Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club

About the club

The Masters Jack Nicklaus designed the 6500-plus meter, par 72 Masters Course at Manila Southwoods, and it lives up to his reputation for challenging golf; indeed, no one with a handicap over 27 is permitted to play. The club has attracted the Philippine Open four times since it opened, and the pros on the Asia Tour named it Venue of the Year for 1999 and 2000. The fine layout makes the most of terrain that is spacious with some relief and some wetlands. Each hole is visually unique and offers its own test. Thus the signature short par 4 9th seems straightforward at first, but closer inspection reveals that the landing area lies between the out of bounds and an enormous bunker. Also noteworthy are the 14th, where the narrow fairway is bounded by a 150-foot-long bunker, and the 16th, where there is a forced carry over water. Great golf for great golfers. The Legends The Legends is the easier of the two courses Jack Nicklaus designed for Manila Southwoods, but at around 6500 meters and with a USGA rating of 71.5, it is no cakewalk. It does however occupy a beautiful parkland location where hundreds of species of plants and birds can be found. Nicklaus worked a good deal of relief into the topography of the fairways, and kept things interesting with extensive bunkers and numerous water hazards. Tom Kite took on John Daly in an exhibition match on opening day in the fall of 1992, and the club also attracted the World Amateur Golf Team Championship in 1996, where Daniel Olsson of Sweden earned a 64, which is still the top score. Players of all kinds will find an enjoyable test here. The signature hole is the long par 5 17th, which requires care if the close-in following shots are not to bring disaster.