Perched in the hills of Silang, Cavite overlooking the sprawling new section of Sta. Rosa City sits South Forbes Golf City, a quaint target style golf course that bears the name of the development in which it is located. A project of Cathay Land, Inc. this is a fun, very interesting track to play.
South Forbes real charm stems from the shots the course asks from you; forced carries over ravines and greens that are separated from the tees by nothing but rain forest. Thankfully, it’s relatively short so the carries aren’t too much trouble. Better players might not enjoy leaving the driver in the bag for much of the round, but most will be better for the experience. Negotiating South Forbes requires discipline, good ball striking and precise shot placement.
If long and straight is part of your repertoire, you can drive the greens on several of the par fours. Succeed and you’ll feel like a hero. Fail and the penalty will be severe. This is what makes South Forbes so entertaining; you can bring a bunch of old golf balls and go for the greens and feel like a hero.
Even if you could, you probably shouldn't. It isn't necessary and raises the risk factor far beyond what's reasonable. That's not to say there's no room here to hit your driver. There are three holes here that have enough room for you to take the big stick off the tee. Other than that, placement trumps length.
The par fours are an exercise in restraint. Even if you could reach several of the greens off the tee, you're better off playing them like par fours and trying to score with the putter instead. Accuracy is far more important than length. A decent tee shot will leave most golfers a wedge of some sort into the green, so heroics off the tee aren't really necessary.
The par threes are beautiful and because of the elevation changes, clubbing for them can be quite the challenge, especially when the wind starts to blow. Seven is unquestionably the pick of the bunch.
Its green is exquisitely located at the base of a hill framed by expansive acacia trees. Ten is the most interesting of the lot to play. It measures 158-yards as the crow flies but because the green is situated well below the tee, it plays thirty yards shorter than it reads on the scorecard.
There are even a couple of par fives but only on one of them, the first, should you even consider hitting driver. Better results are to be had by exercising some restraint. This is a great golf course to practice your wedge play. You'll have a lot of them coming into the greens.
It's also quite beautiful. its location provides spectacular views of Mt. Makiling, the province of Laguna and the Sierra Madre Mountains beyond Laguna de Bay. It's especially beautiful in the early morning so get an early tee time if you can.
2020 has been a disastrous year for the Philippines. At the onset of the year on the 12th of January, Taal Volcano broke its decades long slumber, shook the earth and spewed ash high up into the Philippine sky.......Read More
----------
It’s been almost exactly a year since I first set foot on Puerto Azul Golf and Country Club since its acquisition by Salvador “Buddy” Zamora and its renovation, presided over by his son, Bodie. It’s amazing to see the golf course in this kind of condition again.....Read More
----------
-
