Gandiva Archery Range | Unleashing the Hawkeye in Me…

Since childhood, I’m always fascinated with movies, cartoons and other shows using bow and arrow. It seems so simple, yet it’s not as easy as you think. It needs upper body strength, mind and eye coordination. I don’t want to sound like a pro, so I’ll just blog my first attempt on the archery range.

After years of considering playing archery, I finally got the drive to do so. Gandiva Café Archery Range is located at the 7^th floor of One Corporate Center, Julia Vargas Avenue corner MERALCO Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. It’s a 20 to 25 minute walk from SM Megamall. Just follow J. Vargas on the side of Philippine Stock Exchange. Gandiva, facing Meralco Avenue is located on the left side of the elevators. It can be easily recognized since the range is covered with glass see-through walls.

Facing Gandiva, the first door you will reach will take you right inside the range while the left most door will lead you to the the vegetarian café. They serve a lot in their menu but I haven’t tried anything though.

Back to archery, the busy days of the range is during weekends. As much as possible you have to reserve your slot to make sure you will not end up just a spectator. As for me, I didn’t reserve a slot prior to going. It was just with divine providence that we, including some other walk-in archers’ wannabe were accommodated. It just so happen that we arrived at the range few minutes after it opened and most of the reservations are after lunch time. The range is not big. I think it has only some 10 lanes with 18 meters each length. No, as beginners, we were only trained as far as ten meters. Hoping someday I’d get to 18.

The training coaches’ are accommodating. They’ll teach you the basics of archery, how to hold the bow and how to load the arrow properly, the right posture and the correct way to pull and release the string. They are always keeping an eye on you and correcting every error you will commit. It’s really fun pulling those strings and aiming at your target face. My first few shots during the start are going out of the black circle, but during my second up to last set, I am already aiming at the right target. I actually hit the yellow circle area four times. The other one is really near the bull’s eye. I felt an adrenaline rush. I was so delighted that I was able to nearly hit the center of the target face considering I am newbie. Way to go…

   

One hour of fun in the range will cost you Php600.00 and that includes the range fee, the equipment’s rental and training coach to assist you, plus another Php30.00 for your own target face. Of course as time goes and as you are learning, the cost may be reduced when you no longer need an instructor.

 

For more information, you can visit their website at http://www.gandiva.com.ph/archery.html

You can also check on their Facebook page here.

Image from Gandiva Archery Range Facebook Page