Club Intramuros is among the oldest golf courses in the Philippines. It used to be a moat surrounding The Walled City and was later converted into a sunken garden.
During the American Era, it was made into a golf course, and this was in the early 1930s, originally known as the Manila Municipal Golf Links. The Manila City government later assumed management of the course and expanded it into a full 18-hole golf course.
In the 1950s, a driving range was put up on the golf course, and in the 1960s, the venue was further expanded. Later, the management and control of Club Intramuros was transferred to the Philippine Tourism Authority, which has now evolved into the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), in 1981 during the Marcos Administration.
During the Ramos Administration, golf architect David Dye was commissioned to rehabilitate and further beautify the golf course. The upgraded full 18-hole, par 66, golf course lines the periphery of the walls of Intramuros, further enhancing the historical value of the location.
With the popularity of the golf course among locals and foreigners who do not want to waste hours of travel just to play golf, Club Intramuros has become the best time-saving option. This inspired TIEZA to come up with the idea of Night Golf, after making further upgrades and enhancements on the venue.
Club Intramuros now prides itself on being the only course in the country that offers Night Golf, from 3:00 p.m. to midnight. With this move, the Club expects a significant increase in the number of patrons as corporate executives will now find it convenient to do the 18 holes right after office.
During the launch the other day, which was emceed by popular sportscaster Anthony Suntay, many golf enthusiasts expressed their desire to use the course immediately to play nighttime golf. The occasion highlighted the Switching-On Ceremony which was spearheaded by Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso, TIEZA chief operating officer Pocholo Paragas, and Tourism Undersecretary Edwin Enrile.
When I was asked to represent tourism’s private sector on stage, I said this event came in timely as the industry would benefit from having something new to offer to domestic and foreign guests in the face of the drastic slump we are currently experiencing due to the COVID-19 scare.
It is always good to have a new product to sell, and playing nighttime golf right in history’s ground zero, with the cool breeze blowing from all directions, further validates why It’s More Fun In The Philippines.
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com.
YOUR weekend CHUCKLE
My grandfather takes long walks, an hour a day. It’s been two years, we still don’t know where he is.