BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: Arguelles enjoying work and play in chilly Baguio

Since he was nine, Eduardo “Bong” Arguelles has been wanting to play at the Camp John Hay (CJH) in Baguio City.

Little did he know that time would come and his boyhood dream of teeing off at the pristine fairway of the world-famous golf course would be realized.

In a conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE, the soft-spoken Arguelles bared that he is having fun juggling work and play as president of the Turfgrass Management Inc. (TMI) and Golf Management Inc. (GMI), the firms that the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) tasked to oversee the operation of the CJH Golf Club in an interim capacity.

“I work as deputy general manager of the CJH Golf Club in an interim capacity. As far as our group is concerned, our responsibility is to maintain all golf courses and manage its day-to-day operations,” Arguelles, 74, said.

“I always dream of being able to play golf every now and then in Baguio City but it never crossed my mind that we will be part of the maintenance and management of John Hay Golf Club.”

“We’re really ecstatic about the whole thing as far as TMI and GMI are concerned and all the people who work under both companies.”

Under Arguelles’ leadership, the CJH Golf Club is expected to attract more golfers after the world-famous tourist spot — a former United States military installation — was made accessible to the public last January on the strength of the Supreme Court’s decision that tasked the BCDA to control the 247-hectare property.

Arguelles and his team were chosen to run the operations of the golf course by DuckSports — the sports management and marketing agency of DuckWorld Philippines, the firm certified by the BCDA to serve as interim operator of the CJH Golf Estate facilities.

Prior to being tapped to run CJH Golf Club, Arguelles was in charge of the Driving Range Alviera in Porac, Pampanga and the Driving Range Nuvali in Canlubang, Laguna.

“Well, we were invited to join DuckSports. So that’s basically how we got involved,” said Arguelles, who embraced the challenge of managing and maintaining the golf course from the previous operator, CJH Golf Club Inc., of businessman Robert John Sobrepeña.

“We got invited because they needed somebody who would be able to maintain and manage the clubhouse for them.”

“Well, like I said, I think we’re either the only company or we’re one of the few that can maintain, reconstruct golf courses, and also manage the clubhouse and the operations of the golf course.”

Apart from maintaining the golf course, Arguelles makes sure everyone — from the players up to the caddies — is satisfied.

“Maintenance of the golf course is important. Playability is very important and then after that, we learn how to manage the caddies,” Arguelles said.

“Then we learn how to market and be able to manage the expectations of the players.”

Playing the game

As a golfer himself, Arguelles makes sure he does have the best interest of the players, especially after CJH has been opened to the public. His goal? To make Camp John Hay one of the best, if not the best, golf courses in the country.

“That’s the objective that we are after — everything should be the best. Not only the golf course, but eventually we will also improve the facilities like the clubhouse because that’s part of the whole experience,” Arguelles said.

“It would take a lot of time, and it would take a little adjustment as we go along. It will create some inconveniences for our patrons as we make changes, but please bear with us because we have only one thing in mind: John Hay Golf must be the best, and we will not stop until it is the best.”

Arguelles said his staff in TMI and GMI are capable enough to function without his supervision, allowing him to focus on Camp John Hay.

“So I would go to our projects in the north and then go up to Baguio and then for the rest of the week, I would go down south to take over the south operations,” Arguelles said.

”But we’ve already set up our operations and the company can function without my attention.”

Best of both worlds

Arguelles remains thankful that working in Baguio City is a great experience for him as it is something close to him: Golf.

After all, enjoying the chilly weather in the City of Pines while playing in one of the most famous golf courses in the country is a dream for any player.

“That’s the goal of any individual. Whatever you are passionate about, you would like to make money from it to support your family,” Arguellles said.

“So again, I’m blessed and I’m really happy that in the end, we were able to combine both.”

“But then again, we’d like more people to experience playing John Hay and of course, to also enjoy the weather of Baguio. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone every time you come here. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Truly, it is very rare that we get the chance to work on things we are passionate about.

That’s why when opportunity presented itself, Arguelles didn’t back down. Instead, he grabbed it by the horns like an elusive unicorn.

And he did it with a smile — one swing at a time.