Uganda Golfcourses

Ultimate Serenity at Entebbe Golf Club

A round of golf at the picturesque Entebbe Golf Course will most probably stimulate even a first time golfer for 'another lap' until it graduates to a habit. Easily traced in the heart of Entebbe Municipality, on the banks of Africa's largest fresh water body - Lake Victoria is the vast Entebbe Golf Course, Par 71 with 18 holes.

Location: The course is located along Kampala - Entebbe Road, just adjacent the Entebbe Municipality head offices, on the banks of Lake Victoria (Opposite the state house and near the Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel).

Early Years: Entebbe Golf Club foundation dates as far back as 1901 during the missionary days. The course has seen a gradual and positive transformation having manoeuvred through the different regimes of administration. Down the years, improvements and changes have taken place on the course.

Course Tees: Entebbe Golf Course has 3 sets of tees; Blue as the championship tees, white for amateur men and red for the amateur ladies. There are doglegs left and right; birdies are available and eagles can occasionally pop up; but it is not a course for old crocs or rabbits. “The greens are big, and all holes are tree lined and well placed to punish the overconfident and the wayward player, the primary rough too can be punishing for those who fail to play their balls onto the short grass”, George Olayo, the club's green keeper says. One place however that you must avoid is playing your ball into the forests, the trees are closely planted and if you find your ball in any of these trees, you must play it safe, that is, find the nearest way out of the trees to the short grass. For those with other interests there are flowers to suit all tastes: showy and tropical or modest and genteel.

State of Art Club house: The club house has been upgraded. The unique touch up maintains the archaic look though the facilities are getting better and best. With a state of the art bar and lounge, better shower rooms and other new facilities. Many an ardent golfer will attest the great ambiance right from the club house.

Hospitable Caddies: There are not many places where the caddy tells you to be careful when you drive down the third because rhinoceroses don't take kindly to being thwacked on the head by golf balls. “Entebbe club is blessed with many of golf caddies who will always your round of golf a pleasant one”, Dickson Lagoro, club professional says. Entebbe's home bred talents of former caddies, Deo Akope, Godfrey Mande, George Olayo, Amos Kamya, Club pro Dickson Lagoro, Peter Sendaula and Vincent Byamukama are now household names in the golfing circles across the entire nation.

Comfortability: At Entebbe Club, golfers are rest assured of the tranquillity that comes along playing this healthy sport. Right from tee – off, along the course, the cool breeze breeze from Lake Victoria, the lovely sounds of the wild game at the nearby Uganda Wildlife Education Centre and the challenging fairways will offer you the best pleasant on the course. Do not be shocked when a monkey or other smaller wildlife picks keen interest in your progress as the birds with wicked beaks heard upon every boggie, par and birdie with raucous cawing and songs. "This is One of the most popular courses in Uganda provides a relaxing environment in the gentle warmth of the day, enjoying the occasional glimpses of Lake Victoria through the trees", club captain, Oscar Ssemawerere says.

Welcome to Entebbe Golf Club.

Garuga Golf Club, Kihiihi has been launched in South Western Uganda. The club is owned by prominent businessman Musinguzi Garuga who is reported to have injected over $2M in its development. The course is the only 18-hole golf course privately owned in Uganda. Other 18-hole golf courses in the country include the Kampala, Entebbe and Kilembe.

The Garuga course is a big boost to area tourism as it is situated situated right at the heart of Kigezi Tourism Circuit. This circuit has unique tourist experiences like the tree climbing lions at Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Tea plantations, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Lake Bunyonyi, Virunga Massive, Mt Muhavura and Sabinyo, crater lakes, hot springs, Lake Mutanda with its islands, Gorilla trekking and Batwa Forest experiences in Bwindi, cultural tourism and over 600 endemic bird species, among many other attractions.

With an airstrip in Kihihi and the Savannah resort hotel plus now the Golf course, visitors can fly-in, enjoy a game of Golf, and sample the countryside including the lakes, mountains, forests, culture and animals.

Holes: 18 Year built: 2014 Guest Policy: Welcomed Pro Shop: Yes Pro Available: Yes Scorecard: ? Tee: Black Par: 71 Length: 7189 yd

Jinja sports club was established in 1912 by the colonialists working in Eastern Uganda that time. It has a number of facilities like a swimming pool, tennis court, Squash house, Snooker room and a fully functional restaurant. Over the years, Jinja club has emerged as one of the top five golf clubs in Uganda when it comes to popular golf courses and the number of successful tournaments held annually.

Jinja annually hosts conventional golf tournaments sponsored by Eskom Uganda, Kakira Sugar Company and Nile breweries Ltd. All these tournaments attract averagely 200 golfers from across the country. Jinja club is famous for its strategic location on the Source of the Nile River hence a tourist destination for most tourist golfers coming into Uganda.

Jinja golf club is managed by a team of diligent men and ladies elected annually by the club members through the club annual general meeting (AGM). It has a team of nine members voted into office to ensure the club establishments are managed well and club resources utilized with transparency and with industrious approach. Over the years Jinja club has been the hub for prolific golfers in this country.-The late Sadi Onito whose name still sounds vividly in all golfers’ minds and memories is one of Jinja club’s sensational golfers this country has ever had.

Jinja’s big names in the golfing fraternity include but not limited to; Brian Tolit, Opio Emanuel, Ian Odokonyero, Faizo, Ismail muhamoud.

With the magnificent view of the Source of the River Nile, plans are under way to develop Jinja golf course into an 18-hole course. “We shall have to put a par 3 hole at the cliff towards the river adjacent fairway right of hole 8 as Jinja’s signature hole. You either play safe, exercise precision or you land your ball straight into the River on a first bounce” Says gad Musazizi a renown course designer. With 18 holes in place, Jinja club will be in position to be one of the key tourist attractions in the region. This year (2014) Jinja club hosted a successful Inter regional tournament that saw the Western regional winning the trophy for keeps.

This lush 9-hole course features a lot of bunkers and trees and plays harder than it looks like. Wildlife is abundant on this golf course, which is next to the gorilla trekking spots. The clubhouse was built in the 1930s and offers a bar and a swimming pool. First membership is UGX 120 000 then UGX 100 000 per year. More or less 40 members make part of this club. Green fees are UGX 5 000 and the same amount must be paid for caddies. There is no water hazard on this narrow course.

Type: Public Holes: 9 Year built: N/A Guest Policy: Open Metal Spikes Allowed: No Driving Range Available: No Caddies: Yes GPS: No Other facilities: clubhouse

You haven’t golfed in Uganda if you haven’t played the course at KMGC!

Established in the late 1950s, when Kilembe Mines was fully operational, KMGC quickly developed a reputation as one of the best golf clubs in East Africa. Fully irrigate and with a large, active membership, the club was a hub of social and golfing activity. It hosted a number of events, among them the Uganda Amateur Open in 1968. The local rule printed on the back of the score card, suggesting a free drop if your ball lands in the footprint of a wild animal, provides a small insight into what the course used to be like.

With the demise of Kilembe Mines, towards the end of the 70s, the club began a slow and bumpy slide towards an uncertain future. Corporate investment all but vanished, the irrigation system was pilfered piece by piece, and the once dynamic membership dwindled to a faithful few. Various corners of the course reverted back to bush, with only the enthusiastic perseverance of a handful of local golfing aficionados, with the help of one or two companies (e.g. KCCL), keeping some of the 18 holes playable, and the golfing spirit alive in Kasese.

Over the last 3 to 4 years, however, thanks to the commitment of a small team of dedicated golfers and, more recently, to regular support from Hima Cement Ltd, the future of KMGC is looking rosier. Despite desperately limited finances and serious problems with encroachers, the full 18 holes have been re-opened and huge strides are being made to bring KMGC back to some of its former glory.

The course is described as the oldest, longest and most challenging course in Uganda. The undulating par 73 layout provides a true test of golfing skill and judgement. The sun-baked fairways and greens are generally very firm, forcing golfers to polish up on their chip-and-runs, and the roughs are definitely not for the faint-hearted. Though the greens rely on the meagre rainfall Kasese receives, a rolling programme of green improvements is underway.

Golfing efforts are well rewarded as KMGC is set in magnificent surroundings. Just above Kasese town, in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, on a clear day golfers are treated to stunning, panoramic views of the surrounding hills and mountain peaks on one side and the Albertine rift valley on the other. No longer does the club siren sound when a big cat is spotted on the course warning golfers to retreat back to the safety of the clubhouse, though KMGC is just a 45 minute drive away from Queen Elizabeth National Park, making it ideal for those who want to combine a round of golf with some game viewing.

2012 has been the club’s most active year in recent history. Members, and fellow golfers from the region, have enjoyed participating in regular monthly medals, a club singles’ match play and a par-3 competition. Golfers from further afield also played in the first Rwenzori Cup, a national annual inter-club tournament, as well as the revived Helmet Challenge, a competition between KMGC and Entebbe Club, last played in the 70s. The second, two-day, Hima Open also took place at the club on 3rd-4th November this year.

KMGC is relaxed and friendly, welcoming both veterans and beginners to the game. The cost of playing a round of golf on this historic course is very, very reasonable and, with prior warning, club hire can be arranged. The next time you are in the Kasese area, make sure that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to test your golfing skills on this fabulous course, and to join the ranks of those who can indeed say they have played golf in Uganda!

Recent Review 

Masindi Golf Course is an ex-golf course. I hesitate to say it, but the Bradt Guide let us down on this one. There it was, clearly marked on the town plan: ‘Golf Course’. But then Bradt had made the same mistake at Mbale, over in the east. We had also had our suspicions about the course at Tororo a few miles away, though we didn’t spend much time looking for it. At least the club house at Mbale had been converted into a sports club, though the course itself was now just a field. The club house at Masindi, however, has been ignominiously rebranded as a ‘24/7 club’, though it is well enough preserved, by the looks of things. A club not just open at all hours, but to all sorts, as long as they have enough money to buy a drink - some improvement on the rather more divisive social mores of the British colonial establishment which built it.

Like the nearby tennis courts, much of the old golf course is knee-high in grass.  Some of it has reverted to what the English would call ‘meadow’.

It is pock-marked with anthills, grazed by cows and provides a quiet refuge for retiring flowers of various kinds. If we hadn’t read our Bradt, we would never have known it had ever been a golf course. The rest of the course has become the ‘parade ground’, and that was where we gravitated now,

Review from the past!

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.

Type: Public Holes: 9 Year built: N/A Guest Policy: Open Driving Range Available: No GPS: No Pro Available: No Other facilities: clubhouse, swimming pool

The course comprises nine holes in pleasant parkland surroundings – like Ratho Park Golf Course – but, when we were there at the height of the drought, burnt bone dry. The greens were terrible. Unlike most of Uganda’s other courses, there is no watering. The tees were in a similar condition. However, the rains have now reached Kampala and its surrounding area, so don’t be too put off by our pictures. Indeed, even as I type these words I can see pink sheets of lightening across the dark sky towards Namulonge, the thunder is growling and heavy rain is on its way once again. The course is probably as pleasantly green now as the fields all around it. Apart from the par 3s, most holes are well designed, including three attractive dog legs, and a couple of long par 5s. There are no bunkers. Actually, there are only eight greens – the second also serves as the eighth but is attacked from a different angle. The course is unlikely ever to be “busy” but imagine if it was, with several groups playing 18 holes – potentially 4 groups simultaneously playing the 2nd and 11th and the 8th and 17th all heading for the same green.

The course has one ridiculous hole – a 250 yard par 4. To protect the par, the tee is placed directly behind a huge tree. You MUST aim away from the tree (and therefore the green), otherwise you will be felled by the rebound. Makes Augusta seem straightforward.

Mbarara Sports Club which is located in the heart of Mbarara Town was founded around 1946. Mbarara Sports Club is not what one would call a thriving golf club, but it does get a few rounds of play per day.

Mbarara Sports Club is comprised of a 9hole Golf Course, a Tennis court, a Squash court and a Club House. The club currently holds most major regional and some national golf events, other sports events and social gatherings. The club has over 90 registered members but only 28 members are handicapped golfers. Most of the members are social members and others enjoy other games at the club. The Club draws its membership from the business community, civil servants and other residents of Mbarara Municipality.

The Mbarara golf course is a 9 hole course, but offers different tees for the second nine that gives a golfer a slightly different experience from the outward half; it measures 5,039 meters and it is a par 70 course layout.

The signature holes of Mbarara are Hole 8/17 which is a short, downhill par 4, with OB surrounding the green as well as a bunker and rough on the right and left. Hole 13 is also an interesting but brutal par 3 with two large trees that block ones shot to the green. You are supposed to hit a very high ball over the trees for get onto the green for one.

With a new and youthful golf captain , Mbarara is getting back on the golfing calendar of Uganda as it has been off the radar for some years. The club has already witnessed two successful golf events this year; The Seniors’ Open and A Castle Lite Invitational which were played in April and May. The new captain has other big golf events lined up before the close of the year. Mbarara hopes to host some of the union events come next year since the course is well maintained and playable all year long.

Situated west of the capital Kampala, not far from the banks of Lake Victoria, the Mehta Golf Club is a really lovely, scenic golfcourse within a private part of a huge plantation layout.

Having developed from a family ‘garden golf’ background, from the original 9 into a fairly concentrated 18-holes, the owners of this popular course have decided to look at upgrading the golf to a full, top-level 18-holes, reverting back to 9 for the original land area; the garden of a historic old house. The course is frequented by all; from the inveterate travelling golfing Scotsman, to the local natural raw talent, the great and the good of the country, the best Pro’s of the region, the beginners and improvers.

Steeped in history, of a determination to survive and make good in this country blessed with the best nature can offer, blighted with the worst that man can contrive, this is not just golf, it is an experience, for those who care to delve. With a planned 9-hole extension taking the course to true international specification, and an exclusive little resort central area, the Mehta Golf Club is set to become an important and select golfing venue in the East African region.

Challenging nine hole golf course and Country Club set in picturesque surroundings  boasting some of the best greens in East Africa.

Type: Public Holes: 9 Year built: 2010 Guest Policy: Welcomed Style: Parkland Golf Season: Year around Metal Spikes Allowed: Yes Driving Range Available: No Rental Carts Available: No Rental Trolleys: No Pro Available: Yes Caddies: Yes Golf School: Yes

Toro Club is a members club located in Fort-Portal municipality, Kabarole District, in the far west of Uganda. The Club draws its membership from the business community, civil servants and other residents of Fort-Portal municipality today we are close 170 in number.

The Toro Golf Club was opened in 1918, that is 95 years ago. It is the oldest Golf Club in Western Uganda. The Golf Club House is constructed on "Fort Gerry" used by Capt. Gerald Portal forces that came to defend Toro kingdom against the attack of King Kabalega of Bunyoro Kitara in the year 1893. The name Fort Portal town is thus derived from the Fort and honoring Capt. Gerald Portal.

LOCATION: The Golf Club is in Fort Portal town. The 9 hole par 70 golf course is laid on undulating Boma Hill. This gives a panoramic view to every visitor coming to town for the first time. Due to the topography, the course is very intimidating and challenging to new visiting golfers and regular members because of the valley of tears and OBs which automatically attacks your mind game.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Toro club is a members club and has a membership of close to 170 members of these we have 40 serious golfers and the others have interest in other outdoor games like Volleyball,basketball,squash and lawn tennis. We have courts for all the games mentioned thou not in very good condition but are playable.

The Toro Golf Club is currently known of producing very good young golfers. Today Toro club supplies close to half the national team players and the entire junior team is Toro. Toro Club last represented Uganda at the Junior level and we were the third in Africa. Today the club also boasts of the oldest playing golfer in Uganda, Mr. Basaliza, fondly known as "Mzee Kijana".

Toro Golf Club emerged champions of the inaugural Uganda inter club competition held at Kitante Golf Club, Kampala in December 2009.And supplies more than half of the western team when it comes to interregion which as a region we have won 16times.

TOURNAMENTS: Toro Golf Club is renowned for holding very well organized golf competitions outside Kampala. Each year we host six major competitions which are attended by all golf clubs in the country. .

Many golfers love playing the course because the fairways and the greens are well maintained and manicured. .

However today our course maintenance equipment has starting falling apart due to old age. We are grateful to our trustee Tom Prinsloo for the good work of maintaining the machines. .

THE GOLF COURSE: The fairways and the greens are well maintained. The fairways have a lot of trees which are a challenge to golfers. The grass on the greens is uniform throughout the course. The greens have character and it is said that they are the best greens in Uganda.

HISTORY: Tororo Club is a social, refreshment centre found at the foot of Tororo Rock, in the Eastern Border town of Tororo. Among the amenities available at the Club, the Club boasts of a well kempt, 9 hole Golf Course; the only one of its type in the eastern part of Uganda. Memberships is voluntary but consist of mainly the middle class of the Town’s residents including the top civil servants working in Tororo District as well as top company Executives of companies operating in the area.

The club started in 1956 and by 1959 the Club premises had been erected comprising of club main hall where badminton and snooker games are played, Club bar for patrons and golf locker rooms where Golfers keep their equipment and acts as a changing rooms. The tennis court and swimming pool will soon be revived to add to existing sporting facilities. The club house is undergoing expansion to include a restaurant and fully fledged kitchen.

LOCATION:  The Golf Club is found in Tororo Municipality, Tororo District. The 9 hole par 72 golf course is laid on foot hill of Tororo Rock surrounded by residential quarters in the upscale senior quarters. This gives a towering view of the Rock. Due to the topography, the course is very easy and not challenging save for the bunker protected par 3s however no course comes easy but players have always enjoyed a good game at the Tororo Golf Course.

ACHIEVEMENTS:  Tororo Club is a members club and has a membership of close to 50 members half of whom are regular and resident golfers. Golf is the main sport for all members.

As of now, there are hardly 25 members clamouring for and craving for a higher standard of playing course and vibrant club house entertainment. However it’s important to note that we did manage to achieve some short term targets such as planting trees in the course as well as reclaiming our brand image with the original logo all in a bid to serve our members better.

For our Club, therefore, it is of vital importance to revive the growth momentum, which has unfortunately slackened. Unlocking the potential of the sporting public out there is one of the key revival tools.

The club has completed the roof replacement and no asbestoes exists any longer within the club. We received a standby generator from one of our members and membership recruitment is on course all this we hope will improve the atmosphere in the club for member’s enjoyment.

TOURNAMENTS:  Tororo Club has traditionally held the Tororo Open as a Union Event with a couple other club events. Being an upcountry club attracting sponsorships has been our main challenge. With our dedicated team of small golfers a sponsor will make mileage from partnering with us.

Conscious of our responsibility to set new strategic direction in terms of finalising club house development, concerted efforts are being made to ensure that these initiatives(club house development and excellent playable course) achieve meaningful and measurable outcomes in terms of providing members with state of the art facilities to enjoy their sporting and relaxation requirements. We have sights set on securing irrigation equipment from a potential donor who has requested for a course layout sketch.

THE BAD, GOOD AND UGLY Decentralization policy of local government has had serious consequences on the membership since before the club was enjoying membership from government employees posted or transferred to the district. The club now has to shift focus and widen its catchment for membership. Also collective myopia regarding the serious consequences of delay and neglect of members meeting their obligations, especially payment of subscriptions has also affected the club in general. As a result, the ground reality is that there are serious shortfalls in providing adequate playable and in-house infrastructure. The cost of not paying attention to our course and club house is enormous.

This great club can ill-afford a deceleration in member numbers and consequent shrinkage of finances that come abound.

Uganda Golf Club is located in the heart of Kampala, the perfect place for those who love the game of golf and the benefits of a members club. Enjoying time on the "19th hole" with friends is often the best part of the day.

There is always fun to be had at Uganda Golf Club with weekly events including club night and ladies night. On weekends, members and their guests play in social and corporate events. As the name suggests golf is the main activity at the Uganda Golf Club (UGC).

The course at Uganda Golf Club is a 6684 yard, par 72 in Kampala. The greens are fairly big and conform to international standards and the Club has a health Club. On the course is the famous river Kitante that plays as a hazard on a number of the holes on the course and this is one feature on the course that you must avoid as you play golf at UGC.

It requires thoughtful play even while you enjoy the fantastic setting in the heart of the city. The natural elevation changes and the Kitante creek which runs through the course provide a great test.

Another feature of the golf club is the natural grass range, which gives you the honest feedback you need to improve your game.

Played on a championship course that has several distinctive features, the game of golf has thrown up many thrills and spins at UGC over the past 100 years.

One of these features is the Kitante Stream, which is a nightmare for many golfers. The stream runs from Mulago across the city to Lake Victoria.

Kitante, in fact, is the name that UGC settled for in naming its course way back in 1908. Kitante is a tainted pronunciation of a Luganda descriptive word ‘ekita ente’ meaning the one that kills cows.

The place was at one time a big swamp and the cows used to get stuck in there and would eventually die. This led to the saying ‘ekita ente’ or Kitante as the country’s white colonialists would say.

Though few in number, the whites were instrumental in putting up the course and were basically the main patrons. Over the years, the membership has increased with Africans and Ugandans coming on board.

UGC moved its present location at Kitante in 1907 from the original 2km away in Wandegeya. The British colonial administrators were instrumental in establishing the Club. The British and Scots dominated membership for over six decades.

The well maintained 18-hole Parkland style golf course of the West Nile Golf Club offers challenging greens and narrow fairways that make the enjoyment of both beginners and seasoned golfers. The club was founded in the 1950s and has around 120 members. The course is not crowded during the weekdays, providing an opportunity to play all alone on the course, at the golfer’s own pace.

Type: Public Holes: 18 Year built: 1955 Guest Policy: Welcomed Golf Season: Year round Driving Range Available: No Caddies: Yes Rental Clubs Available: Yes GPS: No Other facilities: clubhouse, swimming pool, bar