167 - The Ezulwini Golf & Country Club

Location: Lobamba, Swaziland

Rating: 7.8

What a story this is. Royal Swazi has historically been the jewel in Swaziland’s golfing world but sadly is in a precarious position. My dad had spoken fondly for many years about his experiences at Royal Swazi back in the 80’s & 90’s and I’d always been eager to visit. Having never been to Swaziland before I was amazed at the friendliness and hospitality of the Swazi people. As anyone who has recently tried to play Royal Swazi you’ll notice it’s almost impossible to get through to the club.

It is under a new name – Ezulwini Golf Course. The man to contact is Kingdom and his number is +268 7612 4794. He will sort you out, the friendliest and nicest guy! The course used to be part of Southern Sun but the hotel shut before Covid and the course has remained under separate financing, however, this can’t go on forever, someone needs to invest in this wonderful location.

It is still in very good condition all things considered, the fairways are well looked after and the greens are still great. They don’t have the finances to have several greenskeepers so some of the bunkers aren’t in top condition but you can look past that. It is a great design, a parkland course with views of the rolling hills of Swaziland in the background.

If you have never been to Swaziland before I would highly recommend going, the people are great, it is a safe environment and they have two wonderful courses in Royal Swazi and Nkonyeni and you can play both for less than a green fee in Europe.

The facilities are great, there’s a stunning driving range with balls included and you can hit off the grass. The course was relatively quiet when we played so no delays whatsoever and it’s a cart only course so you can get around quite quickly. Overall, great design, great course and a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Would love to come back!