PGA Golf Courses Coming to the Philippines – Nicklaus, Choi, and Faldo to Design

Posted on: September 2, 2022, 09:06h. 

Last updated on: September 2, 2022, 10:48h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Three PGA golf courses are planned for the forthcoming Hann Reserve, located just north of the Clark Freeport Zone in the Philippines, where numerous commercial casinos operate.

PGA golf Philippines casino Hann Resorts
Hann Resorts President and CEO Dsaesik Han. Hann Resorts is building three PGA golf courses north of the Clark Freeport Zone to complement its Hann Casino Resort and forthcoming Hann Lux property in the Philippines. (Image: Manilla Bulletin)

Hann Reserve is the second major announcement this week from Hann Resorts, which opened its first casino in Clark late last year. Hann says the Reserve’s three golf courses will span more than 1,100 acres of remote land located about seven air miles north of the Hann Casino Resort.

Hann Resorts earlier this week announced a second casino resort in the freeport called Hann Lux. The 500-room gaming property will be situated next to the Hann Casino Resort.

The three Hann Reserve golf tracts are set to become the first courses in the Philippines to be affiliated with the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association).

We first gave you the ultimate millionaire’s playground at Hann Casino Resort and we won’t stop there,” said Hann Resorts CEO Daesik Han.

Jack Nicklaus’ firm, Nicklaus Design, has been contracted to lay out the first 18 holes at Hann Reserve. South Korea’s KJ Choi, arguably the most successful male golfer to ever come out of Asia, will mold the second, and Sir Nick Faldo will design the third.

Golfer’s Paradise

Hann Reserve is part of the company’s $2 billion investment in the Clark region. Along with the golf courses, Hann Reserve will feature a luxury hotel, private residences, mixed-use real estate, and a 25-acre park.

While golf has been booming throughout much of Asia over the past two decades, the game hasn’t taken hold in the Philippines compared with South Korea, Malaysia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Golfers are considered high-value tourists with hefty spending budgets. Research shows that travelers who golf while visiting Asia spend more than double that of the average tourist. But despite the Philippines offering more than 100 golf courses, the nation still doesn’t resonate as a golf destination in the eyes of most global golf travelers.

But as was the case in the US and elsewhere around the world, golf in the Philippines experienced a boom amid COVID-19. Golf was one of the few sports in the country allowed to be played nearly throughout the pandemic, as it’s ideal for social distancing and is contested outdoors.

Han hopes to make Clark a golfer’s paradise.

“Our goal is to cater to both local and foreign golfers, and enthusiasts by providing them with a world-class venue that can be expected of the PGA brand,” said Han.

Clark Past

The Clark Freeport Zone is the former Clark Air Base, which was run by the US Air Force under the aegis of Pacific Air Forces during World War II and the Vietnam War. Following the military base’s decommission in 1991, the Philippines renovated the facility into the Clark International Airport and the surrounding base into the Freeport Zone.

As a designated freeport, the special economic zone offers developers little to no tax responsibilities in exchange for economic investment. The zones are governed by the Philippines’ Economic Zone Authority and the Department of Trade and Industry.