Heads Up: The Club Intramuros Golf Course Opens as a Public Park Starting This Week

(SPOT.ph) We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Manila needs more public parks—lots more. And while we’re not expecting a brand-new green space to magically sprout in the middle of the city, there are places just begging for a clever repurpose. Case in point: the Club Intramuros Golf Course.

This sprawling patch of green hugging the Walled City is one of Manila’s largest open spaces, and soon, it won’t just be for golfers. Starting this November, Club Intramuros is turning into a public park every Sunday—yes, an actual, accessible, bring-your-bikes-and-picnic-mats kind of park.

Here’s what you need to know about this very welcome (and very overdue) upgrade.

Also read: Practice Your Golf Swing at This Driving Range in Manila for Only P300

For the uninitiated, the Club Intramuros Golf Course is one of the country's oldest golf courses. It boasts a total area of over 200,000 square meters a stonesthrow away from some of Manila's most well-known spots like the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Manila City Hall, and the many baluartes of Intramuros. It's a full 18-hole, 60-par course, is home to a massive driving range, and is suprisingly open to the public for a minimal fee starting at just P1,000 which any golfer would tell you is quite a steal.

That being said, the Club Intramuros Golf Course can get quite busy which means golf balls would occasionally be flying around—not really ideal for a public park. But starting November 23, every Sunday, golfing activities would be put on hold as management opens the course for public recreational use.

In a post on their respective Facebook pages, Club Intramuros Golf Course and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA)—the folks managing the golf course—both announced the repurposing of the golf course every Sunday.

"Starting on November 23, Sundays at Club Intramuros Golf Course will be dedicated to community recreation, transforming into an open park for relaxing outdoor activities. Golf activities will take a break at CIGC every Sunday and open its greens as a recreational space for community use from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.," the post reads.

Yup, you won’t have to dodge golf balls on Sundays. Instead, you’ll be free to stroll, get a jog in, or enjoy a picnic in the designated areas. Small groups can even host light exercises, such as stretching and yoga, within the space.

Pets are also welcome. According to the post, your furbabies will also get to enjoy the public park, provided they are leashed at all times and that their owners clean up after them in case of any "accidents."

But not the entire course will be open to the public on Sundays. According to the post, specialized golf will remain restricted to preserve the course for Weekday and Saturday play.

This move to repurpose the Club Intramuros Golf Course isn’t coming out of nowhere. Back in October, reports already hinted at plans to turn the property into the Intramuros Forest Park—one of Mayor Isko Moreno’s proposed green initiatives to create more inclusive and sustainable urban spaces.

Moreno described the CIGF as underutilized, citing only that it benefits a small portion of citizens. Whether this new open park policy is a test run of the upcoming redevelopment is unclear but regardless, we're just happy to have one more park within reach.

Club Intramuros Golf Course is at Bonifacio Drive, corner Aduana Street, Port Area Intramuros, Manila. It is open from 5 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays to Sundays. For more information, visit Club Intramuros Golf Course's Facebook page.

Check out these other articles about more public parks around the Metro:
10 Green Spaces in Metro Manila for a Quick Escape
Looking for a Quiet Escape? There’s a Massive Park Hiding in Plain Sight in Quezon City
LOOK: You Can Visit This Protected Mangrove Park In Metro Manila For Free

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