When choosing which golf club to join, there are a number of factors to take into consideration.

Of course, the primary issue will be budget. How much are you willing to spend on a golf share? Is it worth buying a share or should I just pay and play? How about playing rights? Second, where do I buy? Do I buy shares at the nearest course to my residence or would it be better buying near the office/place of business so I can sneak in a round whenever schedule permits? Third, where do my golf buddies play? How’s the culture among members in the club I am considering to join?

These, and many more factors were on my mind when it came time to buy my own golf share.

I’ve been golfing for 30 years. In that amount of time, I was playing as a dependent of my dad for a good 10 years. At one time or another, I was a dependent at Capitol Hills, Canlubang Golf and Country Club and more recently, at Forest Hills. Free golf is the best golf, and I got to take advantage of being a dependent until I hit the age limit. As luck would have it, even without a club membership, I still got to play quite a bit of golf for a good 10-15 years as a perk of working for a print media company.

My former publisher was an avid golfer and we joined countless media golf days, served as media partners to corporate tournaments, and got invited to the best courses. But after 15 years in print, I had a career shift and leaving my job meant my golf perks were gone too. After playing for “free,” I now have to pay my way, and shop around for a club.

My first consideration was budget of course. Fortunately, I was shopping around before the pandemic golf boom caused shares to skyrocket. Needless to say, the most exclusive courses like Wack Wack, Manila Golf, Alabang and Sta Elena were way out of budget. But I still had a few nice courses to choose from.

With course quality, proximity and share prices being relatively equal, what tipped the scales for me was, ironically, not the golf but the other facilities. I was newly married then and was looking forward to having my own family. Having activities besides playing golf, especially for kids, was why I ended up joining Tagaytay Highlands.

Being more of a resort complex with golf courses as opposed to a golf course with added facilities, Highlands was an easy choice. It’s a place we visit just to escape the city. With stunning views, numerous dining, sports, entertainment and family activity options, Tagaytay Highlands is in a league of its own. And with two golf courses, Highlands and Midlands, plus a bonus Lucky 9 course, there are 45 holes of golfing fun for me.

I recently played Tagaytay Midlands with cousins and was reminded of how stunning a course it is. I admittedly don’t get to play as much as I would like to, so a trip to one of my home courses is always a welcome treat.

Tagaytay Midlands isn’t particularly long, but with a steady breeze, it can be quite a challenge from the back tees. As it was just a fun round with cousins, we decided to play the white tees. With the scorching summer sun, we felt it was just too much trouble to play from further back.

I love how Midlands’ fairways are generous. Not to say that there isn’t trouble awaiting wayward tee shots, but going a little offline shouldn’t be disastrous. The variety of shots required makes the course play harder than the scorecard suggests.

Some tee shots require you to shape the ball, as do some approach shots. There are “gettable” holes, especially some Par 5s. But some Par 4s can be brutal, even with a decent drive. Shaping shots, elevation changes and swirling winds make for a challenging, but fair test.

Another of Midlands’ defense are its greens. While the slopes aren’t too severe, some holes require proper placement if you want a stress-free two-putt. Depending on the pin placements, some holes are virtually impossible to par if you hit it over the pin and face a downhill putt.

Local knowledge and course management are key to scoring at Midlands. Hitting the greens in regulation are no guarantee of escaping with a par. You need to know where to place your shots and be patient.

I hope to get to play Midlands more. I’ve visited it only once this year and that’s just a shame. It’s a beautiful course with good food and amazing staff. I’ll soon do a feature on the Highlands course too.