Go Southwoods Ladies!

It's the Philippine Ladies Federation golf season! This year the teams include Southwoods, Sta. Elena, Alabang, Orchard and Tagayatay Highlands.  As of March 22, 2013 the Southwoods Ladies lead the pack!

Tess Staub & Sandy Velhagen

It was a marvelous day for Southwoods today where the ladies swept all games at home against Sta. Elena.

Nini Samaniego & Claire Ong

Florence Okiyama & Christine Naidoo

The captains were as intense....

as the players....

Upcoming games:

April 4:

Home                             Away

Orchard          Vs.          Sta. Elena
Southwoods   Vs.          Tagaytay Highlands
Alabang         Vs.          Bye

April 18

Sta. Elena       Vs.         Orchard
Tagaytay        Vs.         Southwoods
Highlands
Bye                Vs.         Alabang

April 25

Tagaytay         Vs.        Sta. Elena
Highlands
Bye                  Vs.       Orchard
Alabang           Vs.       Southwoods

May 2

Sta. Elena          Vs.    Tagaytay Highlands
Orchard             Vs.    Bye
Southwoods       Vs.    Alabang


Until the next game!

Fore!!!

Para "waiting"

Carmona fly site

"Para waiting" is a term we use when paragliders are "waiting" for the best wind conditions to be able to fly. We hike up to our flysite and measure how strong the winds are before we can take off.  There are times when the wind conditions are magical and we can have several flights in one afternoon.  Then there times when we wait for hours and the winds just never calm down enough for even one flight.

And that's when the waiting begins. But it's the fellowship that counts.  Laying around and just enjoying the lazy afternoon while sharing stories... and for some reason we never run out of stories to share.

Or in my case, pictures to take...

We also use the time to practice our kiting skills...

And as soon as we get that "window" where the winds begin to calm down, we take flight!

Making all the "para waiting" so worth it.

Happy Sunday everyone!

In search of a flysite in Sagada

I have always wanted to see Sagada Mountain Province. It just seemed so far away and too long a drive.  But I told myself that one day I would go.  So when our friend Andrew invited the paragliders to check out Sagada as a possible flysite in the Philippines I wasted no time and made the trip. Eleven hours later I finally made it to Andrew's beautiful Sagada home.

I was greeted with the scent of pine, a toasty bonfire and an amazing view of the woods.

Buko Raymundo and the paragliders

Andrew Chinalpan with Buko

The next day we hiked up to "Marlboro" country in search for a possible fly site. It was a scenic climb to the top of the mountain.

Along the way there were wild strawberries to be had. They were smaller than the strawberries 

we are used to seeing in the supermarket. 

I thought it was good but not as sweet.  Perhaps it wasn't quite strawberry season yet. After about a 45 minute hike we reached what could be our "runway" and fly site.  It was breathtaking. My pictures would not give justice to the view.

I was imagining how awesome it would be to fly over the rice terraces! For me that would be worth the long trip up to Sagada...

My Golf boys are back!

They are at it again......
Check them out!

I will always love Baguio

Christian on hole 2 at the Baguio Country Club

My external drive with thousands of pictures crashed! Somehow I was able to restore it but all the files are messed up.  I have began the laborious task of sorting the pictures and arranging them in the right catalog.  To do this I must go through every single photo in the drive and arrange it in the proper file. While doing so I stumbled upon an album of a trip to Baguio we had taken a few years ago. My son Christian was visiting from San Francisco at that time and we decided to go to Baguio for some family bonding.

Sunrise from my room

Looking at those pictures brought back so many beautiful memories.  There is something very special about Baguio for me. I remember spending every Holy Week as a little girl in Baguio Country Club with my family. The scent of the pine, the cool breeze, the sunrise and rolling fog in the morning... are all part of what makes Baguio so memorable for me.

Walking the fairways

Looking at the pictures of the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio also brought back many joyful memories of when my husband was still a young cadet at the academy.

Philippine Military Academy

But for me the highlight of every Baguio trip will be the golf. Baguio Country Club is probably the only golf course where i am willing to walk 36 holes for the game.

You can tee off at 7:00 am and be done by noon.  Do a leisurely lunch and then tee off again at 1:30 for another 18 holes!

With Christian at hole 1

And that's why I will always love Baguio...

Inspiring Golfers Who Make a Difference

Do you know any golfer who has “gone the distance” in the fight against breast cancer? 

Pinnacle Golf has just launched the second annual Going the Distance Awards, a program that celebrates and honors golfers who are making an impact in battling this disease. Ten honorees will have a US $10,000.00 donation made in their name to help fund critical breast cancer research, as well as receive a prize package from Pinnacle.

Anyone can nominate a golfer who inspires them by sharing their story at PinnacleGolf.com or Facebook.com/PinnacleGolf. 

Honorees will be determined based on four key criteria:

·      Dedication to the fight against breast cancer demonstrating a personal passion and

       commitment to furthering the cause (e.g., volunteer, community advocate, medical practitioner

·      Impact on others’ lives or the community

·      Strong tie to breast cancer (e.g., survivor or family/friend of survivor)

·      Connection to, and passion for, golf 

The program runs until March 30, 2013. Winners will be announced in May to coincide with Mother’s Day. A judging panel that includes representatives from Pinnacle, Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, and the golf community will choose the final ten Going the Distance Award honorees. The $10,000 donation made in each honoree’s name to Susan G. Komen for the Cure will go toward life-saving breast cancer research at the national level.

Giveaway: Want a chance to win Pinnacle Gold Ribbon Golf balls?

E-mail me with an answer to this question: 

What kind of good are you doing in the golf community?

Weekend golf

Taking 5 

I usually start my Saturday mornings with an early round of golf with my girlfriends at Forest Hills in Antipolo.  It's something i really look forward to. It doesn't matter whether i played good or not. There are golf days for competition and golf days for training.  But Saturday golf with my girlfriends, well its the kind of golf i look forward to...

Happy golfing weekend everyone!

Ah Sagada

Sagada rice terraces

It's March and the Philippine Ladies golf federation season is on. So before it gets golf crazy hectic I made quick Sagada mountain getaway. Sagada is amazingly beautiful.  The 10 hour drive from Manila was so worth it...