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Tagaytay Midlands GC is a highland resort course that is
laid out on gentle terrains and rolling hills at the foot of the mountain,
offering a spectacular view of Taal Lake. Located 460 meters (1500 ft)
above sea level at the foot of the mountain overlooking Taal Lake, it
is slightly cooler than the courses around Manila. In 2013, the 9-hole
Lucky Course that is narrower with severe ups and downs was added, and
the club now boosts a 27-hole golf course. To develop the course, more
than 2 million plants of different plant of different varieties and 37,000
trees are planted to form a beautiful landscape within the course.
Although three are only 30 bunkers in total, but many dogleg holes, the
natural changes of elevation, some forced carries over valleys, and a couple
of water hazards will help the course fun to play. Since the fairways are
generous and there are few OB zones, you can hit each shot without big pressure,
and expect a good score. The grain of the greens is strong always away from
the mountain to Taal Lake 300 meters below the course, and downhill putts
with the grain are very fast. Many greens are framed by distant, Majestic
Mt. Makiling as the backdrop. The course maintenance is good.
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A slight dogleg to the left. The tee shot is downhill and the approach
is slightly downhill. The green, sloping from back to front, is protected
by a hazard on the left and a bunker on the right. |
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A par three over water. The green is wide and slops to right. The
pond in front comes into play and a bunker is placed at the rear. |
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A signature hole and a sharp dogleg to the left. A lake runs from
the tee to the green on this demanding par four. On the tee shot,
if you hate the water on the left and hit too much on the right side,
it will be difficult to hit the green in regulation. The approach
shot is over the lake. The green is long and sharply slops to the
left, with two bunkers at the back. |
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A straight and tight par four. The tee shot is downhill and the further
the tee shot hits, the narrower the fairway becomes. The green slops
from back to front. |
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A short par three over a valley. The gree n is wide. |
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A strong dogleg to the right. This hole narrows as players get closer
to the green. The tee shot is over a valley. The hazards of trees
on both sides of the green and a bunker on its front right will come
into play on the approach shot. |
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A dogleg to the right, and an excellent long & tough par four.
The tee shot is over a valley with a valley along the right side.
The length can be cut by taking on the dogleg in full sight of all
the risks for such a play. The green, sharply sloping from back to
font, is surrounded by trees and bushes and is guarded by a bunker
on the right front. |
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A gently uphill dogleg to the right. The tee shot is over a small
valley. The OB zone on the left side will come into play both on the
tee shot and the second shots. The green has a fairly steep slope
from back to front. |
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It is a one hour 15 minutes’ drive south of both Makati and Manila Airport.
Since it is a private club, it is necessary to be accompany by a member,
but the golf reservation agency will perhaps arrange the member. Tagaytay
Highlands GC is a 10-minute drive away. The two golf courses are also
connected by a cable car.
The top 100 golf courses (top100golfcourses.com)
ranked 16th in Philippines Top 30 courses in 2020. There are about 100 courses
in the Philippines.
Richard Bigler, an American, has designed five or six courses in the
United States, but none are so famous. In the Philippines, he also designed
Tagaytay Highland
GC.
On the previous day, I stayed at the City Garden Grand
Hotel in Makati.
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Hole 1 Par 4 433 yards (2)