THE ELEPHANT HILLS GOLF COURSE sits directly behind the Elephant Hills Hotel and first opened for play in 1974. Designed by South African champion Gary Player, the course was originally one of the longest and most demanding in the world, measuring more than 9,200 yards from the tips.
In 1977 a fire, caused by a rocket launched from the Zambian side of the Zambezi River during the Rhodesian conflicts, destroyed the Elephant Hills Hotel. The attack occurred the day after the Elephant Hills Golf Classic; fortunately most guests had already left. After the hotel burned, the golf course fell into disrepair. By 1987 trees more than 16 feet tall had grown in fairways and native animals, including root-seeking warthogs, damaged the greens.
The hotel was rebuilt in 1989 and the course underwent refurbishment, with the yardage reduced to a more manageable 6,780 yards. The course reopened on February 1, 1992, initially offering nine holes with the remaining holes completed later that month. Fairways are seeded with Bermuda grass from South Africa, and the greens are Tiff Dwarf sourced from plugs donated by Triangle Country Club in Zimbabwe. Vegetation on the property is indigenous, and a natural game path runs just beyond the perimeter fence. From many points on the course you can spot impala, waterbuck, kudu, warthogs, vervet monkeys and baboons, as well as a variety of birdlife. Elephants are occasionally visible just outside the fence. Hotel guests can walk from their rooms to the first tee in minutes.
HOLE 4 | 543 yards, par 5
Elephant Walk. After a shaky start with a double bogey, par and single bogey on holes 1–3, I aimed to find a steadier rhythm. My driver did not cooperate and left me in thick right rough with a challenging second shot ahead. My caddie, Polite, recommended a 3-wood to get the ball back into play. The shot came off well but still favored the right. My approach required clearing a herd of grazing impala and a deep bunker. Encouraged by Polite, I executed the best shot of the day and left myself a birdie putt, which I sadly missed.
HOLE 14 | 384 yards, par 4
Rippling Water. Polite warned me to favor the left side of the fairway since a stream runs the entire length of the hole and turns in front of the green, forming a small pond. The hole plays as a slight dogleg right with water as the primary hazard. My tee shot sliced—likely the rental clubs’ fault—and struck a palm, dropping back into play. From there I found myself on the embankment beside the water, in the rough. Polite suggested a 9-iron to loft the ball onto the green. Although I hesitated because of a large tree I had to carry, I trusted Polite and went for it. The shot flew cleanly over the tree and landed left of the pin. Polite read the 20-foot putt, and I sank it for a messy but satisfying par.
Warthogs at Hole 15 © FRANCIS X GALLAGHER
HOLE 15 | 174 yards, par 3
The Baobab. A baobab tree sits in front of the green’s line from the tee, creating an intimidating visual, and a shallow crocodile pond hugs the right side and front portion of the green. Polite handed me a 5-iron and urged, “Attack the pin!” I followed his advice and struck a well-flighted shot that settled on the back-left portion of the green. As we approached the green, we startled a group of warthogs rooting on the prized Tiff Dwarf surface. I nearly made the birdie putt and left the hole with a solid par.
HOLE 18 | 419 yards, par 4
Lion’s Claw. The 18th is a dramatic closing hole: the hotel crowns a hill beyond the green and the nearby restaurant offers a tempting finish-of-round celebration. Polite advised aiming left off the tee, but my drive veered into trees on the right, coming up just short of a pond. Protected by tree roots from going into the water, I played a low 7-iron back into play, leaving myself about 150 yards to the green in a good lie. Polite gave me an 8-iron and encouraged an aggressive shot at the green. I struck it high and true toward the center of the putting surface. Polite, a seven-year veteran caddie at Elephant Hills, guided me confidently to the green. I narrowly missed the birdie opportunity and settled for a respectable bogey given the earlier drive.
After the round I paid and tipped Polite, then relaxed at the restaurant with a Zambezi Lager and a croque-monsieur with pommes frites while watching groups finish their rounds. We completed 18 holes in about two and a half hours, which left time for a scheduled helicopter tour of Victoria Falls.
Elephant Hills Golf Club
Elephant Hills Hotel
300 Park Way Drive
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
tel 263 213 284 4793
elephanthillshotel.com