Global golfers unite in Garden Route for annual road trip

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The 17th Annual Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip once again brought together golf enthusiasts from across the globe for a week of sport, camaraderie and community impact.

Hosted from 13 to 20 March, this year’s event saw 76 golfers participate in this much-anticipated fixture on the local golfing calendar.

Players travelled from various European countries, such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Germany, Latvia and Ireland, as well as from across South Africa, including Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route.

A total of 38 teams competed over eight days, taking on 10 of the region’s premier golf courses.

The event kicked off with a bonus pre-tournament round at the Knysna Golf Course, before continuing at Simola Hotel Country Club and Spa, Plettenberg Bay Country Club, Goose Valley Golf Course, Pezula Championship Golf Course, Oubaai Golf Club, George Golf Club, Kingswood Golf Estate, Mossel Bay Golf Club and concluding at Pinnacle Point Estate.

This annual road trip, more than just a golfing competition, has grown into a close-knit community. Mariska Louw, CEO and founder of the tour operating company Golf in the Garden Route, said the event continues to foster lasting friendships, and many participants return year after year and new players are welcomed into what has become known as the “road trip family”.

At the finale at Pinnacle Point Estate, the participants came together not only to celebrate the week’s play, but also to support a local cause.

This year’s event raised a record-breaking R173 240 for Wild Mongoo, an organisation dedicated to supporting vulnerable women through employment opportunities and skills development.

Louw expressed their gratitude to all the players, sponsors and partners who contributed to the success of the event and to the broader impact it continues to have in the community.

Brothers Norman and Anton Pretorius, fondly known as ‘the boeties’, marked their 15th consecutive year on the tour. Norman, from St Francis Bay, is joined by Anton, a George resident and member at Kingswood Golf Estate, who relocated from Limpopo two years ago. Known for their infectious energy, smiles and motto of fun, this duo has also served as the tour’s auctioneers in recent years. With them are Nettie Lewis-Mkhize and Mariska Louw.