IGCC unveils historical marker
The ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Iloilo Golf and Country Club, formerly known as Sta. Barbara Golf Club, celebrated its centenary with the unveiling of a historical marker last January 24, 2006. The marker serves as a living testimony of Ilonggos unrelenting passion for the sport and as a constant reminder that in a humble town of Sta. Barbara lies the oldest existing golf course in the country.
1880's golf balls.
Former Philippine President Fidel Valdez Ramos, who is a golfer himself, jetted from Metro Manila to formally unveil the historical marker along with IGCC President Frankie Locsin and other distinguished guests.
Former Phillipine President
Fidel Ramos delivers a
message during the unveiling
of the historical market.
The unveiling was then followed by the blessing of the hall dedicated by the Chan family in the loving memory of their father, Mr. Tony Chan, a businessman and entrepreneur who strove to share the blessings he received from the City of Iloilo. Likewise, the breathtaking Francisco Lopez Jison Hall, a golf memorabilia hall dedicated to immortalize the memories shared by hundreds of golfers within the scenic Iloilo Golf and Country Club in the past 100 years, was formally opened. The hall houses hard-to-find historical golf items such as the late 1880's golf balls, which were used by the then founders and were excavated from the ponds of the course, and trophies representing various decades.
Tony Chan's daughter poses
with his father's portrait during
the blessing of the Tony Chan
Hall.
After a sumptuous lunch, officers of the club headed by their president Frankie Locsin and the former RP President Fidel Ramos had their ceremonial tee off amidst the on-going Mayor Jerry Treñas Cup.
FVR with Francisco Lopez Jison, the first
Filipino member of the Sta. Barbara Golf
Club.
This is indeed a remarkable year for the golfers all over the country and for us Ilonggos since centenary happens only once and only here in Iloilo.