The game of golf is in flux. This fact first crossed my mind when I sat down with Manila Southwoods grounds chair and golf architect John Cope a little over two years ago. In our conversation, we discussed the need to lower the costs related to the care and upkeep of golf courses worldwide.
Golfers have become enamored with the images of the golf courses that we see on TV for good reason; they’re drop dead gorgeous! Who wouldn’t want to chase the little white ball around the immaculately manicured fairways of Augusta National or any of the other marquis venues on the PGA Tour? But what isn’t immediately apparent is how much goes into the preparation of the golf course before its big moment on global television.
Marketing drives most things and there isn’t an image that sells a property like one of a perfectly manicured fairway with colorful flora in the background. Thing is that’s an image that deceives. Courses like that are extremely difficult to maintain. Think about it. You’re taking turf grasses designed and bred in other climes to the extremes of ours. Once rooted they have to deal with the local flora which will fight viciously to get their real estate back. To beat them off, course superintendents have to apply herbicide and intervene manually at regular intervals. Consider the average golf course occupies 150 hectares or so of real estate and the enormity of the costs are immediately apparent.
All but the most profitable golf courses are going to have to go some degree of reconceptualization. The courses that are on the borderline struggle more than the others. We’ve seen that at Caliraya Springs where local grasses, mostly carabao, were allowed to take over the fairways and they subsequently planted zoysia matrella, a local Bermuda, to replace the tifdwarf on their greens which failed to survive their lean spell. The same thing occurred at Summit Point and again at Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club but perhaps to a lesser extent. Even Camp John Hay Golf Club, awash in golf tourists foreign and local, has taken the preemptive steps of reducing the number and sizes of their bunkers and taken other steps to ensure sustainability.
It should therefore come as no surprise to find Fairways and Bluewater in the same quagmire. Boracay always has been the most improbable location for a golf course anywhere on the archipelago. Fil-Estate, the developers, had to build a pipeline to pump fresh water to the island just to water the golf course. That was before the islands resources were being taxed to the fullest. The sustainability of the whole island seems in doubt. To its credit, the club has responded by enlarging all their ponds in an attempt to capture as much rainfall as they can and to recover as much water as they can from irrigation. But in an El Niño, it still isn’t enough.
The best thing that happened to Fairways and Bluewater was its acquisition by real estate giant Megaworld Corporation. Of course, the conglomerate’s primary objective was to build its vision for development of the property so the group set about completing the unfinished villas and setting the wheels of construction in motion.
The development on the front nine continued as expected. The remaining villas were completed and a grand new clubhouse and reception center was built close to the road to facilitate the ingress and egress of visitors to the resort. The additional villas meant mean a greater capacity for tourist traffic both foreign and local and more income for the resort. Of course this complicated the starting procedure so the club changed the routing to suit the new facilities. Thus the par 5 ninth became the first hole and the other holes were adjusted accordingly.
The biggest changes come when you make the turn. The first thing that jumps out at you on your way to the ninth tee is the immense jobsite to the North on which will rise a 5-star hotel. Then on the left of the 13th fairway, where there used to be some scrub and a marvelous view of the ocean now sit the four towers of the Oceanway Residences; condominiums that are in the final stages of completion. The first tower is already complete and some of the units occupied. There’s another site below and to the right of the 13th tee box on which Megaworld is planning a development inspired by the architecture of Santorini, Greece.
Although this drew the ire of those that loved the natural surroundings of the inward nine, it is necessary for the survival of the golf course. Without the income the resort now realizes, it would be doubtful that the golf course would survive. It is a bitter choice but all of us lose if this golf course goes under.
Armed with all this beforehand, what I saw when I got to Fairways and Bluewater still saddened me. The fairways were mostly brown with patches of green. The once verdant Bermuda has been invaded by carabao grass, clover and other endemic grasses. The greens have not been spared either but mercifully, they still putt well. The bunkers have long been rust red in color because of the ferrous nature of the soil here.
Alvin Cantilado of Golf Force, the superintendent says he’s fully aware of the new trends in the golf course industry and was studying alternative grasses for use in both the fairways and greens. Paspalum, zoysia matrella and carabao grass all came up in our conversation. It will be interesting to see which one they eventually decide on.
The good news here is that the golf course still plays as well as it ever has. It’s not a championship track to be sure but in this case, that’s really a good thing. This is a very entertaining golf course that rewards those that take the trouble to lug a set of clubs on a pump boat to make a tee time there. The re-routing of the course does not detract much from the golf experience and you have a proper clubhouse with a proper locker room and all the other little luxuries we golfers love.
There is a lot to love about this golf course; the diversity of the nines, lots of holes on which you can score, the spectacular vistas on the back nine and just the general vibe of the golf course. Graham Marsh did a spectacular job.
The 7th and 8th holes are personal favorites on the outward nine. They exist undisturbed in a remote corner of the property and their proximity should mean that the area they’re in will remain undisturbed. The entire back nine is just stunning. The changes in elevation, the layout of the holes and the joy they bring mean that you’ll rue the fact that your round here has come to an end.
More good news is that Fairways and Bluewater now boasts world class facilities to complement the golf course. There are four pools scattered across the property. The accommodations are extremely generous and you’re away from the hustle and bustle of White Beach. The course side location of most of the villas mean wonderful vistas just outside your room. The resort has their own private beach to which only hotel guests have access. The food at the resort particularly that of Rojo, their Spanish restaurant, is superb.
So what we have here is a golf course in flux. Let’s call it growing pains. Though the course isn’t in the best of shape now, we know that they have the will and the means to bring the golf course back to the standard that the rest of the development demands. But they will have to do it in a sustainable fashion. This means doing away with imported turf grasses for the fairways but the experiences of Wack Wack, Anvaya Cove and the very exclusive Manila Golf Club prove that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Time will tell.
To sum up, we like what we found on this visit to Fairways and Bluewater. Yes, the course wasn’t at her best but we should really give Megaworld a bit more time with her. After all, the other golf courses in their portfolio are all flourishing under their administration so the chances are good to excellent that Fairways and Bluewater will follow the same route. We’re keeping our toes and fingers crossed that it does.
Image credits: Mike Besa