People ask me a lot which course I recommend, and I always give the same answer: it depends what you’re in the mood for. Over the years I’ve played most of the courses worth playing in this country, but there are five that I keep coming back to — not because they’re the toughest or the most photographed, but because they’re the ones that feel like mine.
Navy Golf Club — where it all started for me
When I lived in Manila, Navy was my course. It’s not flashy, it doesn’t try to be a championship showpiece, and that’s exactly what made it good — a proper golfer’s course where you go to play, not to be seen. I put in more rounds there than I could count, usually with the same small group of regulars, and it’s where a lot of my golfing habits in this country were formed. These days I hear you need to register in advance to get gate clearance, which wasn’t always the case. If you’re planning a round there, it’s worth sorting that out ahead of time rather than turning up and hoping — a quick message on Viber to +63 927 987 9354 will point you in the right direction.
👉 View the Philippine Navy Golf Club listing on OutdoorLifePH — with location, photos and reviews.
Splendido Taal — my home course now
Life moved me out of Manila and up towards Tagaytay, and Splendido became my new golfing home almost by accident — the kind of thing that happens when a course is simply the closest good one, and then a few years pass and you realise you know every blind approach and every green that breaks harder than it looks. The views over Taal Volcano and the lake never get old, even after however many rounds I’ve played there now. The Greg Norman routing means the front nine drops you down toward the water and the back nine makes you earn your way back up, and there’s something satisfying about finishing a round properly out of breath. If you only have time for one course while you’re in the area, this is the one I’d point you to — not because it’s the hardest, but because it’s the one I’d actually choose to play again tomorrow.
👉 View the Splendido Taal Golf Club listing on OutdoorLifePH — with location, reviews and visitor information.
Calatagan — the escape
Calatagan is the one I go to when I want golf to feel like a short holiday rather than a quick nine after work. It’s further out, down toward the Batangas coast, and that little bit of extra driving does something to the mood of the day — you arrive slower, you leave slower. The layout has a relaxed, open feel to it, and there’s sea air in it somewhere even when you can’t quite see the water from every hole. It’s the course I recommend to friends visiting from overseas who want a proper day out, not just eighteen holes ticked off a list.
Malarayat — the test
Malarayat, out in Lipa, is where I go when I want to be reminded that I’m not as good a golfer as I sometimes think I am. It sits up in the hills with genuine elevation change, cooler air than the lowlands, and greens that punish anyone who gets lazy with their reads. Two courses on the property give you options depending on how much punishment you’re after that day. I’ve had some of my most humbling rounds there and, oddly, some of the ones I remember most fondly — the courses that make you work for it tend to stick with you longer than the easy ones.
👉 View the Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club listing on OutdoorLifePH — with location, photos and visitor reviews.
Pradera Verde — the reliable one
And then there’s Pradera Verde, which I keep coming back to simply because it’s dependable — well maintained, well run, and it plays fair. Some courses you love because of the drama, the views, the difficulty. Pradera Verde I love because it never lets you down. It’s the course I suggest to people who just want a genuinely good round without any complications, and it rarely disappoints.
👉 View the Pradera Verde Golf Club listing on OutdoorLifePH — with location and visitor information.
Five courses, five different reasons to love them — one from the old days in Manila, one that’s home now, one for escaping, one for humility, and one that’s simply always solid. Between them they cover most of what golf in this country is about. If you’re building your own list of favorites, these are a good place to start.
If you want to see some of these rounds rather than just read about them, my sons and I post the games we play together on our YouTube channel, Golf with Dummies — expect plenty of bad shots and worse jokes, but it’s a decent look at what golf around these courses actually looks like.
