Santa Elena Golf and Country Club

About the club

Robert Trent Jones II designed the 27 holes at Santa Elena, a golf and housing development about an hour outside of Manila. The site was one a sugar producing facility, and it is an official Audubon cooperative Sanctuary owing to the variety of plants and animals here. Jones' course features contoured fairways, ample bunkering and water and an excellent selection of grasses (it was at Santa Elena that dwarf Bermuda made its first appearance in the Philippines). The routing extends over a number of ravines, occasionally twenty or more yards deep, which often intersect with other hazards. Players are accordingly advised to pay especially close attention to club selection. Another major challenge is the breeze, which turns holes like the par 3 17th, where the green is nestled between a gully and a bunker, into real challenges. Excellent drainage makes Santa Elena the place to play during the wet summer months.