How a PGA Professional who first picked up a club at the age of five is shaping one of Asia’s most ambitious new golf destinations, high in the mountains of New Clark City.
Tim Neil was five years old when he first put his hands on a golf club in London. He could not have known it then, but that small beginning would carry him across continents, through professional tournaments, a law degree, and leadership roles in some of the most demanding hospitality markets in the world, and finally to a 450-hectare stretch of mountain terrain north of Manila.
“What started as a childhood passion quickly became a lifelong pursuit,” he says. “Golf taught me many of the lessons that continue to guide me today. Discipline, resilience, integrity, and the importance of continuous improvement.”
A Game That Became a Career
Neil competed at a high level as a PGA Professional, and the experience left him with a deep respect for excellence and performance. But over time, his fascination shifted to what happens beyond the ropes. “The guest experience, the business of golf, and the opportunity to create environments where people can connect, compete, and create memories,” as he puts it.
Alongside his playing career he pursued a Law Degree and later a Master’s in International Business Law. It is an unusual pairing for a golf man, but he sees the thread clearly. Those years taught him to think strategically, solve complex problems, and understand the commercial and governance machinery behind world-class operations. The turning point, he says, was a simple realisation: his passion was not only the game itself, but creating exceptional experiences around it. That insight led him into golf, hospitality, and destination development, and ultimately to Hann Reserve.
Lessons from Oman, Dubai and Korea
Before the Philippines, Neil led operations in the Middle East and Korea, and each market left its mark. In Oman and Dubai he learned ambition, the value of thinking beyond conventional limits and delivering on a world stage. Korea taught him precision, discipline, and a respect for detail that still shapes how he runs an operation today.
The common thread across all of them, he believes, is that true hospitality is universal. “While cultures may differ, people fundamentally want the same things. They want to feel welcomed, respected, understood, and valued. The best hospitality does not simply provide a service; it creates an emotional connection.” At Hann Reserve, he is drawing on all of it at once: world-class ambition, operational excellence, emotional intelligence, and a relentless focus on the guest journey.
The Vision He Couldn’t Refuse
Ask Neil what convinced him to take on a project of this scale, and the answer is immediate: the vision. His first meeting with the owner, Mr. Han, left a lasting impression. “It is rare to meet someone with such a bold vision, genuine passion, and the courage to pursue something truly transformative.”
Many developments aspire to be great golf clubs. Hann Reserve, he realised, was reaching for something larger: a destination capable of standing alongside the finest golf and hospitality experiences anywhere in the world. The chance to shape it from the ground up, to define its culture, build its teams, and establish its reputation on the global stage, was simply too compelling to ignore.
He still remembers the first time he stood on the land. “The scale of it was remarkable, but it was the landscape that truly captured my imagination.” Rolling elevations, mountain backdrops, natural contours and expansive views combined into something both dramatic and peaceful. “My immediate thought was that this land deserved something extraordinary.” It was, he says, one of those rare moments where you can visualise the future before it exists.
What Service Really Means
For Neil, a world-class golf operation rests on a single idea: every detail matters, but no detail exists in isolation. The course, the clubhouse, the dining, the locker rooms, the practice facilities and, above all, the people each feed into one seamless guest journey. “I believe excellence is achieved through preparation rather than reaction. Great operations do not wait for problems to arise; they anticipate needs, remove friction, and empower teams to take ownership. The guest should never see the complexity behind the experience. They should simply feel that everything works, every time.”
That philosophy shapes how he hires. Technical skills can be taught; character cannot. He looks for humility, emotional intelligence, curiosity, and a genuine desire to care for others. “Hospitality is a profession of service, not servitude,” he says. “Service is delivered with pride, confidence, and genuine care.” Bring together people who share those values, and exceptional experiences become a natural outcome rather than a scripted performance.
A Destination, Not Just a Golf Course
Neil describes Hann Reserve as one of the most complete golf and lifestyle destinations in Asia, a place where championship golf, hospitality, player development, wellness, luxury accommodation, residential living and international events come together in a single integrated experience. The scale of the property, more than 450 hectares, has let the team think beyond what a traditional golf resort can be.
He is especially energised by how the pieces reinforce one another, anchored by an exclusive relationship with the PGA of America that supports both elite player development and growing the game at every level. And being built into New Clark City, a city purposefully designed for the future, gives the whole project a rare platform. “We are not simply building a golf destination within a city,” he says. “We are helping shape what that city can become on the global stage.”
Dragon’s Landing, and the Courses to Come
The first course to open, the Nicklaus-designed Dragon’s Landing, is, in Neil’s words, “unlike anything else in the Philippines.” It occupies a dramatic mountain-top setting with panoramic views in every direction, and although it sits high in the mountains, it carries many of the visual and strategic hallmarks of a links experience: elevation changes, exposed vistas, the influence of the wind, and expansive playing corridors. “It is not just a golf course,” he says. “It is an experience shaped by the land itself.”
He is reluctant to name a signature hole just yet. “Signature holes create themselves over time,” he smiles. What defines the course, for him, is the feeling of standing on an elevated tee with the Zambales Mountains, Mount Arayat and the horizon stretching into the distance. Pressed on which hole challenges him personally, he points to the 11th: a hole that rewards discipline over power. “Great golf is ultimately about strategy and discipline,” he says, “and Dragon’s Landing continually asks questions of the golfer.”
Two more courses will follow, and this is where Neil believes Hann Reserve becomes truly special. K.J. Choi’s Six Moons is a tranquil parkland course framed by mature landscaping and mountain views, while Sir Nick Faldo’s Caverns Deep will sit on the valley floor, embracing natural waterways, waterfalls and dramatic landforms. “Individually, each course would be a destination in its own right,” he says. “Together, they create something exceptionally rare: three world-class championship experiences that are fundamentally different from one another, yet connected by a single vision.”
The Perfect Day
For a visiting golfer, Neil says, the perfect day begins before the first shot is struck. “As the morning sun rises over the mountains, guests arrive to a sense of calm that is increasingly rare in today’s world. No rush, no congestion, just open space, fresh air, and anticipation.” Breakfast over the fairways, a warm-up at the PGA of America Golf Academy, and then a round across courses as different as Dragon’s Landing and Six Moons. The day winds down at Karman, the signature all-day dining venue overlooking the finishing holes, and finally at Cabana, the rooftop venue where the last drink is enjoyed against a backdrop of mountain horizons and spectacular sunsets.
He believes now is the moment for international golfers to discover Clark. Visitors can land at Clark International Airport and be on the first tee within minutes, yet the region remains refreshingly uncrowded. “Clark retains a sense of discovery,” he says. And the experience extends well beyond the fairways: the integrated resort offers luxury hotels, a world-class casino, premium shopping and a wealth of dining, while a short journey to Manila opens up a city rich in culture, history and creativity. “It becomes a complete luxury travel experience,” he says, “far richer than a golf trip alone.”
Still Just the Beginning
Five years from now, Neil hopes Hann Reserve is recognised not simply as one of Asia’s premier golf destinations, but as a benchmark for what modern golf hospitality can be, and that the Philippines is sought out by golfers rather than stumbled upon as a hidden gem.
After more than twenty years in the industry, what still excites him is disarmingly simple. “Hospitality remains fundamentally a people business,” he says. “What truly creates memorable experiences are the people behind them. Every day presents an opportunity to create a moment that someone remembers long after they leave.”
And when a golfer leaves Hann Reserve for the first time, there is one feeling he hopes stays with them above all others. “A sense of belonging,” he says. “The most meaningful luxury experiences are not defined by what people see. They are defined by how people feel. When we get that right, guests do not feel like visitors. They feel like they belong.” If someone leaves thinking, “I cannot wait to come back,” then he and his team have done their job.
Hann Reserve in New Clark City is set to become one of the centrepieces of golf in the Philippines, and Golfasian can build it into a tailor-made itinerary across Manila and Clark. To plan your visit to Dragon’s Landing and beyond, get in touch with our team anytime.
