Eagle Ridge: Busy course with the most

With hundreds of members out on the course swinging during weekends and holidays, an ordinary golf club will definitely have no more holes or tee-times left for guests and walk-ins.

Unlike most clubs, however, there are just too many holes for everybody to be happy at the sprawling Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in Gen. Trias, Cavite.

The numbers are steadily rising at the country’s biggest golf complex and the 27-hole shotgun start - a first in the young club’s history - at the Aoki and Norman courses over the weekend became another proof to Eagle Ridge’s asset might.

Aside from the 188 members who joined Eagle’s year-end bash, there were 128 who teed off on the Faldo course and another 131 who dared to take the challenge of the treacherous Dye course.

That’s 447 rounds for a single day. Significantly, the figure even pales in comparison to two record highs achieved by the club - a joint venture project of Sta. Lucia Realty and Alsons Land Corp. - this month.

There were 650 rounds registered on Friday, Dec. 6 which was a national holiday when three tournaments were held on the same day.

And the next day Dec. 7, there were 701 players, 240 of whom were participants of the final leg of the Sta. Lucia Tour, teed off for a two-day record of 1,351.

Eagle’s averages of at least 200 rounds a day and 7,000 plus a month are already considered to be the highest by local standards.

Meanwhile, Vendrick Tan, Albert Que, Emilio Gozum, Hermogenes Arayata and Marissa Romano topped their respective divisions in the December members’ tournament.

Tan beat Paolo Garcia for Class A honors, Albert Que nipped Elizar de Guzman for the Class B plum, Gozum edged Luis Vistan in the countback for the Class C trophy, Arayata won over Maxi Abad for Class D and Marissa Romano beat jungolf star Jayvie Marie Agojo in handicap play for the ladies crown.

Eagle is set to stage bigger and tougher tournaments next year especially with its impending entry into the Federation of Golf Clubs Philippines, Inc. and the opening of the Norman’s back nine holes to complete its 72-hole package.