This article first appeared in GOLF+ Magazine

September 2009

We’re halfway down the fairway of the par-five 4th when we see Clever Denga striding towards us, clubs slung over his shoulder, waving and grinning broadly.

Clever is the Estates Manager at the Elephant Hills Resort at Victoria Falls, which also makes him in charge of the 6 205m Elephant Hills championship golf course. “Sorry,” he says, extending a hand in greeting, “we had an emergency on the bowling lawn; a warthog got through the fence.”

My playing partner and I don’t pry for further information, but turn instead to our balls (which, for the first time, have travelled to the fairway direct from the tee – we’ve already lost a Titleist and a Srixon to the dense rough on the opening holes). Clever watches with grim satisfaction as we botch our second, third and fourth shots, eventually ending up with a bogey six each.

Then, after we have played our approaches to the 185m par-three 5th short and wide, he pulls a four-iron from his bag and strikes his ball to within a few feet of the pin. At first he looks at us apologetically, but then finds he can’t resist the pun: “It’s course management, you see ... that’s my job!”

Clever loves his golf almost as much as he loves his golf course – which is saying a lot. He’s been at Elephant Hills for over a decade now and, as we play the course, he gives us a guided historical tour. The original layout, designed by Gary Player in the 1970s, was a belting 7 800m long; it fell into disrepair in the 1980s and, when the Elephant Hills resort was constructed in 1990, the course was shortened substantially before it was re-opened.

As we approach the par-three 15th, “The Baobab”, Clever explains to us that the hole was named after a giant baobab that used to sit behind the green. With water to the left, right and in front of the green, it completed a picturesque setting for the course’s signature hole – until, a few years ago, the baobab was struck by lightning and fell down.

It’s self-evident that such changes within the confines of the course pale in comparison to the broader changes that have taken place in Zimbabwe in recent years. When the country’s political, economic and health crises were at their respective peaks, golf was hardly a national priority. Tourism to Victoria Falls was severely affected by global and regional perceptions about civil unrest, food and fuel shortages, cholera and other problems associated with Zimbabwe; many potential visitors also tended to stay away because they questioned the ethics of leisure travel to a country whose citizens were starving and oppressed.

Yet Clever and his small team soldiered on, doing battle with the warthogs that are forever attempting to burrow under the fairways, and fighting against the watergrass that perpetually threatens to take over. Their role in this war was made even more difficult by a limited arsenal of ‘weapons’, with only a couple of tractors and basic equipment at their disposal. Fortunately, one resource in abundance at Vic Falls is water – so the greens have stayed green throughout.

Moreover, the course’s most attractive features, oblivious to politics, have remained firmly in place. Apart from the troublesome warthog, a variety of animals wander freely alongside golfers: water buck, eland, baboons, kudu, even giant legavaans. Water hazards declare, “BEWARE OF CROCODILES” (and they aren’t joking). There are occasional elephant and buffalo sightings near the perimeter fence. And, though it’s hellishly difficult to play out of, the rough at Elephant Hills is an unexpected highlight: untamed terrain that is somewhere between tropical jungle and savannah bushveld.

“As long as the greens and tees are okay, I know it will be easy enough to sort out the fairways and rough when we have a big tournament coming up,” affirms Clever, looking forward to the Victoria Falls Open that will be played at Elephant Hills as a satellite Sunshine Tour event in September. His patient, dedicated, can-do attitude reflects an outlook maintained by everyone you meet in the hospitality industry at Vic Falls.

They’ve been through the worst: having to make daily trips across the border to Botswana to secure provisions so that hotels and restaurants could maintain standards for a handful of guests at a time; sending up to 75% of their salary and tips to family members in Harare or Bulawayo to help them pay for basic foodstuffs. They also banded together to launch the GoToVictoriaFalls.com campaign to keep the tourists coming.

Now that the Unity Government has been formed – and despite numerous glitches on the road to political stability in Zimbabwe – they’re remaining steadfastly optimistic that international opinion about their country will continue to improve, so they can concentrate on doing what they do best. That is: reminding tourists why Victoria Falls is one of the globe’s top destinations for travel, adventure and (if Clever Denga has his way) even golf.

GOLFER’S FYI
Getting there   Did you know that Johannesburg is closer to Vic Falls than to Cape Town? BA and SAA fly daily from OR Tambo to Victoria Falls Airport and Air Zimbabwe; BA, Nationwide and SAA fly to Livingstone on the Zambian side of the Falls.

Green fees   What you are about to read is not a misprint: non-affiliated players pay R300, while affiliated players pay only R200. (Prices have been kept low to attract golfers to the region and to ensure that as many Zimbabwean golfers as possible can afford to play despite currency fluctuations.)

Amenities   Caddies, clubs and golf carts are available for hire from the pro shop. Food and drinks are served at the clubhouse, and the Elephant Hills Resort’s bar and restaurant facilities are open to the public.

Contact +263 13 44793 /9 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  

WHERE TO STAY
The hotel at Elephant Hills is comfortable, but it tends to cater for conferences and large groups, so you may want to look elsewhere.

The Victoria Falls Hotel is the oldest and best-known establishment in the area, its venerable architecture, décor and rolling lawns evoking a bygone era. If you’d be uncomfortable in this oh-so-colonial atmosphere, you can always try the Lost City-style Kingdom at Victoria Falls next door, which bills itself as ‘family-oriented’.

A more understated option is Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, nestled into the bush a little further upstream. Awarded for its remarkable wooden construction and environmentally-friendly practices, the lodge boasts a game-viewing deck with unrivalled views over the (unfenced) Zambezi National Park. For a less costly but still memorable accommodation experience, try Lokuthula self-catering lodges, also on the border of the park.

See www.gotovictoriafalls.com for more details.

WHAT TO DO
You’re spoilt for choice here. If you’ve got, say, a long weekend of three days and want to fit in two rounds of golf, you could probably only find time for a couple of these activities. But you can be sure that non-golfers in the group won’t be bored!

Victoria Falls tour   A footpath leads along the bank opposite the falls, offering spectacular vistas from various angles that live up to their tantalising names: Devil’s Cataract, Horseshoe Falls, Danger Point, Boiling Pot. In the dry winter months, you can appreciate the full height of the falls; in summer, the spray caused by the sheer volume of water falling into the gorge creates vivid rainbows (and will leave you sopping wet).

Helicopter flips   For a dramatic aerial view, take off from the launchpad near Elephant Hills, admire the proximity of the course to the Zambezi River and the actual Falls, fly over the precipice and down through the gorge. Invigorating stuff.

Bungi jump / bridge swing   More than invigorating (indeed, terrifying), these leaps into the void are not for the faint-hearted. The iconic bridge that straddles the Zimbabwean and Zambian banks of the Zambezi is over 110m high – jump off it if you dare.

Rafting   Still the most popular adventure-tourism activity at Vic Falls. Rapids and white water aplenty ... just try to hang on! (High water levels in March and April can preclude rafting during this period.)

Cruises   Above the Falls, the mighty Zambezi is a tranquil stream – or so it seems when, sundowner in hand, you’re watching hippos cavort in the golden late-afternoon light from the safety of a boat. But don’t be fooled (and don’t fall in), there’s a dangerous combination of crocodiles and currents under the surface.

Game walks   These may be less appealing to South Africans who are used to an abundance of wildlife and game parks south of the Limpopo, but there are opportunities to get ‘up close and personal’ while walking with lions and elephants.

Arts and crafts   If markets are your thing, there are a number to choose from in the town of Victoria Falls and in Livingstone on the Zambian side.

More golf   There is another (municipal) golf course in Livingstone – keep your passport in your golf bag.

Contact adventure activity operator Shearwater on +263 13 44471 /2/3,  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or www.shearwatervictoriafalls.com