right moves. It has a professional management team that manages the club’s operations. They’ve prioritized the growth and satisfaction of their members and are always looking to improve. The results of their work are paying off and the shares are finally moving into very positive territory. They’re still trading significantly below par value and remain a very good value.
But if you do make the investment, don’t do it to make money. That would be missing the point entirely. This is a club of enthusiasts. The members here love their golf and judging by the results from the PAL Interclub, they’re pretty good at it.
So, if you do join, do it for the love of the game.