Taal Eruption 2020

[Monseratto]

wondering how much real estate around the 14 or 17 km danger zone is being held as collateral by banks right now

Also those club shares/rights to golf courses in and near the danger zone...

Tagaytay Highland holes 13 to 14...

GOLF GRINDS TO A HALT AT STA. ELENA, SOUTHWOODS, CANLUBANG AND TAGAYTAY

Four of the country’s most popular tournament venues are out of business at a time when their members and guests should be enjoying the fine golfing weather before summer starts.

“It’s gonna take a while (before the courses open), we have a lot of work to do,” says Rhoneil Cousart, golf director of Tagaytay Highlands and Midlands.

Being covered by a 14-kilometer radius imposed by the local government that gives limited access to the club, Tagaytay is in a quandary.

Maintenance workers are racing against time to save their greenery, needing to scrape volcanic ash off the greens and fairways before it causes permanent damage. The cost implications would be huge should they fail to.

When the cleanup work gets completed remains a big question – like the volatility of Taal - and even a great challenge.

A drone shot showing the extent of ash cover at Sta Elena is just unimaginable. In its long history, they’ve had closures due to inclement weather and their regular maintenance Mondays.

But four straight days of closure (and counting) has never happened at Sta. Elena in 25 years. And it’s certainly giving club management some serious headache. The Cabuyao club is using the safety card as reason for such, advising members that “ash and debris pose a very serious health hazard for both its members and employees”.

Over at Manila Southwoods, club management has sought for more time to put its two courses in playable shape minus the tons of heavy ash that rained hard on them on that fateful Sunday.

While taking the ash off hectares upon hectares of the sprawling property is the bigger problem, the challenge of disposing them looms ahead.

Meanwhile, regular players at the said courses are forced to take other options. Or even forget playing altogether for the meantime.

They will have second thoughts considering clubs in Batangas like Mt. Malarayat and Summit Point for sure.