Play, eat majestically

Tiger Woods, following on from his guest appearance in the TV series Southpark, will be returning to competitive golf on April 8, at the Augusta Masters tournament in Geo-rgia.
And closer to home, the Zimbabwe Open golf championship, a non-event for the last nine years, is being re-launched, amid great excitement and anticipation, at the Royal Harare Golf Club.
 Re-gaining its place on the prestigious South African Sunshine Tour, the Zimbabwe Open tees off on April 18, with scores of golfing luminaries from South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Botswana and Namibia.
Home-grown achievers include Ignatius Mketekete, Sean Farrell and professional golfer, Tony Johnstone, who has already had 17 wins on the Sunshine Tour.
Previous winners of the Zimbabwe Open, which was first played in 1984, were Fijian Vijay Singh and homeboy Nick Price.
Sponsorship for this exciting tournament has come from many sources, but the title sponsor is to be Africom, a well-known provider of information and communication technologies.
Partly because of Africom’s dedication to corporate social responsibility and a belief in golf as a sport vital to networking and community development, Africom has provided sponsorship for many Zimba-bwean clubs, keeping the game of golf going over the last decade, in spite of many dark years of economic hardship.
It was never in doubt that the Zim Open would take place at the Royal Harare Golf Club, a serene and wooded venue within spitting distance of the CBD, the Botanical Gardens, and State House. Opened in 1898 by Lady Milton, the clubhouse is undergoing some renovations to ease its way into the 21st century and to make sure that everything is ship shape come April 18.
 Some years ago the clubhouse had an air of decayed gentility, but last Sunday morning, when George and I arrived for a late breakfast, things were buzzing.
The main door was closed pending the facelift, so we bypassed the pro’s shop and walked through Halfway House, where dozens of golfers were munching bacon and egg while considering their golfing skills and the course rating of the Royal Harare.
Would they score birdies, bogeys or double-eagles, or maybe a hole-in-one?
The Net-One Classic was underway, and the Shumbas were battling it out to feature in the order of merit for the Zimbabwe Open.
Stylishly dressed in the latest golfing gear, these players would cut a dash on the fairways even if their performance might be below par.
 We climbed an outside staircase and reached the spacious balcony overlooking Harare’s premier golf course. Tables were set for breakfast with crisp white cloths and boat-shaped table napkins: white crockery was matching and knives and forks all of one design.
Service was also state-of-the-art and our waiter brought us each a ‘full English breakfast’ consisting of two eggs, grilled bacon and sausage, tomato and baked beans, and two slices of toast, costing $4 each.
Coffee, poured from a pot, was hot and flavoursome.
I would have preferred butter to margarine, but George solved the problem by putting his two-egg omelette on top of his toast, and claimed he couldn’t tell the difference.
 As we devoured our breakfast and gazed over the million dollar view, a tame springbuck skirted a bunker and stopped in the shade of a thorn tree to munch grass.
Undeterred by golfers and caddies striding purposefully by, she asserted her ownership over almost seven thousand square metres of wooded parkland, an oasis in the middle of Harare.
 The stakes will be high at the Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament this year, but even if the pros don’t sink a hole-in-one on hole number 11, and win a Yaris sedan sponsored by Toyota, they can be assured not only of delicious and reasonably priced meals in the club house, but royal service to go with it.
– Royal Harare Golf Club
5th Street Extension
Tel: 702920
Email:royal.harare.golf.club@zol.co.zw