Weak rand sees golfers tee-off closer to home
WITH the rand
exchange rate
plummeting against
major currencies, outbound
golf holidays have become
incredibly pricey, says Warren
Weitsz, Giltedge Golf & Safari’s
sales and marketing director.
As a result, South African
golfers are leaning towards
local tours.
“Venturing internationally
is becoming more and
more expensive and time
is also a factor for most
working professionals,” says
Warren. “There are very few
destinations where you can
get away with a four- or fiveday
golf tour, whereas if you
travel locally you can easily
accomplish a short quality tour
that offers great value to the
golfer.”
For those still travelling
abroad for golf, Ireland and
Scotland (known as the home
of golf) remain popular, despite
the cost, as they are bucket
list destinations for all golfers.
Brendan Barratt, editor of
Compleat Golfer, agrees. “The
UK and Ireland are big. South
Africans love the beautiful
links courses in Scotland and
Ireland, and everyone wants
to play the Old Course at St
Andrews at least once in their
lifetime.”
Giltedge clients, says Warren,
are looking to the Far East over
Europe for more affordable
golf holidays – Thailand, for
instance, offers great value
when it comes to golf, food
and accommodation.
“The UAE is also enjoying a
surge in popularity, especially
Dubai and Abu Dhabi, due to
the great golf courses and
excellent hotels, and it’s only
an overnight flight away with no
time difference, so you can get
away with a five-night golf tour,”
adds Warren.
Stuart Mclean, Golf Digest
editor, says South African
golfers are also taking golf
holidays in Spain and Portugal
as they are not as expensive
as other parts of Europe and
have good weather year round.
He says Turkey is another
growing golf destination.
Brendan adds that Mauritius
is also well liked by golfers,
with golf often included in the
cost of a holiday package.
John Ridler, Thompsons
Holidays pr manager, says the
weakening rand is creating
strong demand for domestic
travel. “Our biggest demand
for golf packages is in South
Africa and Mauritius. Mauritius
is still selling well, thanks to
creative packaging and a wide
variety of activities as well as
superb golf courses.”
In South Africa, the Garden
Route, Cape Town and Cape
Winelands region are the top
golfing destinations for local
and international golfers,
with KwaZulu Natal also well
frequented. “Cape Town,
more so for its golf and wine
offering, and the Garden Route
for its famous resort courses
such as Fancourt, Oubaai,
Pinnacle Point, Pezula and the
like,” says Warren.
Stuart says KwaZulu Natal
used to be the premier
destination for golfing holidays
but has now been replaced
by the Garden Route, which is
very appealing to international
golfing tourists as it’s
perceived as safe, with quality
accommodation and is close
to Cape Town.
“However, KwaZulu Natal
is a much better value golf
destination, where you can find
incredible bargains, especially
on the south coast where you
have Southbroom and San
Lameer,” he adds.
Brendan points out that
KwaZulu Natal is also a great
winter golf destination, with
the north coast having become
more attractive for golf since
the move of the airport. “But
for the most affordable golf in
South Africa, you’d probably
look at the Eastern Cape and
places like Port Elizabeth
and East London. Limpopo
is also an up-and-coming golf
destination with a choice of six
golf resorts,” he says.
Thailand- afforderble golf and so much more
THAILAND is one of the
more affordable golf
destinations around
the world and, as such,
remains popular among
golf groups, says Lesley
Simpson of Lesley Simpson
Communications, which
represents the Tourism
Authority of Thailand in
South Africa.
“Golf holidays in Thailand
are about much more
than golf,” says Lesley,
“with culture, history, food,
shopping and entertainment
all part of a visit to the
kingdom – and Thai
friendliness legendary.”
The leading golf
destinations in Thailand are
Hua Hin, Pattaya, Bangkok,
Phuket and Chiang Mai/
Chiang Rai.
“Bangkok is where most
visitors to Thailand head for
at least part of their holiday.
It has wonderful shopping,
food, entertainment and
culture throughout the city
and most golf courses are
within a 45-minute
drive of downtown.”
Hua Hin, Pattaya and
Phuket are well known for
their beaches, scenery,
nightlife and excellent
accommodation options.
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
in northern Thailand are
mountainous and steeped
in history and culture, with
many fascinating excursions
to the hill tribes and the
Golden Triangle, where the
borders of Thailand, Laos
and Burma meet.
Siam Waterside, at Siam
Country Club near Pattaya –
just 90 minutes’ drive from
Suvarnabhumi International
Airport – is a new course,
and Nikanti Golf Club near
Nakhom Pathom opens in
December.
Green, caddie and cart
fees at Thailand’s better
courses cost US$140
(R1 550). Five- to sevenday
packages start from
around US$250 (R2 770)
a day and include play,
accommodation, transfers,
caddie and cart fees.
India offers low green fees
WITH the rupee-rand exchange rate
at 5,5 to 1, India is one of the
most affordable destinations in the
world to play golf, with some of the
cheapest green fees in the world.
According to Manas Ranjan
Pattanaik, director of Incredible India
in South Africa, India boasts the
world’s oldest golf course outside the
UK – the Royal Calcutta Golf Club,
which was founded in 1829. Kolkata
is also home to the only women’s
golf club in India, the Calcutta Ladies
Golf Club.
For travellers from South Africa
looking to enjoy several rounds of
golf on some of India’s signature golf
courses, the world-class golf courses
in and around Delhi and in nearby
Gurgaon are recommended.
The famous Delhi Golf Club has
ancient ruins and magnificent
peacocks. Also worth visiting are the
Army Golf Course in Dhaula Kuan and
the Qutab Golf Course in Lado Sarai.
In nearby Gurgaon, the par-72
DLF Golf & Country Club, designed
by Arnold Palmer, offers night golf.
Golden Greens has a testing 18-hole
links-style course, while the Jack
Nicklaus-designed Classic Golf
Resort, 45-minutes drive from Delhi,
has an 18-hole championship course
and a nine-hole course.
Jaypee Greens, a stone’s throw
from Delhi, is designed by Greg
Norman and is very popular among
South African golfers, with a lengthy
18-hole course, huge lakes, ponds
at every hole and world-class hotel
facilities.
Desert golfing grows in popularity
WITH 11 world-class golf courses,
each with its own character, Dubai is
the Middle East’s golfing paradise.
Top of the heap is arguably the
Majlisat Emirates Golf Club, home
to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic
and a course rated regularly among
the world’s top 100. It attracts
professional golfers and thousands
of golf tourists annually, who enjoy
Dubai’s first-rate hotels, restaurants
and leisure facilities.
The Desert Classic, which takes
place from January 29-February 1,
2015, and sets the standard for golf
tournaments in the region, counts
the world’s greats among its winners
– Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods,
Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els, the only
three-time winner.
Golf fans can also follow in the
footsteps of legends by taking on
the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf
Estates, home to the US$8m DP
World Tour Championship (November
20-23, 2014), the finale of the
European tour’s season-long ‘Race
to Dubai’.
One of Dubai’s newest courses
The Els Club, named after Ernie Els,
will host the new Dubai Open from
December 18-21, 2014, and brings
the Asian tour to Dubai for the first
time.
Green fees at Dubai courses vary
depending on the time of year, teeoff
times and the course itself, with
winter the busiest season. Playing
on flood-lit courses such as Faldo at
Emirates Golf Club or The Track are
the most affordable options, while
visitors may also choose to stay
in hotels with spectacular views of
fairways and greens, such as The
Address Montgomerie or Jebal Ali
Golf Resort.
Most Dubai golf packages offer
play at a number of different
courses. Rounds can be booked
through the golf reservations
website, Golf Citizen, which shows
real-time availability 24/7
