Youth revolution sweeps PAL Interclub

Youth revolution sweeps PAL Interclub | Daily Tribune

DAVAO CITY — Late afternoon at South Pacific Golf and Country Club doesn’t look the same as it used to.

As I scanned the range for familiar faces, I spotted teenagers laughing, teasing each other, and filming swings on their phones. One kid even came up and offered his hand for a mano. They moved fast, swung hard, and talked even louder. The vibe at the 77th Philippine Airlines Interclub was younger, looser, and a little rowdier — and that was exactly the point.

The veterans who used to have the warm-up area to themselves are suddenly sharing it with a new generation. Some of these kids just came off junior tours, others already play college golf, and none of them look the least bit scared of the names beside them on the range. They’re not here to “absorb experience.” They’re here to take someone’s spot.

Look at defending champion Eastridge and powerhouse Manila Southwoods and you see the shift in black and white. Youth isn’t being “prepared for the future” anymore — it’s running the show. The oldest player on each roster is no more than 25.

Southwoods rolls out 17-year-old Floyd Villanueva. Eastridge answers with 13-year-old Apollo Batican, small frame, big game. In a tournament that built its reputation on experience and staying power, this year’s champion could end up being the youngest team the Interclub has ever seen.

For years, golf in the Philippines came with a fixed picture: gated clubs, steep green fees, slow weekend foursomes that started at breakfast and ended at merienda. That picture is fading, slowly but surely.

More clubs are letting juniors in — not out of charity, but because they have to. If they want to contend at events like the Interclub, they need kids who hit it long, practice until dark, and don’t blink when they see a leaderboard full of big names. Access, coaching, and regular tournament slots are now part of a serious club’s game plan.

Golf itself looks different to this generation. On social media, you don’t see five-hour rounds — you see pure ball-striking in eight-second clips. Celebrities and influencers have picked up clubs, making the sport look sharper and more approachable. For a lot of parents, especially after the pandemic, golf also ticked a lot of boxes: outdoors, structured, relatively safe, and far from the chaos of crowded courts and gyms.

Then came the simulators.

In the last few years, indoor golf bays have popped up in malls and commercial strips. A group of kids can book an hour, step into a bay, play a famous course on a screen, then sit down for a burger and replay the “round.” It’s practice, yes, but it’s also barkada time. Golf, which used to demand a whole day and a long drive, now fits into a Tuesday night.

None of that means the sport is suddenly cheap.

Compared with basketball or football, golf is still heavy on the wallet. A basic set of clubs, decent shoes, a few lessons — and you’re not even on the first tee yet. Add range balls, green fees, tournament entries, and travel, and the numbers climb fast. If this youth wave is going to last, there has to be a clearer path for kids who don’t come from money: scholarships, junior sponsorships, flexible fees, and programs that don’t disappear after one summer.

Standing on the range in Davao for a few minutes, it’s hard not to feel hopeful. Kids lean on their drivers, argue over lines and club choices, laugh, and try to out-hit each other. Among them are future tour players, national team members, and the next generation of club stalwarts — and even those who won’t play professionally still gain patience, resilience, and the ability to shrug off a bad shot.

For clubs, the message is clear: juniors aren’t a distraction; they’re the future. Junior rates, set practice times, and welcoming policies aren’t favors — they’re investments. For parents and kids: you don’t need to be rich or “old enough” to start. Borrow a club, find a range, and hit a few balls.

The future of Philippine golf isn’t waiting in the background. It’s already on the tee, taking a full swing.