Golf in Cebu: The Complete Guide
Cebu is a diving, beach and resort island first and a golf destination second, and we will not pretend otherwise. But the golf scene here is small, real and full of character: a 1928 club in the heart of the city, a hillside course with views over the Cebu Strait, a mountain layout in Danao and a course inside an air base beside the runway you land on. The courses, the seasons, the costs and how to plan it.
Photograph: Alta Vista Golf & Country Club, Jeremiah Pampolina, via Google
Why golf here
Be honest about what Cebu is and the trip works beautifully. The Queen City of the South is the gateway to the central Philippines: whale sharks at Oslob, sardine runs at Moalboal, island hopping off Mactan and some of the best diving in Asia. Golf is the supporting act, with four eighteen hole courses on the island rather than forty. Nobody flies here for a seven round golf marathon, and the clubs that do exist are mostly member institutions rather than tourist resorts.
What Cebu offers instead is character. Cebu Country Club was incorporated in 1928 and holds the oldest course on the island, a slice of expatriate era history now wrapped by the city that grew around it. Alta Vista climbs the hills above Pardo with views across the city to the strait. Club Filipino sits in the mountains behind Danao, and Mactan Island Golf Club plays inside an active air base next to the international airport, which makes it one of the more unusual first or last day rounds in Asia. Add green fees that look gentle next to South Korea or Japan, year round warmth and a five star beach resort strip on Mactan, and two or three rounds threaded through a diving and beach week make a genuinely good holiday. For a deeper bench of championship courses you would look to Manila, Clark or the wider list in our best golf courses in the Philippines guide.
The areas
Cebu City and Banilad
The metropolitan heart of the island holds Cebu Country Club in Banilad, the historic private club of Cebuano society, now in the middle of a major clubhouse and course redevelopment. Staying uptown puts the club, the restaurants and the business district within a short drive.
The Pardo hills
South of the city center the land climbs fast, and Alta Vista sits on a ridge above Pardo with the city and the Cebu Strait spread out below. The most visitor friendly serious golf on the island, around half an hour from uptown depending on traffic.
Mactan Island
Across the bridges from the city, Mactan holds the international airport, the beach resort strip led by Shangri-La Mactan, and Mactan Island Golf Club inside Benito Ebuen Air Base. Most golf and beach trips base here and commute to the courses.
Danao and the north
About an hour up the coast from Cebu City, more with traffic, Danao is home to Club Filipino Inc. de Cebu, a mountain course with roots in the 1930s, cabanas for overnight stays and the quietest fairways on the island.
The courses that matter
1. Alta Vista Golf and Country Club
Our pick for a visiting golfer. A par 72 of around 6,073 yards draped over steep hillside terrain south of the city, developed by Sta. Lucia Realty with the Aznar family, with elevation change on nearly every hole and views over Cebu City and the strait. The club admits public players, with tee times handled on a first come, first served basis for nonmembers, so it is the easiest quality round on the island to arrange.
2. Cebu Country Club
The oldest course on the island and the most storied club in the Visayas, incorporated in April 1928 by the expatriate community and expanded from nine holes to eighteen in the early 1960s, with a Gary Player team redesign in the 1990s. It is a private club where guests generally play accompanied by or introduced through a member, and a major clubhouse and course redevelopment broke ground in late 2023, so confirm current playing availability with the club before you build a trip around it.
3. Club Filipino Inc. de Cebu
An eighteen hole course in the mountains behind Danao, about an hour north of Cebu City, with origins credited to Peter Chiongbian and associates in 1935. It is a private club that welcomes walk in guests, with reservations required for tee times and carts, and the hill country setting, cabanas and pool give it the feel of a quiet provincial retreat rather than a city club.
4. Mactan Island Golf Club
A par 72 of around 6,435 yards laid out inside Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base, an active Philippine Air Force facility beside Mactan Cebu International Airport. The course is open to the public and minutes from the resort strip, but access runs through base security, with vehicle and ID requirements that change, so confirm current entry rules and tee time arrangements before you go.
Course facts and guest policies verified June 2026 from club and directory listings. Philippine clubs are mostly member institutions and visitor terms shift without notice, so always confirm access and fees directly before booking. Resort guests on Mactan can also warm up at the six hole golf park at Shangri-La Mactan.
When to go
| Window | What to expect | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| December to February | Heart of the dry season, the coolest and most settled months at roughly 26 to 30C, calm seas for the diving days | Prime season; the best all around window |
| March to May | Still dry but heating up, with April and May the hottest months; play early, swim later | Very good; book dawn tee times |
| June to September | Wet season under the southwest monsoon, hot and humid with frequent afternoon downpours | Playable with flexibility; mornings are your friend |
| October to November | Tail of the wet season and the peak months for typhoon activity across the Philippines, though Cebu sits in a comparatively sheltered position and direct hits are rare | Watch the forecast; keep plans loose |
Cebu is warm all year and rounds are played in every month. The dry northeast monsoon, the amihan, runs roughly December to May; the wet habagat takes over from June. Typhoons are most frequent from around August to November, and while the island is partly shielded by its neighbors, travel insurance and a flexible itinerary are sensible in those months.
Indicative costs
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor round, headline courses | Around PHP 2,000 to 5,500 (about USD 35 to 95) | Alta Vista's published public rate has been around PHP 5,500; member accompanied guest fees at the private clubs reported lower, around PHP 2,000 weekdays and PHP 3,500 weekends |
| Caddie, cart and extras | Caddie tips reported from around PHP 300 (about USD 5) | Caddies are standard at Philippine clubs; cart and club hire are billed separately and vary by club |
| Mactan beach resort, 5 star | From around USD 190 a night | Entry rates at the international resorts; suites and peak holiday weeks run far higher |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Weekday play is cheaper and easier to arrange than weekends, when members fill the tee sheets. Always confirm directly before booking. For context on the region's bigger golf markets, see our guides to green fees in Thailand and green fees in Vietnam.
Getting there and around
Mactan Cebu International Airport, on Mactan Island across the bridges from Cebu City, is the second busiest gateway in the Philippines and remarkably well connected: as of 2026 around two dozen airlines fly in from more than forty airports, with nonstop service from Seoul Incheon, Tokyo Narita, Singapore, Hong Kong and other Asian hubs alongside a dense domestic schedule from Manila. That makes Cebu an easy add to a wider Asian golf swing, a short hop from the resort golf of Thailand or the coastal courses of Vietnam. On the ground, Mactan Island Golf Club is minutes from the airport and the resorts, Cebu Country Club sits in Banilad on the city side, Alta Vista is about half an hour south of uptown depending on traffic, and Danao is roughly an hour up the coast. Metro Cebu traffic is heavy, so hire a car with a driver or use Grab rather than self driving, and leave generous buffers around tee times.
Where to stay
Most visiting golfers base on Mactan's resort strip and treat the courses as excursions. Shangri-La Mactan is the flagship, set in 13 hectares of gardens with a 350 meter beach, the Chi spa and its own six hole golf park for evening practice, and Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan and Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort sit on the same coast. A city base in uptown Cebu, around Banilad and the Ayala district, suits a trip built around Cebu Country Club and Alta Vista, with better restaurants on the doorstep and the resorts saved for the final nights. Club Filipino's cabanas in Danao make an offbeat overnight for anyone pairing golf with the north of the island. For the wider regional picture, see our roundup of the best golf resorts in Asia.
Plan your Cebu golf trip
Tell us the courses you want, the beach time you need and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Cebu golf questions
When is the best time to play golf in Cebu?
December to May is the dry season and the prime window, with the most settled weather from December to February and the hottest days in April and May. June to November is the wet season with frequent afternoon downpours, and typhoon activity across the Philippines peaks roughly from August to November, although Cebu is comparatively sheltered and direct hits are rare.
Can visitors play golf in Cebu without a member?
It varies by club. Alta Vista and Mactan Island Golf Club admit the public, Club Filipino in Danao is a private club that welcomes walk in guests with a reservation, and Cebu Country Club is private and generally requires a member introduction. Policies change, so always confirm with the club directly before traveling.
How much does golf in Cebu cost in 2026?
Indicative 2026 figures for a visitor round at the headline courses run from roughly PHP 2,000 to PHP 5,500, about USD 35 to 95, with the published public rate at Alta Vista around the top of that range and member accompanied guest fees at the private clubs lower. Caddies, carts and club hire are extra. Always confirm directly before booking.
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