Out
of Kenya's 40 golfclubs Tobs has selected the 14 most beautiful
challenging and scenic golfcourses.
| ***** |
Excellent
Golf course |
| **** |
Very
Good Golf course |
| *** |
Good
Golf course |
[ Karen Golf and Country Club
| Leisure Golf Club | Limuru
Country Club | Muthaiga Golf Club
| Mount Kenya Safari Club | Nakuru
Golf Club | Nyali Golf and Country Club
| Nyeri Sports Club | Rift
Valley Golf Club| Royal Nairobi
Golf Club |
Sigona Golf Club| Thika
Sports Club ]
MUTHAIGA GOLF CLUB *****
6176 yards - par 71 - 18 holes
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Hole no 9 - Bougainvillea and Jacaranda picture by tobs |
Muthaiga
Golf Club lies at the edge of Karura forest and sport many indigenous
trees. A variety of trees and flowering bushes not only come into
play on almost every hole, but also make this course one of the
prettiest to play. The layout is beautiful and one that has many
challenges in store for both the regular and the visiting golfer.
Home of the Kenya Open Golf Championship - part of the European
PGA. Past winners include Ballesteros, Woosnam, Canizaes en Maarten
Lafeber. Beware of the bunkers in the front of the fastest greens
in East Africa. The course is very well maintained and a pleasure
to play. Muthaiga Golf Club has just undergone a complete reconstruction
of its course by course architect Peter Markovich, who also designed
the Arabella Golf Club in South Africa. That course has been voted
one of the top 10 golf courses in South Africa by S.A. Golf Digest.
This accolade comes in its first full year of official ratings.
When the work is finished, Muthaiga will once again be the leading
course in Kenya and East Africa for professional golf tournaments
and avid golfers alike.
KAREN GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB *****
6893 yards - par 72 - 18 holes
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Home
of the Kenya Open 2004 and 2005. Considered by some to be one of
the prettiest courses in Kenya because of its profusion of flowering
trees and bushes, Karen Country Club is a must play. It is certainly
one of the top 18-hole championship courses in the country. The
course is next to the house of Karen Blixen - the author of "Out
of Africa" and situated in the colonial suburb of Karen. Karen
Country Club is a delightful course to play. You will most likely
think back on your round of golf here, with fond recollections.
[ Karen Golf and Country Club | Leisure Golf Club | Limuru
Country Club | Muthaiga Golf Club | Mount Kenya Safari Club | Nakuru
Golf Club | Nyali Golf and Country Club | Nyeri Sports Club | Rift
Valley Golf Club| Royal Nairobi
Golf Club |
Sigona Golf Club| Thika
Sports Club ]
THIKA SPORTS CLUB ****
6724 yards par 72 - 18 holes
Thika
Sports Club is set in the serene countryside, amongst pineapple
and coffee plantations and near the famous Thika Falls - the scene
of Tarzans movies. Most of the fairways are undulating, most greens
small and round. Only in 1996 the course was extended from nine
to 18 holes. The clubhouse has a very rustic sense to it, with large
uncovered wooden beams running the width of the ceiling, it is almost
Swiss Alpine in appearance. A large fireplace warms both sides of
the lounge. Thika Sports Club dates back to 1922, but the golf course
was laid out 10 years later. The biggest event held here is the
Winston Churchill Cup, which is scheduled as a Kenya Golf Union
event since 1979. The Club which is only 15 minutes away from Safari
Park Hotel will provide the visitor with a relaxing day of golf.
LIMURU COUNTRY CLUB *****
6519 yards - par 71 - 18 holes
Limuru Country Club's 18-hole golf
course is extremely enjoyable to play. Not only is its tea country
location aesthetically appealing, but the lush, green course is
well manicured and well maintained. The 40 minute drive takes you
up through verdant tea fields stretching for miles and miles on
either side of the road. At an elevation of 7000 feet (2330 meters),
the golf course receives more rainfall and provides a year-round
lush green carpet of turf. Most sand traps are deep and have very
large mounds to contend with. This course is a delight to play and
is guaranteed to have you coming back for more!
SIGONA GOLF CLUB *****
6519 yards par 71 - 18 holes
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Sigona
Golf Club has a fine reputation for having some of the most beautiful
fairways in Kenya. Sitting near the Rift Valley at an altitude of
6,600 feet (2200m), Sigona receives more than average rainfall.
The Kikuyu grass keeps the course looking lush and verdant year
round. The green keeper tells: "any player can use almost any
golf club, from his driver to his sand wedge, off these fairways".
The course is very hilly and most of the eighteen tees are elevated.
It is one course which will definitely test your golf skills along
with your physical conditioning. Sigona provides a tough but very
pleasant 18 holes of golf.
ROYAL NAIROBI GOLF CLUB *****
7021 yards - par 71 18 holes
It hosts some of the country's
prestigious events. The front nine is relatively flat, while the
back nine have the characteristics of a rolling hill side. The course
is very well maintained. Flowering bushes and a huge assortment
of tree species lend color and aesthetic appeal to the course. The
lovely Ngong Hills can be seen from different viewpoints all along
the course. Royal Nairobi Golf Club hosts some of the prettiest
holes in Kenya and offers the average golfer a real opportunity
to card a good round of golf.
[ Karen Golf and Country Club | Leisure Golf Club | Limuru
Country Club | Muthaiga Golf Club | Mount Kenya Safari Club | Nakuru
Golf Club | Nyali Golf and Country Club | Nyeri Sports Club | Rift
Valley Golf Club| Royal Nairobi
Golf Club |
Sigona Golf Club| Thika
Sports Club ]
RIFT VALLEY GOLF CLUB *****
6580 yards - par 72
18 holes
Very
popular over the weekends among the local golfers, the course has
spectacular settings and a challenging character. The first player
to break the 71 par here, the Irish professional David Jones, described
it as the best young course he had ever played on. This Thomas Fjastad
designed course is a pleasure to play for the golfing tourist.
NYALI GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB *****
6510 yards - par 71 -
18 holes
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Nyali
Golf and Country Club's championship golf course is the first 18
holes on Kenya's coast. This is a gently rolling course with a decent
mixture of right and left doglegs and shallow fairway bushes. Players
will see an abundance of wildlife including dik-dik and bands of
vervet monkeys, the club's mascot, frolicking about the course.
While the course is not located on the ocean, the intrinsic winds
definitely influence the playing conditions. The course displays
a number of beautiful flowering trees, including the flamboyant
Flame tree, originally from Madagascar. This championship golf course
offers all challenges experienced golfers look for, while at the
same time it provides the high handicapped an entertaining round.
LEISURE GOLF CLUB *****
5833 meters - par 72 - 18 holes
Leisure Golf Club is the
only golf course on Kenya's south coast, on Diani Beach.Featuring
18 holes it is one of the most challenging courses in Kenya. The
course features American style bunkers. Tifdwarf, tifgreen and pennlinks
grasses, imported from the United States of America are used for
the tees, fairways and greens respectively. There are two water
feature holes. The first is a manmade lake, converted from an old
quarry and holds 70 million liters (15 million gallons) and is the
source for the course-wide pop-up sprinkler system. The finishing
hole is a 547 yard par five dogleg, with a lake with live crocodiles
planned for it. This course is certainly not for the weak-hearted.
[ Karen Golf and Country Club | Leisure Golf Club | Limuru
Country Club | Muthaiga Golf Club | Mount Kenya Safari Club | Nakuru
Golf Club | Nyali Golf and Country Club | Nyeri Sports Club | Rift
Valley Golf Club| Royal Nairobi
Golf Club |
Sigona Golf Club| Thika
Sports Club ]
NAKURU GOLF CLUB ****
6802 yards - par 73 - 18
holes
Nakuru
Golf Club 18 hole golf course was opened in 1929 by Lord Francis
Scott and rests peacefully on the slopes of the volcanic Menengai
Crater. It is the only uphill course in Kenya - the rolling fairways
gradually lead to the mostly uphill greens. Spectacles of the blazing
coral pink flamingo patches dotting the deep blue hue of Lake Nakuru,
greet your eyes on the 8th and 18th tees. In the dry season, the
course is difficult to play due to lack of a proper watering system.This
championship course is visually pleasing and has some unusual challenges
and therefore exciting to play.
NYERI SPORTS CLUB ***
3316 yards - par 33 - 9 holes
Nyeri Sports Club is
the second oldest course in the country, founded in 1910. This 9-hole
course is laid out in a superb setting and offers exquisite scenery.
While standing on the tee of the 6th, Mt Kenya can be seen looming
above the green giving a breathtaking view of nature in all its
glory. The greens are well bunkered with both sand and grass traps.
The roughs are the highest you will find anywhere as the layout
skirts around a thick forest of very tall evergreens. Add to this
mixture a stream and a valley, and you have the recipe for a difficult
game of golf. Nyeri's golf course is very pretty indeed and highly
recommended for play for the ardent and the family golfer.
MOUNT KENYA SAFARI CLUB ***
2184 meters par 27 - 9 holes
Mount
Kenya Safari Club is an experience that the visitor must include
in his or her itinerary. Nowhere in the world do you come face to
face with one of nature's greatest anomalies - a snowcapped mountain
lying on the equator! This exclusive rich man's retreat opened in
1959. Despite the fact that this is a 9 hole pitch and putt, composed
entirely of par 3 holes, it is absolutely brutal. While the course
is laid out on one of the most beautiful and serene settings in
Africa, you have to be very accurate. The water hazards are many
and coupling with the splendid views of Mount Kenya from virtually
every hole on the course with the variety of flowers and birds decorating
it, the golfer is sure to leave Mt. Kenya with lasting memories.
[ Karen Golf and Country Club | Leisure Golf Club | Limuru
Country Club | Muthaiga Golf Club | Mount Kenya Safari Club | Nakuru
Golf Club | Nyali Golf and Country Club | Nyeri Sports Club | Rift
Valley Golf Club| Royal Nairobi
Golf Club |
Sigona Golf Club| Thika
Sports Club ] |