I was at the Philippines last week for a special seminar at University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and then to speak at the Federation Golf seminar at The Orchard. At UPLB I was the guest lecturer for the HORT 191 class on international horticulture, and I gave a talk on Ten Things You Should Know about Turfgrass in Asia.
Prior to the seminar I had lunch with Nicer Landas from Golforce and Dr. Amihan Arquiza from UPLB. Dr. Arquiza is the professor for the HORT 191 class.
After the seminar we had the local buko pie from Los Baños, a popular pasalubong, along with rambutan and mangosteens and coffee. Compared to the usual college post-seminar fare of cookies or vegetables or cheeses or pizza, I thought the buko pie and other fruits and local delicacies was a real treat.
On Friday the 7^th of August I spoke about Turfgrass Management Challenges Amidst Climate Change. This was part of a Federation Golf event that also included talks by Matee Suntisawasdi about turfgrass management during the rainy season, and by Steve Wilson on protecting a club's investment in equipment through proper maintenance. We also visited golf courses in and around Metro Manila. Shown below during a visit to Manila Golf Club are Micah Woods, Matee Suntisawasdi (Pro-Crop Thailand), Denis Nuevo (Orchard Golf Club), and Bob Horan (Manila Golf Club). Manila Golf Club was renovated during the past few years and was sandcapped and planted to seashore paspalum.