[Legazpi Golf Diary] Surprised by Christmas Price Hikes! Yesterday’s Philippines News Roundup

 

 [Legazpi Golf Diary] Surprised by Christmas Price Hikes! Yesterday’s Philippines News Roundup

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Good morning, everyone! Merry Christmas! Sending you warm holiday greetings from Legazpi City.

🌤 Today’s Weather in Legazpi

The sky is a bit gloomy this morning. The forecast calls for "OCCASIONAL RAINS" with a high of 30°C. It looks like it will be a humid day, so if you're heading out to the course, don't forget your rain gear!

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🇵🇭 Yesterday in the Philippines: Christmas Eve Hustle and Bustle

Yesterday, December 24th, was "Noche Buena"—the most special day of the year for Filipinos. There was a lot of movement across the country.

• NAIA Airport Chaos! Over 110,000 passengers passed through Ninoy Aquino International Airport in a single day. The terminals were overflowing with the warmth of families reuniting.

• EDSA Late-Night Construction Begins Major repaving works on Manila’s main artery, "EDSA," started last night at 11:00 PM, taking advantage of the lighter holiday traffic.

• Free Tollways! Some great news for travelers! San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has implemented a temporary waiver of toll fees on their expressways starting late last night.

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⛳️ Yesterday’s Golf: A "Christmas Price Hike"?!

I headed out to my usual course yesterday for the first time in a week. I was all set for a nice half-round, but I was in for a surprise at the counter...

The green fees have gone up! (Sob...) My usual half-round fee jumped from 800 pesos to 950 pesos!

It seems the wave of inflation in the Philippines has finally hit my home course. I suppose it’s just a sign of the times...

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🏌️‍♂️ Japanese Imports: Recommended Used Clubs

Our shop sells high-quality used clubs, hand-picked in Japan and hand-carried here by our staff. If you're looking for a "new weapon" for your bag, please check out our website! If you find something you like, I’d love it if you could hit the "Like" button and share it!

Wherever you are in the world, it’s a great day for golf. To everyone on the course or at the range, I hope you enjoy every shot! Keep swinging, golfers!

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☆ Philippine Golf News (Dec 23, 2025) ☆

• Junior Golf: Young Talents Shine at Parent-Child Tournament Results from the "JGFP Parent-Child Tournament" at Camp Aguinaldo (CAGC) were released. TJ Padilla won the 14-18 division with his father, while Nicole Gaisano-Gan and her father Oliver Gan (JGFP President) took the overall championship with an impressive 5-under 65.

• Holiday Deadlines for Tee Times With many courses closing on Dec 25 and Jan 1, major booking sites like GolfPH set Dec 23 at 2:00 PM as the final deadline for holiday reservations, leading to a massive rush for slots.

• Anticipation for the 2026 Philippine Open With the 2025 PGT season over, attention has turned to the Philippine Open scheduled for late January 2026. Excitement is building on social media regarding sponsors and the international field, including Japanese players.

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☆ US Men’s Golf News (Dec 23, 2025) ☆

• Shock News: Brooks Koepka to Leave LIV Golf In a bombshell announcement, 5-time Major winner Brooks Koepka declared he is leaving LIV Golf, sparking global speculation about a PGA Tour return.

• Passing of Legend Jumbo Ozaki The PGA Tour reported on the passing of Japanese legend Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki at age 78. With 113 professional wins, his legacy was honored worldwide.

• Sky Sports Extension The PGA Tour secured a 4-year broadcast extension with Sky Sports through 2029, ensuring stable global coverage.

• Hideki Matsuyama’s 2025 Wrap-up Following the Hero World Challenge, Matsuyama’s 2025 earnings surpassed $8.5 million (approx. 1.2 billion yen), maintaining his world #17 ranking.

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☆ US Women’s Golf News (Dec 23, 2025) ☆

• Miyu Yamashita Holds World #4 The latest Rolex Rankings show Miyu Yamashita holding steady at world #4. Along with Mao Saigo (#9) and Rio Takeda (#14), Japanese players continue to dominate the top tiers.

• The Era of Jeeno Thitikul Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul swept all major 2025 awards (Player of the Year, Money List, Vare Trophy) and enters 2026 with a massive lead over Nelly Korda.

• Yuka Yasuda’s Birthday Surprise Yuka Yasuda, born on Christmas Eve, received early birthday wishes from the tour. Now 25, she expressed her renewed determination to compete against the rising younger generation.

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☆ Japan Golf News (Dec 23, 2025) ☆

• Farewell to Jumbo Ozaki The Japanese golf world mourns the passing of Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki. Many pros have shared tributes to the man who made golf a major sport in Japan.

• GTPA Rookie of the Year Fuka Suga and Yuna Araki were named 2025 Rookies of the Year by the GTPA. Special awards were also given to Miyu Yamashita and Mao Saigo for their international success.

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☆ Japan Golf Gear Industry News (Dec 23, 2025) ☆

• 2025 Best Sellers Announced

• Drivers: PING G440 MAX took the #1 spot for its extreme forgiveness.

• Irons: XXIO 13 stayed #1 for the second year, followed by the Srixon ZXi5.

• Price Reversal: Domestic vs. Foreign Brands Due to the weak yen and shipping costs, US brands like TaylorMade and Callaway are now often more expensive than premium Japanese brands like XXIO or Mizuno, leading to a domestic market resurgence.

• Used Market Trend The TaylorMade SIM2 MAX remains the #1 used driver for 5 consecutive months, as golfers seek "modern classics" to avoid the high prices of new releases.

• New Tech: Spider ZT Black TaylorMade’s Zero-Torque "Spider ZT Black" putter saw strong initial sales following its Dec 18 launch.

Thank you very much for reading to the end.

(This text was checked and researched using Google Gemini.)

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