Tearing down the green wall

AJ Wacan was thin and frail the first time I saw him at the Apo Golf and Country Club driving range in Davao City. He was a quiet kid, almost fragile looking, swinging through bucket after bucket under the late Mindanao sun. This was back in January of 2023, during the early days of Oliver Gan’s presidency at the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) — a time when everything still felt new, full of possibility.

Even then, AJ had a natural swing — raw, unpolished, but unmistakably his. He was buzzing with excitement about his very first tournament, one of the many that JGFP had started in Mindanao.

I remember he showed up with borrowed clubs and basketball sneakers, making his way around Apo’s famous fairways with a determination that seemed bigger than him. He didn’t win that day, but the spark in his eyes told me one thing: whatever happened, he wasn’t going to let it stop him.

Two years later, I saw him again at the Philippine Amateur Championships at Apo. He’d grown a little taller, moved a little steadier, and carried himself with a quiet confidence. He made it to the semifinals, and I remember thinking: the frail kid I first saw was gone. In his place was a fighter.

AJ’s growth didn’t happen by accident. It came because of the JGFP’s focus on Mindanao — giving kids real access to golf and real mentorship.

Apo has always been more than just a course. It’s a place where kids can try, fail, practice, and grow. For many, it’s their first real taste of opportunity.

No wonder Apo has become a cradle of champions. Kids like the late Cassius Casas, Antonio Lascuña, Elmer Salvador, Jhonnel Ababa, Bong Lopez, Rupert Zaragosa, Zanie Boy Gialon — they all passed through those fairways, learning, struggling, and eventually finding success. AJ is just the latest in that long line.

Now, there’s a chance to open those doors even wider.

The Philippine Sports Commission, together with the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP), has proposed free access for junior golfers at 15 public courses nationwide. Kids 18 and under could play free starting at noon — even on weekends, often the only time they can get to a course.

The proposal is now sitting on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s desk. One signature could give kids the same kind of chance AJ had — and maybe change the face of Philippine golf for good.

For decades, the biggest barrier in golf has been access. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Clubs are expensive, green fees are high, and for many families, golf is out of reach long before a kid even knows they want to play.

The NGAP plans to hire permanent coaches to provide free instruction, and communities can help with equipment. Those old clubs collecting dust in closets? They could get a second life in the hands of a kid who really wants them.

Opening the fairways to young golfers isn’t just about letting them play. It’s about giving them a shot, planting seeds that could grow into champions — and maybe, just maybe, changing the game in the Philippines forever.