obsessed

Putt he must, putt he shall.....

City of Pines

I love Baguio.  There is something magical about playing the fairways of Baguio Country Club or Camp John Hay.  The cool weather and the smell of pine cones in the air is worth the long drive from Manila.

Pine cones are abundant in Baguio. Whenever I am able to play golf there I always find a way to pick up the pine cones that have scattered along the fairway and bring them back home. I bring a little bag and after the 18th hole it would be full of different shaped pine cones.

Once they are dried i spray paint them and they become part of my Christmas decorations.  This year I decided to paint the pine cones in silver.

You can spruce up your house and use them as eye catching accents to your holiday arrangements. I placed my newly painted pine cones on our staircase

and added  them to our Christmas tree...

and our dining room.

They may be placed in unexpected places to add to a more festive look this Christmas. So the next time you find yourself golfing in Baguio, pick up a few of those pine cones and turn them into some holiday cheer for your home.

with golfing buddies Bernie and Marlo 

November is for ....

November is for Thanksgiving and I am thankful for any time I can spend with family....
I am not able to see my eldest son  Christian often enough but had some time to see him this Thanksgiving holiday.  It was a treat that his day off fell on the final day of the Charles Schwab cup and that luckily my niece Selene just happened to have 2 tickets to spare. Talk about blessings!

Harding Golf Club

The Charles Schwab Cup 2011 was  held at the Harding Golf Club in the San Francisco Bay Area which is next to the gorgeous Lake Merced.

View of Lake Merced by Harding GC

Christian Ignacio

No cameras allowed in the tournament.

18th Hole Harding GC

But IPhones were allowed :-)

Amazing photo quality from a phone don't you think?

I told you I gave you the right yardage.....

Adam Scott at the first day of the Australian Open.  Go Adam!

The stronger your core, the lower your score!

As people are getting more health conscious, fitness systems like Pilates are gaining more following.  Developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920's, Pilates believes that lifestyle, posture, and inefficient breathing contributes to poor health, so it encourages alignment of the spine and strengthening of the abdominal muscles - both critical to a golfer's swing.

Proper balance in golf translates to a more powerful swing.  Spending long hours at the driving range and countless hours on your short game is great.  But if you work on strengthening your body, you can further reduce your handicap and prevent body aches and injuries.  Instead of purchasing a new club, it makes better sense to spend extra time getting in better physical shape.  But the big question remains: by strengthening my core, will I lower my score?

The only exercise i do regularly is walking on the golf course.  But as much as I avoid the gym, I would do anything to play better golf, so I was willing to try Pilates.  My golf pro can only do so much with my swing, but the fundamental cause of any swing defect is impaired physical condition, which may result in backswing sway, reverse pivot, chicken winging, and casting.  If I want to be stronger and more flexible, then I have ti do proper exercise.

My golf teammate at Forest Hills has been doing Pilates for years.  I sought her recommendation and was led to Carolyn Lim of the Balanced Body Studio.  Carol spearheaded the teaching of Pilates and Gyrokinesis - a methodology that allows you to work on your entire body through seven natural elements of spinal movement- in the country.  

Being quite apprehensive, I ask Carol to keep the lessons simple.  She assures, "Anyone can do Pilates!"  Then proceeds to demonstrate manageable moves anyone can indeed follow.

Golf is extraordinary in that the sport is not restricted by age.  Just ask my 80-year-old dad who beats my score regularly.  The same holds true for Pilates, because it is a low-impact activity.  So yes, it is highly possible that the stronger your core, the lower your score!

For a copy of the Pilates exercises demonstrated by Carol Lim, check out Impact Magazine in major bookstores and magazine stands.

Fore!

Happy Golf Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all! Here's hoping you had some free days to enjoy the fairways this long weekend.

Have you seen some of the golf themed halloween costumes?

                                        This one is called the Tiger Woods black eye costume.

                                                  Here's the Tiger Woods Halloween mask!

                                   Check out the Tiger Woods Halloween wanna be on the left....


                                   But my all time favorite are still  the PGA Golf Boys costume.....

                               Ben Crane, Hunter Mahan, Ricky Fowler and Bubba Watson.

                               Happy Trick or Treating!

Impact golf is here!

Writing and taking pictures have always been therapeutic for me.  So to be able to do that and get published is like kinda cool right?

But it becomes more than cool if your article gets into a Golf magazine and it's their maiden issue.

Impact magazine is about golf and much more.  It's about the Filipino golfer's lifestyle and it's been a long time dream of its editor -in-chief Mike Besa to share his passion about this sport that we so love.

Check out Impact Magazine at your leading bookstores and magazine stands.

Fore!

Barefoot

One of these days i would like to play golf in this outfit!

10 ways to kill time in the fairway...

The snails have crossed the fairway and the foursome ahead of you is still taking forever.  Here's what you can do:

1. Try out your new stretching exercises.

2. Figure out how many mangoes are on the tree

3. Tee off all at the same time to speed up play....

4. Watch all the goats run across the fairway

5. Find a way to get the goats away from the tee box

6.  Jump up and down and see who can jump the highest

7.  Check out for any deer crossing

8.  Pose for pictures

9.  Feed the ducks

10.  Take a nap

Take me back here!

Calatagan Golf Club

My friend Rubby has been inviting to play Calatagan Golf Club like forever. I had always wanted to go but it just seemed like such a long drive to get there from Manila (http://www.calatagangolfclub.com/how-to-get-there).  After a couple of glasses of bubbly and oysters following a golf game at Forest Hills with my girlfriend Sam, we promised Rubby we would go.  So when we finally got to Calatagan, I kept asking myself why I had not made this trip sooner. 

It was such a beautiful course!  Old trees and scenic fairways lined with lush Kalachuchi trees added to its majestic landscape. 

Short par 3

Calatagan is one of the oldest courses in the Philippines and very few know that it is one of the few “green” golf courses that has been making a lot of “eco-friendly”efforts to keep the course organic.  There are no chemicals or fertilizers used throughout this Robert Trent designed course.  Instead, a biodynamic compost which is made on premise by the Calatagan staff is what is used. 

Stay out of the bunker!

I could hardly concentrate on my game as I wanted to take so many pictures! Every hole had its charm.  This is one course I really would like to play again.

With Ricky Yabut, Samantha Lopez Edwards & Rubby Lugtu

Fore!