by Dave Silbar, Special to Flagstick.com via travelinggolfer.net

Strolling down a tight, palm-tree-lined fairway, shoulder to shoulder with a young woman, who could pass as a runway model, may seem like a dream scenario.

However, this scene is how golf is played in the Philippines. The model is actually my caddie, and she is part of the pampered experience that Manila’s Valley Golf and Country Club offers. It’s my fifth different course in as many days, and, as I look back, this particular round served as culmination of everything I’ve experienced during my golf journey to the Philippines.

Standing on the tee of yet another beautiful, ultra-tropical hole at Valley Golf, my caddie is now my umbrella girl and is multitasking—that is, holding the umbrella to protect me from the 90-degree heat while using her other hand to create a breeze on my back with a pink polka-dotted Japanese fan.

After making the 10-foot putt for par, thanks to the keen read by my caddie and now friend I come to the following realization: it really is ‘More Fun in the Philippines,’ as my hosts with the Association of Inbound Golf and Tourism have been…