Welcome to the Sixth Edition of the Ascot Golf Newsletter.

This edition covers the following topics:

1) Familiarization Tour
2) Heard on the golf courses around the country.
3) Barry writes a regular column
4) Women’s World Cup of Golf
5) IGTM in Lisbon
6) Cricket Tour to South Africa
7) March Madness still available
8) Ascot Tours Website
9) Airlines News

1. Familiarization Tour       

What a great trip we had! 16 Tour Operators from around the globe descended on us for 8 days last month and with our sister company Vuya Africa we took them from Cape Town down the Garden Route to Kariega in the Eastern Cape.

The weather only caught us on one day and we managed to play 5 rounds of golf in 5 days with the best comments from the group coming for the Pearl Valley Golf Course and the Outeniqua Golf Course at Fancourt. The hotels went out of their way to ensure everyone had a great stay and the NH Plettenberg Bay even put a vehicle at the group’s disposal for a late night excursion to meet the locals of Plettenberg Bay. There were a couple of sore heads the next morning including one such local who happened to be hit in the eye by an over excited tour operator (no names mentioned) who was giving the group a demonstration in drinking shots (Tequila I think) in her country.

All in all the response to our destination was very positive and we have already received a number of bookings from the group, which we would like to thank you for.

We will be doing another fam trip in September next year so if you are interested in next years trip, please register your interest with me ASAP so that I can get you the dates as soon as we have them finalized (by end November).

2. Heard on the golf courses around the country    

Oubaai Golf Course (Ernie Els Golf Course in Herolds Bay) is now only scheduled for opening in February 2005 and they are indicating a green fee rate of R750 per round which we think is excessive and will be discussing at the next golf club managers meeting, which I have been invited to. Talking Ernie, he has been commissioned to design a new course in the Mpumalanga region of Dullstroom. This will be his third signature course in South Africa and it will be interesting to see what trends he follows.

Greg Norman’s first design, Le Grande George, is facing fierce opposition from the locals who say it is stopping them from reaching the sea. I am sure when the locals understand that the course will provide jobs for most of them, they will find another path to ‘their’ specific beach.

One last comment on Ernie is that he has recently bought a winery in Stellenbosch which will allow him to produce 12000 cases of wine instead of 2400 which he normally produces. The two vintages of Ernie’s wine, a Bordeaux blend, have been among the highest rated wines in South Africa, each scoring 93 on the Wine-Spectators 100-point scale and I can high recommend them.

3. Barry’s regular column      

Positioned at the southern most part of the continent of Africa, South Africa has become the America (Land of Hope and Glory) for the rest of African population.

For the past 5 to 10 years thousands of illegal immigrant Africans have arrived and settled in Johannesburg, Cape Town and all other areas of South Africa, with the intention of earning a living and sending money back to help their often starving families in their own land of birth.
Numerous wars and political problems have left neighboring states, namely Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola and to a lesser extent Zambia and Malawi with internal problems that have led to its starvation and general lack of infrastructure and finances and lead to their dependence on world charities for funds and assistance. The exceptions are Botswana (The leading nation in Southern Africa, whose currency the Pula is 40% stronger than the rand) and Namibia.

With Lesley (my wife) and I both born in Johannesburg from British parents, Scott and Angie born in Zimbabwe, and son Grant born in Durban, we have always considered ourselves as South Africans, and as “whites” not really Africans. However my recent safari to Botswana, Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls only) and Zambia has changed this thinking and label forever.

SAFARI TO BOTSWANA, VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE AND IN SEARCH OF THE DOCTOR
As a family, we had lived in Zimbabwe in the early 70’s, having returned once only in the late 80’s to find a country struggling to find their feet, and general apathy.

Recent Mugabe decisions and policies has worsened the situation, so it was with much apprehension that I stepped off the plane at Victoria Falls airport, on the 27th July, on a typical winters day (no clouds in the sky and 25 centigrade temperature, and so it remained, was hotter for the following 10 days of our visit).

Smiling airport personnel herded the passengers into the arrival hall, where in typical African fashion the arrival form soon ran out and after at least a half an hour of chaos, confusions and standing around, it was then announced that the officials were now ready and those requiring visas were to enter via one route and non visa bearers via another.

The following mass stampede left Lesley and I as the only persons standing at the “No Visa required” exit, and within 30 seconds we had our passports stamped, collected our baggage and officially started our safari and expedition into Africa.

At this defining moment in time I realized that I had been accepted, by the Zimbabwean Immigration official not as a South African, but as a fellow African.

Julius, our Zimbabwean guide, transported us in his vehicle for 1½ hours along a good tarred road to the Botswana border post. Thirty minutes later, after completing hassle free border formalities, we were in Botswana and checking into the Chobe Safari Lodge for our 3 night stay. Our package was all inclusive of accommodation, breakfast, evening dinner under the clear sky and stars, and two game viewing activities per day.

The following two days game drives, river and sunset cruises on the Chobe River were most definitely the finest birding and game viewing I have ever experienced. (Been there! Done that! Got the T-Shirt! from Kruger, Pilanesberg, Serengeti, Ngorongora, Toshibas Game Reserves included and yes, timing of the visit, and being fortunate to be at the right place at the right time can influence everyone’s personal experience of game viewing).

The transfer from Botswana to the Royal Livingston Hotel on the Zambian side of the Victorian Falls allowed me the opportunity to visit the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and also some Hotels. All the hotels visited, i.e. Elephants Hills, Safari Lodge, Ibala and The Kingdom were in excellent condition, but empty and desperate for business which is caused by the world’s reluctance to support Mugabe regime, and some high US dollar prices charged.

The Gary Player designed golf course attached to the Elephant Hill Hotel, but open to everyone, is still a classic, but understandably in poor condition due to lack of funding. The fact that elephants had broken the security fence and destroyed hundreds of trees, before being removed, and the numerous Impala, Waterbuck and Warthog inside leave deep hoof prints on watered greens, droppings on your line of putt, scratching in fairways, all add to the local green helpers nightmare.

However, this is truly playing golf in Africa, as where else can you have about 100 Impala and numerous family baboon troops, watching you play your strokes alongside the mighty Zambezi River, where hippos and crocodiles ensure that a ball hit into a water hazard is definitely lost and not worth looking for?

The Royal Livingston Hotel (5 Star) allows one to experience luxury accommodation in typical old colonial surroundings and furnishings. Viewing of the Victoria Falls from the Zambian side is included and all the activities.
i.e. Micro flights and helicopter views of the falls, river cruises, white water rafting can be arranged from the hotel or the 4 Star neighboring Zambezi Sun Hotel.

I was a little uncomfortable while eating breakfast on the patio as to why so many local security guards were surrounding the breakfast area and apparently watching all the guests eating the gourmet breakfast offered, until I saw a monkeys hand on my table, and as quick as a flash, steal a scone and an apple off my side plate, and depart leaving an embarrassed “monkey guard” to just shake his head and to call in more reinforcements to help protect his area and what was then left of my breakfast.

My safari continued onto Lusaka, capital of Zambia, and a fine golf course namely Lusaka Golf Club, but more of that at some other time.

CONCLUSION AND PACKAGE OPTIONS
I recommend you consider selling add on options to your clients to visit Victoria Falls, as well as Chobe Game Reserve “True Gems of Africa”. Ascot Golf will be able to provide you with various options and prices.
There are the negatives of separate Visa requirements, local airport departure taxes in foreign currency, and cost of internal flights but for ‘True African’ Experience it is definitely worth it.
Victoria Falls is served by SA Airways and Air Zambia, Livingstone Airport by Nationwide and British Airways and Zambia Airways and Kasari, Botswana by Air Botswana. Connections are mostly via Johannesburg and local capitals, but there is talk of a direct Cape Town link in the future.

TRACES OF THE DOCTOR
I finally obtained proof that THE DOCTOR had visited this area, but I was unable to speak to anyone who had personally spoken to him, or knew where he was now. I was told of certain documents in existence and this will hopefully shed more light on this elusive character.

THE SEARCH FOR THE DOCTOR CONTINUES.

4. Women’s World Cup of Golf.       

Once Pezula withdrew, Fancourt were only too happy to host the tournament, said marketing director Kwayke Donkor. If it is a success, Fancourt has the right to host the event through to 2007.

Just who will play in the event? There has only been one previous World Cup, in Malaysia in 2000, and all the top stars competed on that occasion. Australia, represented by Karrie Webb and Rachel Teske, won the title from Sweden, who had the Sorenstam sisters.

The 54-hole format will remain the same – foursomes the first day, beterball the second and aggregate strokeplay the last day. The stars are all expected to make the trip to Fancourt to play the Links Course.

Ascot, after the fiasco that was the Presidents Cup, have not put together any packages for the event but we have been offered tickets and accommodation and will tailor-make packages for any tour operators that would like to sell the event to their clients.

5. IGTM in Lisbon       

I have also been invited to sit on the Steering Committee of IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) and will be representing the Southern African regions. I am very excited about this position and look forward to voicing my opinion on golf travel into and out of this region when the group meets prior to the show.

6. English Cricket in SA       

For those interested we are able to secure tickets for all the games so if you have clients that would like to book a golf package but take in a day’s cricket, then please let us know and we will quote accordingly.

7. March Madness      

8. Ascot Tours Website       

What we are interested in looking at is the kinds of itineraries that the clients will request direct. When getting a request from tour operators we often get requests for itineraries that the tour operator knows and thus can sell and we also provide the itineraries that sell the best. In some cases this might not be what the clients has in mind, so we are hoping that if there is something we are not offering you all, and it is something the clients want, it will come out in the requests we get on the site.

I say this is the first version as we will be expanding the hotel information, golf course information as well as the destinations featured. We would like the site to be the best site featuring golf in Africa and we will be adding Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Mauritius to the program over the next 12 months.

We are very interested to add Kenya and Mauritius as we feel it will open up a new market that is reluctant to fly direct to SA, due to the distance, and we can get them flying via one of these destinations thus breaking up the flight.

Please go through the site and let me have any comments, both good and bad, so that we can improve the site.

9. Airlines News       

The last bit of news is that Levita has joined our team as a consultant and will be assisting with putting together quotes and facilitating tours. We welcome her to the team and we are positive you will find her as helpful and proficient in her job as the rest of the team.

That’s all for this newsletter and once again I ask that you send any comments, both positive and negative, to me so that we can ensure this newsletter grows and grows.

Yours in Golf

Scott Edkins and the Ascot Golf Team.