Fancourt - Celebrating Life

Trip to the Waterberg & King's Cup in Swaziland

Date: 6th of September

Read about the second part of my trip upcountry: - a couple of days at Zebula in the Waterberg and then onto Swaziland for the King's Cup.....

After my trip to Witbank for the Charterlink SA Senior Masters, I had a couple of days to 'kill' before my next obligation: the King's Cup in Swaziland. I decided to take up an open invitation from Dale Hayes to visit Zebula in the Waterberg area, about 30 kms west of Bela-Bela (formerly known as Warmbaths).

I can't remember when last I spent some time here, except for an invitation by IMG early last year to take part in a one day event known as the 'Battle of the Banks' which they hosted at Euphoria - a course designed by Annika Sorenstam. It is a lovely part of SA - for me, the vegetation is so different from what I see on a daily basis on the Garden Route. I love the bushveld, so I gladly took Dale up on his offer.

We stayed at the Waterberg Lodge at Zebula.  The estate has a wonderful African feel about it - while sitting on the verandah, a couple of zebra wandered up the first fairway, grazing away with not a care in the world - what an ingenious, African solution to keeping the rough short! On the way between our accommodation and the clubhouse, we spotted giraffes, impalas, wildebeest, kudu and my favourites, the warthogs,  who always seem to have a cheeky look on their face. In fact, Sonja went for a couple of runs in the mornings and the only traffic she encountered was of the 4-legged kind!

The Waterberg area boasts 4 world class golf courses: Euphoria, Zebula, Legends & Elements. It is great to see them work together to promote golf and safari in the Limpopo - they are offering fantastic deals for golfers that include accommodation and golf. Have a look at the website: http://www.limpopogolfandsafari.com if you are interested.

The former director of golf at The Links at Fancourt, Anton Haakman, has recently taken up a position at Elements, managing the estate. It is only a short drive from Zebula. I had a wonderful day - Anton joined us for a round of golf on the Matkovich designed course which I thoroughly enjoyed. In my opinion, there is not a bad hole on the course. One needs to shape shots, esp. off the tee and there is a nice variety of longer and shorter PAR 4's as well as a stunning par 3 ninth onto a green surrounded by water.

After some sundowners on the clubhouse terrace, Anton treated us to a braai at his house on the estate. There's nothing better than a braai in the bushveld watching the warthogs and kudu fight for the food that Anton put out for them. Anton - thanks for the delicious food, it was good, but not good enough the wrestle the 'world's second best braaier' title from me!

I was pleasantly surprised at the incredible value for money in the Limpopo area from a golfer's perspective. It is only a 2 hour drive from Pretoria and Jo'burg and attracts many weekend golfers. The best deals are during the quieter weekdays - well worth a visit!!

After a couple of days of relaxing and enjoying the bushveld, we headed down to Swaziland for the King's Cup. I feel very honoured to have received an invitation from His Majesty. The King of Swaziland, to be his guest of honour for the annual event. It is the largest golf event in Swaziland and brings together businessman from Southern African states to promote foreign investment and tourism in Swaziland. Since its inception in 2005, the King's Cup has grown steadily and with the help of loyal sponsors such as MTN, Nedbank, Royal Swazi Hotel, it has become a key event on the annual Swazi social calendar.

Coming to Swaziland brought back lovely memories of my Sunshine Tour days. The event in Swaziland was one of the favourite Tour stops and the pros usually brought their families along for a week of fun. The clubhouse at Royal Swazi has a couple of framed 'blasts from the past'! I love looking at pictures of the 'days gone by'. I laughed especially at a photo of my good buddy Dale H.: good looking, young, thin with an anxious look on his face as he watches his drive… When I recently saw Dale, he was definitely no longer good looking, old and round!! But then again, Dale: Round is also a shape!

Just down the road from the Ezulwini Valley is the only other 18 hole course in Swaziland: Nkonyeni. In fact, it is a new golf development and the first residential golf estate in Swaziland. Alison Pienaar from Mossel Bay has taken up the position as head pro and is looking forward to helping promote the sport in the Kingdom. The course was designed by fellow Links member Phil Jacobs and unfortunately, I didn't have the time to play it, but it looked very inviting. I'll definitely be back! It has a stunning setting, in the bush, on the banks of the Usuthu River. Nkonyeni also offers incredible specials - if I have made you curious, have a look at: www.nkonyeni.com/

I'm on my way home - it is also special flying back to George and to paradise on earth.  As much as I rave about the places I visit - I know that I'm living in the perfect spot for a golfer: 3 courses, incredible practice facilities and competitive members who love taking my money! No wonder I can't retire!
 

Article 1 of 89 »