The Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort. PHOTO | COURTESY
Kenya’s best golf resort, the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort, in Naivasha, has now been recognised as Africa’s Best Golf Hotel 2016.
The Great Rift was voted the winner in this category at the 3rd Annual World Golf Awards in Algarve, Portugal.
Nominees in this category included the Legend Golf and Safari Resort in South Africa, Mazagan Beach Resort in Morocco, Steigenberger Makadi in Egypt and The Sindbad in Tunisia.
In addition to the award for Africa’s Best Golf Hotel, the Great Rift also bagged the award for Kenya’s Best Golf Hotel. The Awards, now in their third year were established to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world class golf courses and golf destinations, according to the awards website.
World Golf Awards managing director Chris Frost said votes for the awards are cast by professionals working in the golf and tourism industry including buyers, tour operators, agents and media.
With more than 60 million golfers travelling to play golf, the golf travel market continues to be dynamic and attractive.
According to Forbes.com 2.2 million new golfers picked up the sport of golf in 2015, an increase of about two per cent over previous years.
And according to the US PGA Tour 6.3 million millennials play golf and are playing more often — up to 15 rounds per year. Further, more and more people were enjoying the sport outside the golf course, with 18 million people visiting golf ranges and golf simulators.
Of these 18 million, 40 per cent are non-golfers, just guys out to have a good time. In the US, 24 million golfers play mor than 465 million rounds per year on the slightly over 15,000 golf courses annually.
So what does all this mean for the newly crowned Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort? According to the Heritage Hotels chief executive Mohammed Hersi, the awards are a real boost for the resort and Kenya.
“These awards reinforce Kenya’s position as a superior golf tourist destination, and whilst at the Heritage Hotels we are extremely proud of this recognition, this award is also for the Kenyan golf and tourism industry as a whole,” he said.
“Golf tourists ordinarily spend about a week in a country and they prefer to play on more than one golf course and they also sample other touristic products.
You can therefore expect visitors to the Great Rift to also hop into the Maasai Mara for a safari and perhaps play another round of golf in Nairobi before they fly out.”
The Great Rift Lodge golf course is an immaculate 18-hole layout, built on the slopes of the Eburru Range and overlooking Lake Naivasha.
“Our golf course is designed to give the average weekend golfer an easy, leisurely walk and modest challenge from the club tees,” Hersi added.
“From the championship tees, the course bares its claws and offers a true test of golf even for the very best players.”
Other awards at the 2016 fete included; Portugal for the World’s Best Golf Destination and South Africa for Africa’s Best Golf Destination. The Old Course at St. Andrews Links was voted the World’s Best Golf Course and the Muthaiga Golf Course was voted as Kenya’s Best Golf Course beating Leisure Golf Club, Nyali Golf and Country Club, Karen Country Club and Royal Nairobi Golf Club among others.
The Great Rift Valley Lodge has also been recognised by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) for their efforts in reforestation and consequently awarded with the IAGTO Nature Protection Award.
The hotel has been working with the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Rafiki Foundation and the local community in Eburru to restore over 1000 acres of natural forest in Eburru Forest.
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