Philippines Golf Academy

Riviera Golf and Country Club recently walked away with their fourth win in the Federation Men’s League. Here are some thoughts on their recent win by one of the members on the team; Pinoygolfer Bok Labastilla. This article was also published in the September 26, 2010 edition of Business Mirror Golf.

Enjoy.

Vince Lombardi once said: “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” Having gone through dozens of civilized warfare in my profession as a lawyer and in games like golf and poker, I realized that Lombardi’s statement does not really satisfy me. In essence, my entire objection to his formulation revolves around the issue of measurability. If I want to win so much, by what yardstick do I measure that desire? If my will to win is very strong but I lose every time I compete, am I still winning? Or am I merely engaging in semantic tautology whereby winning is defined by other terms that also mean winning?

Then I came across a sentence from a book titled Poker and Philosophy where one of the contributing authors, Mark Hamilton, said: “Victory lies not in winning but in overcoming the challenge presented by a worthy opponent.” I suddenly realized that my whole approach to the problem was wrong. Winning, or victory, is not a result but a process. It is a process that entails several elements, namely: 1.) a worthy opponent; 2.) a challenge; and 3.) overcoming that challenge.

In serious match play competitions like the Federation league, the first two elements are given; it is in providing the third element that the serious player gets to assert himself into the equation. Tiger Woods, four times US Amateur champion, once said that match play is 18 holes of battle. The will to overcome the challenge has to be always present in the competitor for the entire 18 holes.

This will doesn’t have to be at the forefront all the time. Depending on your swing on some holes, depending on which side of the bed you woke up on, you will lose some holes. Acceptance is key. You have to accept that you will lose some battles but then you have to fully believe that you will win the war.

And because the Federation format is always played with a partner, another factor comes into play. Your will to overcome the challenge presented by the opposition must be jointly shared by your partner. You both have to embrace it, to welcome it joyously and fearlessly as fellow journeymen in that particular day’s adventure. If you don’t, and distrust of your partner’s ability or intentions comes into play, then you’ve just presented yourself with another challenge to overcome – your perception of your partner.

The solution to this is to fully trust in the abilities of your partner. At this level, golf skills are a given. Your partner did not make the team by accident. He must certainly have worked very hard to get to his present handicap level. But more than belief in his abilities, you have to fully believe in his will to win. Time and again, the team captain would call on the services of a player, whether he is ready or not. You just have to believe that your partner will be playing at his best on that particular day.

In stroke play, you can afford to battle with yourself, since you have more or less five hours to resolve your inner turmoil. That is not allowed in match play. If you are not immediately at peace with yourself and your swing for the day, you will dig yourself a hole with your partner and against your opponents very early. Befriend yourself and your partner as soon as you can and you already have a head start. A good attitude when you shake hands with your opponents in the first tee would be something like, “I’m with my older brother. I’m sorry our captain said to kick your ass today. So we will!” Be sure, though, not to say it loud.

The worthy opponents in golf are 1.) the members of the other team who are in the same flight as you and 2.) the golf course during that day. Jun Arceo said it best when he said: “In the context of the Fed League, I find it ironic that while most of the time we play golf we deem the golf course to be our opponent, it suddenly becomes our ally.”

This explains why it is so much easier to win at home rather than away. Course familiarity counts for a lot. Since you’ve paid so much dues to your home course by virtue of the regular monthly assessments, the balls lost or deposited at favorite hazards, the numerous lip-outs and bad bounces that you got during regular rounds, you are somehow entitled to expect that, come crunch time, the breaks that your home course gives would favor you more than the visiting opponent.

You have to realize that golf is the only sport that is played in variable terrain. Unlike tennis, football or basketball, the dimensions of a golf course are not strictly measured and are limited only by the course architect’s imagination. The more unusually designed your home course, the harder it is for opponents to get a win there, everything else being equal.

The Langer course, twice voted the best golf course in the Philippines by Asian Golf Magazine, was essentially carved out of a mountain range in Silang, Cavite. The genius of Bernhard Langer saw golf holes where other designers might have only seen problems. I suspect that Langer, like the other great designer Tom Doaks, is a strict minimalist. Minimalists believe in the idea that less earth movement is better. The four adjoining holes, 16, 5, 6 and 7, for instance, was once a mighty plateau that gently descended into a ravine. That is why you cannot find a good lie in your second shot in holes 5 and 6. Three of the four par 3s were an inspired find, they are tucked in the recesses of the ridge and require precise iron shots to get to. The fourth par 3, hole 12, on the other hand is a brutal 227 yards, slightly uphill and always into a headwind. Sometimes, a driver is not enough.

There are no water hazards but ravines are everywhere. There is only one out-of-bounds line. If you hook your tee shot or second shot in hole 10, your ball would have moved to another municipal jurisdiction, as the entire left side is Dasmarinas. The greens are large but often multi-tiered. Failure to get in the proper side of the hole will often spell a three-putt. Sometimes, you’re better off missing the green so you can chip and putt instead. So, to play well in Langer, your long game, approach shots, short game and putting must be in tip-top shape. In other words, you have to be a good golfer.

Vince Infante, the Riviera Team Captain since 2006, calls the Langer course our “major, major ally”. That may be true but we could not have won this year without getting points from our away games. Vince and his co-captain, Al Quitangon, have burned thousands of pesos in cell phone conversations since the League started three months ago. They would talk in the morning and again at night to discuss permutations and “feel” about particular pairings. Where other captains would be satisfied with three options, these two once came up with 14 different options for just one game! Al once remarked to me, over the haze of bottles of beer in Tiendesitas, that there is a science to the pairings. A good poker player himself, Al could read the other team’s lineup for the day, as if their cards were exposed.

And just like poker, a team’s lineup is only as good as the players who are available for the day.
Most days Vince wished we had the legendary Pepot Inigo, so he could free up the rest of the lineup. But he still works as a purser with Philippine Air Lines, with an irregular schedule. On our third game in Alabang, we lost Howie Sison, self-proclaimed Hellboy, when he contracted high blood pressure. After the second game, James Wang tried out for the South Korean National Team. Al, the 2008 Fed co-MVP, had to oversee operations in a new job in the insurance industry.

Fortunately, other players took up the slack. Vince and his constant partner, Jon Judan, had gotten into the rhythm of their respective jobs in the computer and shipping industry, respectively. Brix Aw postponed the launch of a consumer product he was developing. The other players like Gerald Katigbak, Scott Yeom, Ricky de la Paz, Jing Romero, Peter Nava, Jun Arceo, Danny Pizzaro, Chay Moreno, Chito Servida, Alex Escalona, Domeng de Leon, Joe La’O Danny Daez and myself simply decided to dedicate more time to the team.

By the end of the elimination round, Howie had gotten back in shape, James had returned back from South Korea (to the delight of his only possible partner, the irrepressible Eric Virata) and Pepot’s schedule became freer. With an embarrassment of talents to choose from, Vince and Al’s daily discussions became a happier, rather than a problematic, affair. The job of Jim Reyes, our team manager, had shifted from that of a manic arranger to that of easy companion.

Unlike the PAL Interclub, which is one week of golf bacchanalia, the three-month long Federation League requires a lot of sacrifices from its participants and their families. In the past three months, I have moved to another office address, lost some friends, picked up a few new cases and even started a new company. I’ve also spent more time in the putting mat and in the driving range than I did since the golf bug bit me. To do that, I had to set aside other distractions like poker, movies, even music.

I also had to budget harder. Unlike other teams, Team Riviera, by choice, does not demand as much support from the club. All we get are the team uniforms and the new balls and caddy fees when one is fielded during actual matches. All expenses for practice games are out of our own pockets. Club support, by agreement, comes after we win the whole thing.

Along the way, I’ve also gained new friends and have gotten to know myself better. I learned how to welcome pressure and to deal with it like an old injury. Vince got me stuck in the aggregate format most of the time, where the player who blinks will cause his side to lose. I learned to expect the best from my opponents, my partners and myself. I’ve seen pars and birdies made from impossible places. I’ve also seen the most boneheaded plays made, mostly by myself. I’ve learned to truly love and appreciate competitive golf.

Mark Hamilton also wrote, “We often think the only pleasure derived from competing is winning, but there can also be great pleasure, almost addictive pleasure, from the activity itself.” Consider me a Fed League addict. I can’t wait for this thing to begin again next year.

Read the whole story on:http://pinoygolfer.com

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