Mary Louise Simkins Memorial Golf Course: Namulonge

Namulonge is a private course 32 km from Kampala. It's in fantastic shape (except for the greens, which are UG standard shaggy). The layout is set in the midst of the National Agricultural Crops Research Institute, 12km from Gyaza. M.L. Simkins was a USAID spouse, living on the grounds and she was the driving force behind either it's rejuvenation or building, depending on who you ask. I had always heard it was built in colonial times, but my caddie told me that Mrs. Simkins did it.

It's not a club as such, but a private course where green fees are 5k, and caddie fees are 3k per nine. Ball boys get 2k per nine, but will try you on for 3. No special day for the caddies, but they play free whenever they can, which is whenever balls and clubs come their way.The course is available for rental, as are the bungalows surrounding it. Both Sheraton and DFCU have organised tourneys here in the past, but there are none scheduled this year. (click pictures to see full image)

There are two swimming pools on the grounds, neither of them operational, but I'm sure that Mrs. Simkins had them well run. There is an eco-tourism resort 6km away, but also guest houses on the grounds which rent for 15k per night (bring your own food). Ask at the administrator's office (above right).

The course itself is lovely, and well tended, as one would expect from agriculturalists. There are mature Kyatuns, Mavula and Mango trees, as well as some flowering shrubs. Allegedly greens are cut on Fridays, but I played on a Saturday and they were still too long. Fairways are in immaculate shape however.

The challenges here are tight driving holes, and smallish greens, it's a shortish course, so one has to think your way around, which is difficult for a "grip it and rip it" power hitter like me.

The signature hole here is #4, a short par four (above right) that would be easily drivable IF there wasn't a HUUUGE tree directly in front of the tee box that forces you to play a dogleg left. You CAN try to punch low iron thru the trees or hit a lofted wood over the trees, but the risk is high, and reward unlikely.

All in all, a lovely course that is easily reachable from KLA, is great value for money and deserves much more play than it gets. This is especially true now that the roughest parts of the murram road to the course is being fixed.

Lira Golf Club

To call this place a golf course is extremely generous, although once it was a colonial course, it now has 9 "holes". Where once stood a clubhouse, complete with swimming pool, there is now trees in the pool and remnants of a foundation. Apparently the club was a victim of a battle between the Obote and Okello forces, as it is adjacent to the barracks. (click on pictures for larger image)

Golf in Lira has been victimized by war and poverty as has much of Northern Uganda. There are ~30 members, some who live in Kampala, and are not active at all. CPAR built on part of the course, but the club has come to an amicable agreement with them to use part of the building as a clubhouse for events. Grazing and teaching school are other more common activities on this land these days, but golf is played, although not regularly.

My sense is that without active support from the corporate community in Lira, the course will continue to struggle. Here are shots of the first tee and green.

If you want to play, contact the Captain of the club, Okai Wilson (0782326268), an extremely helpful man, and he will arrange caddies and a tour. Mr. Wilson and others try to teach the kids, how to play and caddie, but has no kit for them to use.

Membership is 60k per year, green fees are 5k, membership is 60k per year. At the moment, members are being asked for additional donations for diesel and tractor hire. You can see why in this photo:

Thrashing is done every 3 months allegedly, but it looks like longer than that to me. Greens are temporarily sand "browns" that you don't putt on, you just add 2 and pick up your ball. The second hole has an actual hole tho, so you can putt out there.
The original greens are still there, but are barren, in need of seed, fertiliser and care.

A football stadium, complete with corrugated roofing fence has been built on a par four, so that you have to hit over (or into) the "stadium", threading the needle between the two trees. I hit a monster draw into the gap, amongst cries of "playah" and "U de Man!" from the bodaboda cyclists who formed my gallery for that hole. I was pin high in one, chipped on and picked my ball and par at the same time. This is signature golf at it's most absurd, a unique hole, to say the least.



The UN is once again feeding people in Lira, due to last year's floods, but lots o folks have bikes here, and they cost 150k each, so there is some economic activity going on. The road to Lira is shocking, all the more reason to fit two truckloads of stuff onto one truck!

West Nile Golf Club: Arua

What a joy this course is, lovely park like setting, well maintained fairways offering great lies and very friendly people. The road from MFNP to Arua is beautiful, not a single pothole and spectacular views of savanna and mountains all the way.

The challenges here are the shaggy greens (as usual), and some tight driving windows. Despite this, McTim carded a 3 over par 38, on a soggy course he had never seen before. he was well chuffed!
Once you get past the trees of the tees, the fairways are quite generous:

The club itself, started in the mid 1950's, is healthy and active, with ~120 members, of whom ~30 play. The course gets half a dozen rounds per weekday, 2 to 3 times that on weekends. Caddies are students, who are allowed to play weekends and holidays when not in school, The club got 29 sets of clubs from the R & A for the kids. I can't help but think that they can only use a few of these at a time, and that Kasese, Tororo, Lira and Mbale could use the balance of the kit for their kids.




The clubhouse is interesting in that it is part of the ground floor of the NSSF building in Arua. The club did a deal with NSSF so that they would build the building, the club gets to use part of it, and after 24 years, the ownership reverts to the club (for a hotel I gather).

The club plays a monthly mug of sorts, and have in the past hosted the Nile Open every year. There are 3 caddie tourneys every year, and former caddies pay 30k per year to join instead of 120k. All in all, the beginnings of a solid, youth/caddie program.

As in many places, the colonial era golf course is reduced in size, as the municipality that owns the land felt that too much land was given over to golf. They were probably correct, given the limited resources of most clubs to maintain 18 holes. I would rather 9 well maintained holes than 18 in an overgrown cow pasture.
The course is lush at the moment, with the tee boxes and bunkers overgrown, despite the fantastic fairways, preferred lies are in play.

A club member, Emmy gave me lots of information, and has played every course in Uganda in the year 2006 (while I am doing it in a month).




Since Arua is near the DRC and Sudan, it was a bit dodgy, but in fact, it is safe as houses, even has some first class accommodation.

Murchison Falls; the Ultimate Water Hazard

While at the top of MF, I hit some old balls over the falls, to this "island green". I designed a 3 holer in my head. Since the footbridge has long since been swept away, this course will remain a thought experiment, but what a hole this would be!

4 courses in 4 days seemed a bit rushed, so I gave myself a treat, and overnighted at Paraa Lodge in Murchison Falls National Park.

I am very glad I did, as the place is gorgeous, and full of beasties, including a herd of 37 Tembo at the ferry to Paraa. Seeing this many elephants in one place is unusual at MFNP.




In addition, there are loads of birds, baboons, hippos (this one charged a stupid girl who still has no idea how close she came to being killed), giraffe, antelope of all sorts, warthogs, monkeys, sausage trees and a variety of other lovely things to see and do. (click on small pix to see larger versions).

Elephants come to the swimming pool at Paraa Lodge to drink:
















game drives bring you face to face with these majestic animals.















This has got to be the best park in Uganda, the boat trip to the base of these incredible falls, where the Nile rages through a 10 foot defile, is a must.

Kinyara: The sweetest course in Uganda

A beautiful place set amongst the cane, Kinyara is an extremely difficult course. The greens here are tiny, probably the smallest I have ever played on, and in dire need of a roller/cutter (as is the case with all the greens in UG, except the UGC in Kampala). O.B. is a danger on many holes as well. The first 2 holes are wide open, but the next 7 are set in a spectacular, undulating, plantation of trees.


The facilities are the nicest feature of this club, gym, perfectly clean swimming pool, huge verandah, BBQ pit, bar, pool table, darts, bar, tennis courts, poolside bandas, etc.

It's very much a "country club", subsidized by the Kinyara Sugar Works (as it's also the Senior Staff Club for the company).

The course design was done by Eric Anderson, also the designer of the Lugazi course.

In addition, this club is perhaps the most hospitable in Uganda, proud of what they have built and keen to show it off. Green fees are a minimal 2k per round, with 2k for the caddies (plus a soda). Membership is 60k per year, (much cheaper if you live and work there). If you want to play, arrange this before hand with the Club Captain, Mr. Duncan Were. The recent sale of the club to a group of Indians may bring cost cutting measures to the Senior Staff Club, but if they want to keep up with Mehta (Lugazi), they need to keep things as they are. They have a youth program, whereby the caddies become members when they reach adulthood. IIRC, they also have clubs from the R& A for the kids.

The long straight rows of planted gum trees provide a world of hurt, but to be fair, the fairways are quite generous, but from some of the tee boxes, the trees are intimidating. I hit the ball very well here, but couldn't figure out the lush greens. lots of bump n run here, as the greens are hard under the new growth, despite it being fairly wet.

The signature hole here is #7, a very short par 3 over a swamp (smelly sewer drains into it). It's just a wedge for me, but the swamp and a long bunker with a steep lip is visually intimidating off the tee.

On the whole, people here are better dressed, healthier looking and seemingly better off than the staff at Lugazi (I'll be buying Kinyara sugar from now on), and they all ride bicycles to and from work, in this, it reminded me of Holland! Club members were quite unfazed when I pointed out this huge fire, a controlled burn of the cane:

Lake Bunyoni

If in Kabale, Lake Bunyoni is THE place to stay, despite a number of good accommodation options within walking distance of the golf course.








I stayed at a cozy little place, Crater Bay Cottages, directly across the bay (a 5 iron) from Bunyoni overland Camp.
















The only completely crocodile, bilharzia and hippo free lake in Uganda, I actually swam in this freezing water.












I can see a gorgeous golf course here, with shots over bays, island greens, canoes as golf carts, etc.













While it was hazy during my stay, and not great for photography, the terraces of Kigezi District are beautiful, not to be missed!