Golf

I couldn’t get out of Africa without testing their golf courses. I hadn’t played golf for over two months so I was dying to chase the little white ball. John, Paul’s father in law invited me to play at the White River County Club. It is the local course and it reminded me a lot of Jamestown’s course, a fun course but nothing to get too excited about. The price was amazing, to be a member it is $80 per year and $3 per round, as a guest I paid $13 and played like a dog.

Good thing I got in a practice round because Paul had a cool surprise for the next day, Leopard Creek. Leopard Creek is the Pebble Breach of Africa. By many it is considered the best golf course in Africa. The course is a private course that borders Kruger Park, so while you play golf normally you can see wild game on or near the course.

If can find someone to get you on, a round normally costs about $200, which is expensive by US standards and is out of sight for most in Africans. Paul’s Austrian friend, Ollie, who owns a beautiful restaurant and a five star hotel, got us on for free.

What an absolutely stunning course. Set among the escarpment and along the Crocodile River, beautiful running streams, rolling hills and every tee box has a bronze statue of a leopard doing something. As you progress through the holes the bronze leopards go from rest, to stalking to catching the impala. They told us each one of the statues cost in excess of $5000. As you arrive at the course they serve you a chilled fruit drink on the front steps, your chilly box (cooler) is stocked with drinks, after 9 holes they give you a cold cloth and serve you scones and tea.

We saw hippos, monkeys and waterbuck during our round. None of us shot a great round but we had tons of fun. Paul, Ollie, Mandler (one of Paul’s managers) and I laughed hysterically as we plopped ball after ball in the lake trying to hit the island green on number 18. When we were done we added up the lost balls on just the final hole, the total was 11. Good thing there wasn’t anyone in the clubhouse watching.

I finally found my game on Friday when I played again with Paul’s father-in-law. They have a small 9 hole tournament on Friday’s called the Meat Tournament. The winners get different types of meat. The winner gets a leg of lamb, I came in third and carried home a big piece of biltong. Biltong is like gourmet beef jerky. I’ve taken a pound of Mikey and Brads flesh and some of their money on occasion but never won meat on a golf course.
We finished the night with a delicious dinner of ostrich at Ollie’s.