The trip to Baguio was a breeze.

No, it wasn’t because of the light traffic along NLEX or my eight-month-old SUV getting the job done while trekking Kennon Road on a rainy and foggy Thursday afternoon. It was simply because five Sports editors and I were able to go on a golf trip with our wives, setting the stage for a perfect weekend getaway with nothing much to worry about other than chasing those elusive birdies.

Let’s admit it: for a happily married man, having his wife join him on a golf trip is always a treat. First, you no longer need to craft a lengthy explanation about what took you so long to get home, and second, you don’t have to worry much knowing that your wife is right there, sitting in the clubhouse while swapping stories and comparing notes with the wives of your fellow golfers.

Their topics vary. Sometimes, they talk about marriage, career, and tending the household, but most of the time, they talk about the latest trends in fashion, shopping, and, yes, their respective husbands — who have zero idea that they’re already being roasted while busy thinking about their swings. Yikes!

But playing golf wasn’t the only reason we took a break from our busy desk duties to take that five-hour pilgrimage up north. Aside from familiarizing ourselves with the gently rolling terrain and chilly weather at the Camp John Hay Golf Club, we also took the opportunity to visit the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) sports facilities and check on the athletes who are busy preparing for the 20th Asian Games.

It didn’t take long for the football pitch to catch our attention.

With a backhoe and a dump truck rolling almost 24/7, the artificial football pitch located at the PSC facility inside the Teachers Camp is set to be completed around November.

Having a football pitch in the mountain region is crucial to the PSC’s objective of boosting its grassroots program. Baguio City, for one, offers high-altitude training, giving Filipino football players a chance to develop the strong lungs they need for major international events.

PSC chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio said they are proud of the project. In fact, they are coordinating with the Department of Education, which controls the Teachers Camp facilities, about the possibility of putting up additional lights, bleachers, and parking spaces to accommodate more visitors once the artificial pitch is fully operational next year.

Soon, the PSC will construct similar artificial football pitches in Naga City and in the football-crazy town of Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo with the hope of unearthing more potential members for the national team.

The following morning, just before our 9 a.m. tee-off, some editors and their wives had breakfast at the athletes’ dining hall. There, they broke bread with several boxing figures they hadn’t seen in a while, including Barcelona Olympics veteran Ronald Chavez, former Asian champion Mitchel Martinez, Olympians Aira Villegas and Carlo Paalam, Australian coaches Kevin Smith and Don Abnett, and seasoned national coach Pat Gaspi.

Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial also dropped by the next day to exchange pleasantries with veteran scribes and meet Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines president Marcus Manalo, who stressed that they are determined to surpass their one-medal performance from the previous Asian Games.

The trip to Baguio was indeed an absolute home run. More than swinging on a foggy fairway and gulping down freshly-brewed beer while enjoying reggae music, the City of Pines offered something far more meaningful than what was recorded on our scorecards. It gave us a chance to foster camaraderie, rekindle the spark with our wives, and rub elbows with former news sources who have turned into lifelong friends.

On the sports beat, we don’t address our colleagues as “sir” or “mister.” We simply call each other “brod” — a nod to the enduring brotherhood forged through golf, sportswriting, cold beer, good music and our shared love for our families.

Thanks, brods. It was truly a blast. Until next time.