7th Annual Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip 2016 – Report

Home » 7th Annual Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip 2016 – Report

Once a year, we host an unforgettable golfing experience…

Introduction & Brief Background:

66 Golfers from around the World entered to play 9 World Renowned Golf Courses in 7 days! 50% of the field are return golfers of which most of them have played this tournament for 4/5 & 6 years in a row! The other 50% are brand new entries that hear about this unique tournament from either friends, via our website & Facebook Page! 60% of this field consist of SA local golfing enthusiasts and 40% International. We can’t help but to feel incredibly blessed to host this wonderful event – FOR THE 7th Year in a row! With the company being 7 years old, the first Road Trip started off with a mere 10 entries, and has grown to a consistent field of 60+ players over the past 6 years to follow!

Our Sponsors:

To start off with, we would like to send a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all our sponsors!!!

Main Tournament Sponsor: Cobra Fuel & Transport

Our Charity for 2016:

Every year, we choose a suitable charity to support with funds raised during the UGRRT by means of raffles and other forms of small competitions during the course of the tournament. We prayed about it and God pointed out Carpe Diem School in George. They are a school that provide education and accommodate learners with special needs. It is an honour for us to go to them this year with a staggering amount of R10 000.00 which all came from the pockets of our field of 66 players!! We are so incredibly grateful for your generous contributions and for putting us in a position to donate these funds to people that need it way more than we do. We don’t always realize how fortunate we are to have the ability to simply walk to the kitchen and make a cup of coffee in the mornings, not to mention every other “normal” ability that make our day to day lives easy to live. Your contribution will touch those that need it and we commend and thank you for that!! You can read more about who they are and what they do on their website.

Day 1 – Plettenberg Bay & Goose Valley (36 Holes)

Every Year we start off with a bang being 36 holes which kicked off with a 2 tee start at Plett Golf Course. The team was ready at the crack of dawn, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to receive the players at registration!  Players each received a Panoramic golf towel with pictures of all 9 courses being played.

Although we had hail for about 5 mins, the start of the road trip turned into a beautiful day nonetheless! Moving over the Goose Valley with a 2 tee start from 12:30, the field tackled the second course for the day with much enthusiasm and energy, especially since GGR spoilt the field with loads of Photo props and shooters to make the start of the tournament a lot of fun!! The proof is in pics – see for yourself lol 😀

The opening ceremony was a bustle of chats as many of the return players met up once again one year later and the new players had the chance to get social and meet everyone else. Our opening act, JC, left each table at the venue clapping and laughing with his jaw dropping magic performance – thank you JC, you were amazing and we received SUPERB feedback from our clients!

Prize giving was blessed with our first winners of the 2016 tournament for Plett & Goose Valley and we would like to thank Cobra Fuel and Transport for Sponsoring the first leg of the Tournament!

Day 2 – Pezula

After 36 holes on day 1, as well as knowing the players were going to go big on the opening night, management was kind enough and thoughtful enough to surprise the players with a full 10 minute sport massage session by 4 qualified local sport masseuse. They were lined up with 4 massage beds right next to the registration table in the club house and the ladies did an amazing job at squeezing and pulling the aches and pains of day 1 out of everyone’s tender bodies. It looked so good that management even joined in for the ladies to squeeze out some of the aches and pains.

Although we had some pretty hard rain for about an hour at the start of the play, the players had an amazing time on a beautiful and well manicured Pezula Golf Course and our promo girls did a fantastic job at entertaining the field whilst taking exquisite pics in action and of the surroundings!

A big shout out to our sponsors, Avis Budget Car Hire & Lion Roars Hotels and Lodges for the welcome gift received by all players at registration ( Lion Roars keyring )– Thank you so so much for your contribution to our tournament!!    

Day 3 – Simola

Day 3 at Simola certainly was the talk of the players that have been attending the Road Trip for a few years leaving the newbies with a sense of anticipation of this amazingly beautiful and well manicured course overlooking most of Knysna leading the lines back into the picturesque Knysna Heads. We couldn’t have asked for better weather to kick off the day. At the registration table, players were met by a HUGE copper statue of none other Golfing Legend, Jack Nicklaus. Even the black stray cat meandering among guests and players alike, was nick named “Jack”, after this golfing legend that earmarked Simola Country & Golf Estate as one of his signature courses. Here’s what the “Golden Bear” had to say about Simola..

“When I first started, I only knew how to do one thing, and that was to put a golf course on a piece of ground that only a good player could play…” 

“Easy courses are fun occasionally, but I don’t think they stand the ‘test of time’ to be considered great courses…” read the rest HERE!

After a SOLID round of Golf, we appreciated magnificent food, drinks and prize giving, where our Knysna leg sponsors said a few words!

AGAIN!!   A big shout out to our sponsors, Avis Budget Car Hire & Lion Roars Hotels and Lodges for the welcome gift received by all players at registration ( Avis notepad and Pen ) and off course all prizes sponsored for Pezula & Simola prize giving – Thank you so so much for your contribution to our tournament!! 

Day 4 – George & Kingswood (36 Holes)

Day 4 was the second and final day where the players faced 36 holes in one day, and we cannot exclude the oldest and one of the top 5 in the top 50 courses in South Africa, that’s right, we kicked it off at one other than George Golf Club! With its sneaky and seductive fairways, and bent greens, you would never say you are playing 18 holes in the heart of the city of George.

For the 1st time in the History of the UGRRT, we had a hole in one on George – a BIG congratulations to Hugo Lavallee for making history on this tour on the 6th hole at George “Herzliche Glückwünsche Hugo”. a HUGE thank you to golf director, Sandra, her team, the staff of the cafeteria and Pro Shop, you guys were incredibly as always!!

Players had to keep the pace of play consistent and upbeat in order to make the two tee start from 12:30 at Kinsgwood Golf Estate. This international award winning Golf estate based in the midst of George’s Urban Living Estates, awaited our players with a dash of rainy weather. The new comers certainly came back with superb feedback in that the course layout was of such a nature that they cannot wait to come back to play it again!!

No prize giving at the end of Day 4 as we felt we could give the players a night off – at this point, I think the organisers needed it more than the players hehehehehe 😀

1st Road Trip Hole-In-One on the 6th at George by HANS LAVALLEE – WELL DONE!!

Day 5 – Oubaai

Oubaai on Day 5 is always a very special day – started registration with a sleeve of golf balls per player from IZULU GOLF
This is also the day when we take our group photo (as seen on Page 1 of this report) – we were rather excited to hear what the guys had to say about their shirt AND the feedback was MAGNIFICENT and the entire field looked AMAZING in the red 2016 Road Trip shirts! At this point, you could pick up from the players that sore bodies (and sore heads) were at the order of the day. We were blessed with spectacular weather and to top off the 2016 Road Trip, we were blessed to witness a Springbuck mommy give birth to a baby calf – as Springbuck only give birth to one calf at a time, this truly was a special moment not only for mom and new born, but to all of the Road Trippers that witnessed this incredible and unique “Nature meets Golf” moment.

Springbuck giving birth to a baby calf on the 2nd – beautiful wonders of natures

At the 19th hole, players were treated by an ice cold Castle Lite, compliments of the our Hole-In-One man yesterday, Hugo Lavallee! We spoilt our Road Trippers with a braai and a WHOPPING 3-way prize giving consisting of the winning line up of George, Kingswood and Oubaai.

A big shout out to our sponsor, COBRA FUEL AND TRANSPORT for all prizes handed out!! Thank you so so much for your contribution to our tournament!!   

Day 6 – Mossel Bay

Home ground to our main sponsor, Cobra Fuel & Transport, also home to a few other Road Trippers, the boys were ready to rock their home ground and show the visitors how its done! Always well received and well prepared were the ground team, management and F&B staff of Mossel Bay Golf Club.

At registration players each received Aloe sunblock- thank you Aloe!

With it being the second last day of tour, the players were amped and ready to push through the last 2 days – so we decided to send our amazing ladies out with their props, camera, and a few bottles of colourful “game improvement” liquids (hihihihihi) – and its so true, MOST of the time when they go around with their magic potion, the players seem to hit the ball better??? Louw and his team put a lot of time, money and effort in to keep the course i pristine condition and the players came back with magnificent feedback! Thank you so much to you!

With a player or 2 in the field boasting with pink shoes and pink drivers, it was spectacular to witness some of players really getting in touch with their feminine side (or would this be a good come back when someone says “Golf is for girls”?? lol)

Ending the second last day off with an early prize giving, the field had the evening to themselves as the next alarm to go off would signal the final day of the 2016 Road Trip! A MASSIVE shoutout to Garden Route Casino (Hamish from Tsogo Sun), for coming on board again this year with sponsoring the Mossel Bay leg of the Road Trip – your contribution is INVALUABLE, thank you so so much!

Day 7 – Pinnacle Point

And so the final day of the 7th Annual Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip 2016 was upon us with a two tee start at 11:00 at Pinnacle Point Beach & Golf Estate. We always save the best for last, and for those that know the course, it is also the most challenging, yet most spectacular of the 9 courses played during this tournament! For those that don’t know, we trust you will agree with us on this one!  Players each received a personalized ball marker with their name on it…..  ooooo they loved it!!  thank you Best of Golf

Once again, we were spoilt with amazing weather and the GGR team was gearing up for a show stomping finale with prizes galore and red ho entertainment by guitar and violinist duo, World At South! Golf Director, Nic, Jerome, Elaine, Barry and the rest of the staff in the Pro Shop and F&B side, you guys are always so jacked up and so helpful – we applaud you for your friendliness, efficiency and constancy – its an absolute joy to have our Finale at Pinnacle Point!

The field was held back by about an hour or so by some of the back field players as tension was mounting between the potential 1st & 2nd place players. As the rest of the players started coming off the course, we heard only great word about this world class course, its spectacular views and the setting of the club house for the gala dinner!

A MASSIVE thank you to Hamish from the Garden Route Casino for sponsoring the Mossel Bay leg of the Road Trip – THANK YOU so much for your contribution and support, we appreciate it it so so much!

So without any further a due – here the Top 10 of the 7th Annual Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip 2016:

AGAIN!!  A big shout out to our sponsor, COBRA FUEL AND TRANSPORT for assisting in the overall prizes – Thank you so so much for your contribution to our tournament!!   

10th Place

with a score of 338 Points:

Jaco vd Westhuizen & Conrad Steyn

9th Place

with a score of 338 Points on a count out:

Wayne Nel & Arnold Botha

8th Place

with a score of 338 Points on a count in:

Theo van Tonder & Bertus Rust

7th Place

with a score of 339 Points:

Mark Jacobs & Pieter vd Merwe

6th Place

with a score of 340 Points:

Andrew Beckett & Johan Botha aka

SQUEEEEEEEEKY

 5th Place

with a score of 343 Points:

Christo Swanepoel & Deon Augustyn (2015 Grand Prix Winners)

4th Place

with a score of 346 Points:

Jaco vd Berg & Jacques Dippenaar  

3rd Place

with a score of 350 Points:

Hans Lichtenberg & Sue Dieners

2nd Place

with a score of 353 Points:

Norman Pretorius & M.J. de Bruyn

The 2016 GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONS

with a score of 356 Points:

Daan le Roux & Henry Erasmus

WELL DONE DAAN & HENRY!! 

This is their 6th & 5th consecutive Years returning to the Road Trip and in their own words: “Winning this tournament has been expensive” LOOOOOL

Proud of you guys and looking forward to seeing you defend your title in 2017!

Thank you and well done to each and every player for completing 9 courses in 7 days, also for supporting us, especially those that have done so for a few years already – we appreciate you all so much! We hope to see many of you again next year – whether we meet again or not, we wish you all the best on your journey ahead – God bless you!

Loads of love from the scissors lady, her hubby, and the rest of the GGR & SA Team!

Photo Gallery:

Video Clip of our Drunken Birthday Putters…

If anyone would like a DVD of the full gallery, please contact Mickey – marketing@golfinthegardenroute.co.za