A golf course that’s not scary

DUMAGUETE CITY — The last time Bert Bravo was in the spotlight was around 20 years ago when he sponsored the U-Bix Manila Open, an annual professional golf tournament that was then a must for the country’s top professionals.

He also sponsored the U-Bix ProAm championship, an event that attracted the best golf pros and amateurs in an alternate-shot pairing, the only one of its kind in the country at the time.

Then suddenly, Bravo, who made his fortune in copiers, printers, and office furniture imported from Japan, disappeared from the sports scene — and with him, his various golf events. Nothing was heard of him for years, until recently, when he emerged, not to promote a golf championship, but a golf course.

It’s called the Bravo Golf Club, a 3,300 yard, 18-hole, par-3 course inside an orchard of ancient mango trees, with mountains and sea as backdrop. It’s the country’s only par-3 course in Sibulan town, Negros Oriental, 15 minutes from downtown Dumaguete City, home of Silliman University.

The ultimate objective of this golf course, according to Bravo — now 81 and still concocting new and sometimes-weird investment possibilities — is to encourage the youth of the province to take up the game.

That is why, he says, the course is short and fun, and not at all scary for beginners. This same course, he adds, will someday be open to national junior golfers, aged 12 and below, to hone their games for international agegroup tournaments.

Bravo especially feels that his course is perfect for jungolfers. The shortest hole is 85 yards, while the longest, and probably the toughest, is the 190-yard 11th. Some greens indeed undulate and all are the size of postage stamps, perfect for developing precision shots.

For now, the golf course has become a welcome diversion for foreign tourists who have made this seaside city a destination. In fact, Bravo says, a recent study showed Dumaguete City ranking in the Top 20 worldwide as a desirable retirees’ haven because it offers both urban and rural lifestyles.

Apparently, Bravo, who is also in the business of building resorts and hotels, is ready for the future. “It’s my way of helping develop golf and the local economy,” he says with pride to a group of media golfers over the weekend.

Bravo to you, Bert.