Caliraya Springs Golf Club (Arnold Palmer)

Overview: The Arnold Palmer course at Caliraya Springs is the Lakeside routing, an 18-hole par-72 course set around the rolling ground above Lake Caliraya in Cavinti, Laguna. Golfify lists 6,788 yards from the gold tees. Palmer’s design uses the natural contours of the site, with uphill and downhill holes, water hazards and fairways that move through a highland landscape rather than a flat resort plain. The lake is a visual presence, but the more lasting impression comes from the changing elevation and the variety of approach angles.

History: Caliraya Springs was developed as a two-course golf and residential project, with the Philippines Tourism profile recording 2002 as the completion year for the wider development. The Lakeside course was the Arnold Palmer half of the plan, while Graham Marsh designed the separate Upland Falls course. Contemporary project material describes Palmer’s routing as an early part of the construction programme, and the present course is still identified by that Lakeside and Palmer pairing.

Did You Know? The seventh is often highlighted as the Lakeside course’s memorable short hole because the line calls for a carry over an inlet of the lake. It is a compact example of the course’s larger idea: the water is not simply scenery around the estate, but a feature that changes the decision at the tee and the shape of the shot into the green.