Sports writer Grant Winter grew up playing golf in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
By Grant Winter
Golf is alive and well in southern and East Africa, and top-quality courses can be found in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland (and the game can be played pretty much all year round, although December, January and February can be hot).
Zimbabwe, of course, has produced some outstanding golfers over the years, including Nick Price – at one stage ranked No 1 in the world, Mark McNulty and Tony Johnstone. And that great character of the game, Simon Hobday, who passed away in 2017, learnt his golf as a youngster in Zambia where his parents were farmers.
As far as course design and remodelling of layouts in this part of Africa go, names of course architects that crop up time and again are Northern Ireland’s David Jones and Zimbabwe-born Peter Matkovich. In a survey of a ‘top 10’ or so courses in Southern and East Africa, we start in Tanzania with Jones’ outstanding creation – the course at Kilimanjaro Golf Club.
Tanzania
The 18-hole Kilimanjaro layout, which first opened for play in July 2015 and is bringing both golf and safari lovers to Tanzania, is the centrepiece of the stunning 1,000-acre Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate. Not only is this a superb golf course, challenging and fun to play, but the setting is truly magnificent. Snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro dominates the eastern view and Mount Meru the west. “As if these great mountains weren’t enough this wonderful piece of Africa has rivers, wildlife and one of the most tranquil feelings of anywhere I’ve ever worked. It is already attracting investors from around the world who see the emergence of somewhere really special to live and play,” says Jones. And maybe you can climb Mount Kilimanjaro as well! Kilimanjaro Golf Club, surely, is set to become an international
tournament venue of some repute.
The Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar is situated on the Swahili Coast, just off mainland Tanzania. The 9-hole layout at Sea Cliff Resort & Spa is the only golf course on the island and it lies on the northwest coast. Designed by Matkovich and opened for play in 2015, the gorgeous little facility meanders through an old sand quarry and past a mangrove swamp, with two of the finishing holes routed alongside the Indian Ocean. So beautiful.
Kenya
The PGA Baobab course at Vipingo Ridge is No 1 in the Kenyan course rankings. It is situated on the Mombasa North Coast and is part of a five-star residential estate. There are actually two 18-hole courses at Vipingo. The Baobab, though, designed by David Jones, became the first in Africa to obtain PGA accreditation in October 2016. The quality of the layout is apparent right from the off, and conditioning is immaculate. The design has been described as “a marvel of engineering where water gently cascades down from the highest point on
the course to the lower reaches.”
The No 2-ranked course in Kenya is the one at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi which regularly hosts the Kenyan Open, a professional event that is part of the European Challenge Tour. Peter Matkovich renovated the layout in 2004-5 and it is regarded as one of the prettiest to play in East Africa, particularly on the back nine where several newly constructed lakes now add to the challenge.
Zimbabwe
One of only six courses in Southern Africa granted ‘Royal’ status, the classy Royal Harare Golf Club can be proud of its heritage. Its course, one of the finest in Africa, was a learning ground for some great players like the aforementioned Price, McNulty and Johnstone. The prestigious parkland course – originally founded as Salisbury Golf Club in 1898 – occupies a sizeable property in downtown Harare, next to the Sports Club cricket ground and the Presidential Palace. The course has been the venue for almost half the Zimbabwe Opens since this professional event – part of the Sunshine Tour – was inaugurated in 1984.
Located beneath Leopard Rock in eastern Zimbabwe’s beautiful Bvumba mountain range not far from Mutare, Leopard Rock Country Club at the Leopard Rock Hotel is set in the grounds of an elegant estate that has, down the years, hosted politicians, royalty and a variety of celebrities from all over the world. Designed by Peter Matkovich and opened for play in 1993, the fairways wind their way through an undulating landscape of lush, sub-tropical foliage to bent grass USGA-standard greens that have been built to test the very best of putters. Three short par fours – measuring between 330 yards and 340 yards – at the 2nd, 7th and 16th holes are real feature holes, as is the all-water carry par three 9th hole.
Also in Zimbabwe Chapman Golf Club in Harare is well worth a visit, as is Elephant Hills which is only a wedge away from the mighty Zambesi River and the world-famous Victoria Falls.
Botswana
Phakalane, 15km outside the capital city of Gaborone, is a relatively new addition to golf in Botswana. An excellent 18-hole estate course, it ranks alongside Gaborone Golf Club (also 18 holes) in the city as the best the country has to offer. There are also nine holes at the Cresta Mowana Safari Resort and Spa, next door to the wild and wonderful Chobe River in the north of the country.
Namibia
Developed by businessman André van der Walt and situated less than half an hour’s drive south of Windhoek city centre, Omeya Golf Estate is a self-contained satellite town with its own school, clinic and shops. Designed by Peter Matkovich, the course – noted for its many ancient camel thorn trees – is an emerald golfing jewel that lies within the Namibian bushveld. The verdant hue of the greens and fairways contrast sharply with the arid acacia savannah surroundings.
Situated below the Aus Mountains on the southern side of Namibia's capital, the 18-hole course at the exclusive Windhoek Golf and Country Club opened in 1994 and was designed by South African professional Ken Elkin, offering “an alluring haven of greenery to members and visitors alike”. The course sits beside a hotel and casino complex, where bowls and tennis are also catered for.
Swaziland
The tiny mountain kingdom of Swaziland is a popular destination for tourists, and the superb Royal Swazi Sun Country Club course nestles in the lovely Ezulwini Valley, 15km east of the country’s capital city Mbabane. A regular tournament stop for the professionals on the Sunshine Tour, some of the greats of the game, including John Daly, have competed here over the years. The 11th hole, a long par-4 involving a steep climb, is aptly named ‘Thrombosis Hill’ because of the stress and strain it puts on mind and body!
Zambia
Situated six kilometres from the centre of Kitwe, the second largest city in Zambia, the busy and impressive Nkana Golf Club course was constructed by one of the copper mining companies not long after exploration began in this area in the mid-1930s. Currently under the ownership of Mopani Copper Mines, Mark Wiltshire renovated the layout in advance of it hosting the Zambian Open in 2014 and 2015.
Described as “Zambia’s most prestigious sporting facility, attracting a good cross section of golfing nationalities”, Lusaka Golf Club is situated in the heart of the capital, next to State House and a short distance from all the main hotels. Lusaka City Airport, which serves the military, shares a common boundary to the north of the course. Occupying a gently undulating property, the tree-lined course extends to 6 575m from the championship tees. The club has hosted more than 20 editions of the Zambian Open.
Nchanga Golf Club in the copper town of Chingola is also worth a visit. It was once ranked among the top 100 courses in the world outside the United States. When the great Bobby Locke visited in the 1950s, he described it as a course to “capture all golfing hearts”.
Malawi
There are around a dozen 9-hole golf courses scattered throughout Malawi – one of them belongs to Blantyre Sports Club, formed in 1894 – with the latest of these layouts opening at Mapiri Lodge. The course at Lilongwe Golf Club is the only 18-hole layout in the country, dating back to 1930.
Mozambique
Golf is not big in this vast country, with only two nine-hole courses, one in Maputo and one in Beira.
