JOHANNESBURG – Kenya has upstaged South Africa to be named Africa’s best Golf destination, in the 2020 World Golf Awards Gala Ceremony.
The awards were due to take place in Dubai on October 29, but were postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Instead, winners were notified this week by email.
The award will raise eyebrows in South Africa, as it boasts 450 golf clubs with 125 000 golfers in the country. Kenya, in contrast, has just 40 golf clubs with 7 000 active golfers.
In fact, South Africa is about to host a three-week European Tour swing. The Joburg Open at Randpark Golf Club will be held from November 19 to 22, before Leopard Creek Country Club hosts the Alfred Dunhill Championship from November 26 to 29. Finally, the South African Open will be staged at the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City from December 3 to 6.
Despite being able to host three world class events during a pandemic, South Africa still lost out to Kenya for the prestigious accolade.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) chief executive Betty Radier told publication Daily Nation: “It is encouraging that Kenya has been able to develop golfing and now the entire world knows us as the best destination in Africa. We have indeed made incredible strides and we can only get better. We aim to be the best in the World now that we have conquered Africa.”
The Kenya Open was a European Challenge Tour event from 1995 to 2018. In 2019, it was upgraded to a European Tour sanctioned event.
African News Agency (ANA)