Designed by renown golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Jones used designs of golf holes from golf courses such as St. Andrews, Augusta National, Shinnecock Hills, Oakmont Country Club, Winged Foot, Pebble Beach, Sotogrande, Royal Melbourne and more to string together a picturesque and challenging golf course in the city of Lipa, Batangas.
This World 18 concept is unique in the Philippines. It offers a chance for Pinoygolfers to pit their skills against holes from golf courses that most have only read about or seen on the internet. The design also means that every hole is unique and that there are no weak holes here. Played from the appropriate set of tees, this is all the golf course than anyone could ever want.
Every hole is a gem. The opening nine is a great mix of holes. It's a unique layout with three par fours, three par threes and three par fives. The opening holes are beautifully sculpted but the real test comes in the middle of the nine from holes four to seven.
Four is inspired by the third hole at the Oakmont Country Club, one of the most difficult golf courses in the United States. Thankfully, this is one of the easier holes on that golf course, provided you can negotiate the extremely aggressive bunkering.
Par fives are usually scoring opportunities, but the fifth is anything but easy. Modeled after the sixteenth at Shinnecock Hills, this is a beast; a true three-shot par five that is almost unreachable in regulation for the average golfer. Par here is a very good score.
The fifteenth hole at Cypress Point provides the blueprint for the sixth. It's the longest of Summit Point's par threes that possesses a subtly undulating green that's proven quite difficult to read.
The denouement of the gauntlet is the seventh, patterned after the tenth at Pebble Beach. The most difficult hole on the golf course requires a precisely placed drive and a masterful approach to a difficult green.
There's more to Summit Point besides some very difficult holes. There is bountiful beauty on this track; three and nine are some of the most picturesque par fives in the country. Twelve and thirteen, the two holes inspired by the eleventh and twelve at Augusta National are wonderful golf holes that put a premium on precision over power.
The one hole that will leave golfers scratching their heads is the par five sixteenth. Inspired by the fourteenth hole at St. Andrews, Jones took a hole that is as flat as a pancake and built it on the most undulating piece of the property. It's a Rubik's cube of a golf hole and requires a lot of local knowledge to negotiate without imploding and is ultimately rewarding when you finally get it right.
The province of Batangas is blessed with some of the most interesting golf courses on the island of Luzon and Summit Point stands proud among them. It might be a good distance from the metropolis but it's pretty much a straight shot South on some of the best roads in the country.
Summit Point is a wonderful golf course and is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a stimulating day on the fairways.
