GOLF IN MANILA, BATANGAS & TAGAYTAY - PHILIPPINES

Kok warms up at the 1st hole of Wack Wack Golf & Country Club's West Course. It's a 416-yd par 4 indexed 5. Wack Wack transfers at 10 mil peso (approx S$300k) currently as it's located in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. The most expensive club now is Manila Golf & Country Club for similar reasons. We were in Luzon from 6-12 Jan and played two days at Wack Wack, two in Batangas Province and then in Tagaytay on the last. A typhoon that by-passed Batangas Bay the day we arrived induced a low pressure belt that caused sporadic rain and extremely strong winds making the game tough for us.

From left, Kok and Stephen Tong (both from the Keppel Philippines Group), me, Raymond and Jimmy preparing for tee-off at the 1st hole of the Wack Wack West Course. The club is named after the crow's call by Bill Shaw, the club's founder. It has an East Course and a West Course. The par-72 West Course plays 6,198 yds from blue tees and is course and slope-rated 69.2 and 131 respectively. The older East Course is currently being renovated and is only 9-hole playable.

Wack Wack is surrounded by high-rise buildings in the Makati Business District of Metro Manila as well as high-end condominiums. Wack Wack's membership stands at about 860 of which some 50% don't golf so they are quite relaxed where tee-times are concerned. They even allow five balls on weekdays.

The 18th hole of the West Course. It's a 374-yd par four from the blue tee-box and is indexed 10. To reach the green in two, you will need a good tee-shot to a fairway that dog-legs right.

Teeing off in the rain on the second outing when we played 9 holes each of the East and West Courses. My score was worse than that of the first outing when I shot 6 pars.

Somewhere out on the East Course is an enclosure where a few crocs are kept. This one looks well-fed but don't venture into the pen.

Filipino lomi (lor mee) a la Wack Wack which I also tasted at Alta Vista in Cebu. To make it akin to my taste, I added vinegar and chopped garlic. If you wish to have this dish when there, look for the sign "lomi haus" - lor mee outlets.

Crispy pata (fried pork knuckle) is an all-time Filipino favourite. This was served at Wack Wack. The best place for this dish, I reckon, is Kemayan in Mandaluyong City. Roast suckling pig and lechon kewali (roast pork) are very popular there too. You will have something else thrown in when dining there - off duty staff will serenade you with songs done professionally.

The Pontefino Hotel where we stayed in Batangas is the best there. It is comfortable, clean and the rooms are large. We spent our evenings here drinking coffee or beer and yarning about old days.

Raymond poses in front of the new Batangas Church while we were out for our morning walk before the rain came down. There is an old church but we didn't find it as the rain came.

The people in Batangas are very proud of this mall and refer to it like an icon. SM Small is relatively new here and it belongs to the Shoe Mart (SM) Group, which grew out of a mall in Manila and now has outlets all over the Philippines.

Raymond wants to bring back to Shekou fond memories of Batangas. The jeepney next to him is well decorated - a sign of Filipino pride in their national transportation mode. Jeepneys which are entirely designed and made in the Philippines cost around S$20,000 each.

Raymond and I decided to go for a morning walk before breakfast in Batangas City. It was not very encouraging as the side walks are not properly lined and muddy plus it started to rain so we ended up having coffee in a cafe to wait out the rain. Perhaps that's why we don't see joggers and people commute everywhere by jeepneys or motor-cycle jeepneys, one of which is seen approaching.

This is a fighting cock. Cock fighting is like a national obsession with Filipinos. There is a dedicated TV channel which shows the fights live on weekends. A good cock can fetch up to S$600 and may not survive more than a minute in a fight. In fights, they are armed with an extremely sharp blade attached to one of the legs. Note that the cock is chained to its shelter. Guards are deployed to oversee them and if anyone should try to steal the birds, the guards may shoot him.

This is Mt Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City. Mt Malarayat is in the background. The course is made up of the Mt Lobo (front) and the Mt Malipunyo nines. From blue tees, the par-72 6,324-yd course is course and slope-rated 70.5 and 125 respectively.

The mystique of Mt Malarayat which serves as a backdrop for the Mt Malarayat Club. The lull of the typhoon shows in the dark clouds overcasting that day.

Raymond and Jimmy approaching the par-4 6th green with caddies in tow. For this hole, the wind was with us so with a wind-carried tee shot, Jimmy was able to put two on.

Approaching the 9th Green after hitting our second shots.

Mt Malarayat in the background overlooks the Mt Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City. The mountain stands at 1,200 m above sea level and is a stark reminder for me of Bali Handara and Mt Santubong in Kuching, Sarawak.

Putting and studying lines of putt on the 9th hole.