Luisita gets major turf overhaul

Just returned from covering the BingoPlus Philippine ADT Open at Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac over the weekend, and I must congratulate the organizers for a well-run tournament.

Luisita doesn’t have a massive clubhouse like Manila Southwoods, but it somehow managed to accommodate players, officials, media and spectators by making full use of its limited space. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. The rains took a vacation; players returned to the clubhouse soaked from perspiration, not rain.

Scoring was lower than expected, thanks in part to the “lift, clean and place” rule, which allowed players to give their golf balls a quick spa treatment before hitting their next shot.

All in all, it was a well-run event at a course that quietly did its job without fuss. Luisita may not scream for attention, but it once again proved it can provide a worthy stage for championship golf.

Now for the big news.

Luisita Golf and Country Club will close in September for a major rehabilitation, according to general manager Bones Floro. Before anyone starts worrying, the Robert Trent Jones Sr. design isn’t going anywhere. No bulldozers reshaping fairways, no dramatic redesign — just a much-needed upgrade to the turf and irrigation system.

The biggest change will be the switch from carabao grass to Thai-grown zoysia. Combined with a modern irrigation network, the goal is simple: better conditioning, greater consistency, and improved year-round playability. In short: the bones stay the same; the skin and plumbing get a refresh.

If you’ve played enough rounds at Luisita, you know the grass isn’t just something you walk on. It’s part of the experience.

Carabao grass has been part of the course’s personality for decades — charming, frustrating, and occasionally bewildering. One shot sits up perfectly; the next feels like your wedge bounced off a pillow. It wasn’t always predictable, but then again, neither is golf. In a way, carabao grass taught golfers an important lesson: bad lies happen, and complaining about them doesn’t lower your score.

Zoysia is a different animal altogether, according to turf experts. It’s tighter, cleaner and far more consistent. Hit a good shot and you’ll likely get the result you deserve. Hit a bad one and, well, you’ll need to find another excuse.

Fairways should become firmer, producing more roll and cleaner iron contact. Around the greens, things could get interesting. Zoysia sits tighter to the ground, so chips and bump-and-runs will demand more precision. The turf won’t be doing anyone any favors. Your short game will be exposed for what it really is.

Still, let’s not get carried away. Luisita isn’t becoming a different golf course. The trees remain. The bunkers aren’t moving. The Tarlac wind will continue to show up uninvited. You’ll still need to think your way around the course and execute quality shots.

What changes is the feel. The course may lose a bit of its rugged, old-school unpredictability, but it gains consistency — a trade-off that usually benefits competitive golf.

Golfers, of course, are sentimental creatures. Some will miss the old turf. Others will welcome the upgrade.

Ultimately, Luisita’s identity isn’t rooted in a particular blade of grass. It’s in the routing, the strategy, the history and the memories made there.

Same Luisita. Same challenge. Just a little less guesswork — and a lot fewer opportunities to blame the turf for that chunked wedge.

The rehabilitation is expected to take about a year. The club initially considered keeping one nine open while renovating the other, but that would have stretched the project by another year. Better one year of inconvenience than two.

Bones is understandably tight-lipped about the cost, but given the scale of the turf conversion and irrigation upgrade, it’s safe to assume the investment runs into the hundreds of millions of pesos.

One thing I forgot to ask: what happens to the old turf?

Hopefully, it doesn’t all end up in a landfill. Old sod can be composted and turned into a valuable resource, or reused by farms, nurseries, and landscapers as mulch or soil conditioner.

After decades of faithfully serving golfers — and occasionally providing a convenient excuse for a bad shot — the old carabao grass probably deserves a second life.

Maybe agronomist Rey Patricio can suggest a better answer.