December 2024
Today’s post will be significantly different from our normal posts:
- The post is about a major sporting event in South Africa.
- This is the first time we share a post where only one of us visits the place we’re writing about.
- And there are no food photos (I agree, it’s unacceptable).
Berto flew to Johannesburg last week for business at their offices in Midrand. It also happens to be the week that the well-known Nedbank Golf Challenge tournament was hosted at Sun City.
Since his company is one of the sponsors, they received a number of tickets to attend the tournament. Berto attended the first day of the tournament in a sweltering Sun City with temperatures over 30°C/86°F.
Berto at the Nedbank Golf Challenge 2024
What is the Nedbank Golf Challenge?
The Nedbank Golf Challenge, previously known as the Million Dollar Challenge, was first played back in 1981. It is an annual men’s professional golf tournament and played at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City in the North West Province of South Africa.
This tournament has previously been won by influential golfers, such as Ernie Els and Retief Goosen from South Africa, as well as Severiano Ballesteros from Spain, one of the sport’s leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.
Now, let’s get back to Berto’s golf day. His company’s office is 155km/96 miles from Sun City, so it was quite a drive to get there. They had to park outside the golf course and were bussed to the Gary Player Country Club.
Busses arriving at the Gary Player Country Club
Besides the magnificent 18-hole par 72 golf course, you will also find several restaurants and bars, a gym and shops here. The Sun City Hotel & Casino and The Palace of the Lost City are both luxury accommodations near the golf course.
Outside The Sun City Hotel & Casino
Partial view of The Sun City Hotel & Casino
Entrance to the restaurants, bars and shops
Sunny Christmas at Sun City
SuperSport is a television channel in South Africa that provides comprehensive coverage of major sporting events and they were also present at the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Berto took a seat in one of their interview chairs, but it doesn’t appear that they thought he was important enough to interview.
Ready for an interview (or not)
But, of course, Berto wasn’t at Sun City to walk through the hotels or visit the shops (or maybe get interviewed), so he went straight to the entrance of the Country Club to get to the beautiful golf course.
Entrance to the Gary Player Country Club
Berto took a photo of a board with all the sponsors’ names of the golf tournament – not necessarily because of his company’s name (Liquid Intelligent Technologies), but to show me that the hospital group (Mediclinic) for whom I worked for 11 years was also one of the main sponsors.
Sponsors of the Nedbank Golf Challenge
You all know by now that we always try to take photos of animals on our trips – but I didn’t expect Berto to photograph crocheted zebras!
What kind of zebra species is this?
Photos of all 66 golf players appear on the golf course. Berto took a photo of one of the favourites to win the tournament, Corey Conners of Canada (he ended up finishing in joint sixth place).
Corey Conners from Canada
This golf course is truly one of the most beautiful in our country. Berto watched the players for a while at the practice green before he went to explore the golf course.
On the golf course
Players on the practice green
Here are a few photos of the beautiful golf course.
Gary Player golf course
Pavilions for spectators are everywhere on the golf course
The golf course was designed by none other than the legendary Gary Player
The 18th hole
Golf course
Berto’s company sponsored the 17th hole, and he spent some time at this hole while the golf players teed off from there.
Berto’s company sponsored the 17th hole
The 17th hole
View from the 17th hole
View from the 17th hole
Players in action
Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City
Players arrive at the 17th hole
Player tees off from the 17th hole
While the players battled it out in the heat on the golf course, Berto and a few of his colleagues went looking for lunch in an air-conditioned restaurant. Their choice was the ever-popular Hard Rock Café.
Hard Rock Café
If I was with Berto, you would have seen photos of plates with delicious food now. But Berto’s attention was more focused on the music memorabilia on the walls of the restaurant. Oh well, you can’t please everyone, can you?
Sting’s records and Elton John’s Batman-themed jacket
Gibson guitar of the British rock group Status Quo
Jazz guitarists George Benson’s guitar
And this was Berto’s day at the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge. All that’s left for me to say is that I hope to visit there one day too – maybe not to watch the golf, but the Sun City Hotel sounds like a good weekend getaway … or what do you guys think?
Sun City Hotel
Congratulations to Johannes Veerman from the USA who won the Nedbank Golf Challenge 2024 and walked away with prize money of $1,025,000 (that’s what I would call a significant Christmas bonus).
Wet and Dusty Roads 
It does look beautiful, but he didn’t play golf!
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Berto does play golf, but he is definitely not in the league of these golfers 😁 … he can play there next time when there is not a tournament on (and then I can visit the beautiful hotels and taste their delicious food )!
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It certainly is a beautiful golf course, and the resort looks like a great location for a weekend getaway away. Thanks for sharing!
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Although Sun City is a well-known and popular resort, we had not been there before (well, it was Berto’s first time now). It might be worth a visit at some point … especially as the Pilanesberg Game Reserve is just around the corner from Sun City.
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What a great golf course. Not being a golfer, I would have hung out with the crocheted zebras or in the shops and restaurant. The music memorabilia is interesting too. My attempts at gold were a total failure. Couldn’t hit a single ball!
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I also thought the crocheted zebras were beautiful – my mum likes to crochet, I wonder if she would be able to crochet one for me 😄. I took golf lessons a few years ago and could hit the ball pretty well, but I’d rather walk on a golf course and just enjoy the beauty around me than trying to get a ball into a hole.
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I must admit, I know nothing about golf, don’t play golf, and don’t watch golf. But at least the course is pretty, as you said!
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I used to watch golf when I was younger (my brother loved any sport and the television in our house was always on a sports channel). I also had golf clubs a few years ago, but traded them for a hiking backpack. I wouldn’t mind walking the 5km trail on this golf course (and next door is the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve) … so, that’s a good reason to pay a visit to Sun City 😊.
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A beautiful spot…a pity it is wasted on golf! 🙂 But, as always, each to their own! Mel
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I don’t know why the views at golf courses are always so beautiful (because all the golfers see is that small white ball) 😁. I think Pilanesberg Nature Reserve just next to the Gary Player Golf Course is a better option … but as you say, each to their own!
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Good point!
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What a beautiful golf course. Sun City is a very interesting place to visit. I hope you get to go soon and to visit the wonderful Pilanesberg Park.
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It is a beautiful golf course and I can understand why such a world class tournament is held there every year. We really want to visit Pilanesberg – hopefully we will get that opportunity rather sooner than later.
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I am not really into golf but it must be a nice event if you like that. A lot of my colleagues love playing golf and they go to different golf competition around UK to see the players.
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It’s weird that we, who are not really into golf either, have been to three of the best golf courses in the country this year 🤭. And not once did we play golf … maybe that’s because the scenery is always so beautiful at golf courses!
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Such a cool golf course – it’s beautiful! Great location for a work trip, and I love the zebras!
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I have to say that I have never seen a golf course that is not beautiful. Even in the driest areas in our country, the golf courses are lovely – there are obviously people who are serious about playing golf (and keep the greens … well, green). The zebras are cute, aren’t they? My mother likes to crochet … I wonder if she will be able to crochet a zebra for our garden 😅.
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Like others on this comment thread I have little to no interest or experience with golf, either as a player or spectator. But I have always enjoyed the visual appeal of golf courses as marvels of landscaping. This course is a beauty indeed, cool that Berto was able to attend the event because of his company’s sponsorhip. I have set foot on a golf course just once, it was in Doha way back in 2002 when I caddied (poorly) for a friend. Hard Rock Cafes are always fun!
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I mentioned in a comment here that it’s weird that golf courses are so beautiful – especially since the last thing golfers look at is the scenery! I googled Doha’s golf course – that a golf course in the middle of the desert could be so green is beyond me! You’re right, I think I’ll enjoy Hard Rock Cafe more 😉.
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Golf isn’t really my thing, but I love how beautiful the golf course is. I’m also a huge fan of massive Christmas tree and the crocheted zebras are super cute. It’s too bad Berto didn’t take any food pictures!
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I don’t think one necessarily has to play golf to appreciate the beautiful golf course, right? The crocheted zebras are too cute – it could have been another animal to add to our collection of “Animals 2024”, don’t you think 😄. I guess Berto was too hungry to think about taking pictures of food … so, now we’ll never know what the food looked like – a shame indeed!
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Very nice golf course, loved the crocheted zebra.
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It is certainly one of the most stunning golf courses in South Africa (and you don’t necessarily have to play golf to appreciate the beauty of this course). Ha, I think the crocheted zebras were a bigger hit than the golf course 😁 – I liked it too!
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