It was sometime in the late seventies that Kong raved about the Gary Player designed golf course at Puerto Azul. Beautiful seascapes, rolling terrain, breezy and fun to play. He did try to get me more involved in the game, but somehow I never managed to perfect my swing. With his golf mates Ninong Phil, Uncle Charles and Uncle Toots, they spent many a Sunday morning on the course, which meant him leaving the house at 3am for the easy drive to Ternate. I recall that he even felt groggy driving on one particular trip and only the noise of the tires hitting the roadside gravel jolted him awake; it was a good thing that nothing untoward happened.
Every now and then, my sisters and I used to drive there by mid-morning to catch their golf gang at the lunch buffet counters at the clubhouse. I was a new driver then and those trips were one of my earliest out-of-town drives. We didn't have Waze or Google Maps, and I often had to stop to ask for directions.
For some years, the course fell into disrepair, and had lost its glamor. I understand that after a long hibernation, the golf course has been revived by some prominent businessmen. My golfer friends say that a few interesting changes to the layout have been made and that the course is pleasant to play once more.
My recent visit to the area brought in a flood of memories. I miss my dad already.
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