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December promises golfers' delight at Sun City

The organiser for the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge, Sun International, has moved into top gear to secure a line-up of world class players, venue infrastructure and entertainment that will even delight golfing novices and non-golfers. The tournament, branded as 'Africa's Major,' will be played at the Gary Player Country Club from 1 to 5 December 2010.

Says Tournament Director Alistair Roper: "This is the 30th year that we will be hosting the tournament. The Sun International team and the tournament sponsors are pulling out all the stops to make this the most memorable international event in the history of the tournament. The event, which boasts an international television audience of over 1.4 billion viewers, is well positioned to further advance commercial and tourism interest in our continent in general, and South Africa specifically".

"A formal announcement of the participating golfers will be made once all twelve players have confirmed attendance. We have maximised our marketing investment, as we want to entertain spectators with Sun City at its best. Last year we recorded more than 65,000 spectators and due to the expected popularity of this year's competition, tickets for the general public are already on sale from Computicket. This year the customary Pro-Am will be played on 1 December. Over the years, the Nedbank Golf Challenge has created a keen interest amongst the younger generation, and many of today's champions developed their interest in the sport from attending the tournament while still at school. We encourage parents to bring their children and enjoy a fun-filled family outing. Children under the age of 12 can gain free entry to the venue.

Roper says that special sponsor packages have been arranged. These include dedicated hospitality facilities and sky boxes, entertainment and hole sponsorship, longest/straightest drive competitions with international participation, branding and communication opportunities, player slots in the Pro-Am, invitations to the welcome event and Valley of the Waves beach party, evening entertainment by top artists and bands and much more. All the options can be viewed on the website www.nedbankgolfchallenge.com.

Oasys Innovations, who will again be supplying the infrastructure for the event, has been given the contract as exclusive supplier of tickets for the Challenge Club and Corporate Hospitality marquee.

Comments Oasys Chief Executive, Brian Kennedy: "We have been in partnership with Sun International for this event for the past thirteen years as a supplier of infrastructure, including all the marquees, sky boxes, furniture, displays, signage and electrical supplies. Having recently concluded the 2010 FIFA World Cup project for all the marquees, overlays, hospitality areas and media facilities, the infrastructure that we will be using at Sun City will be modern and of international quality. Ticket sales are progressing well and we urge companies and golfing enthusiasts to do forward planning and to make their bookings as soon as possible.

Information about hospitality packages and tickets for the Challenge Club and Corporate Hospitality is accessible on www.nedbankgolfchallenge.com.

In terms of improving the 'green' status of the resort Roper says: "Sun City has for some years been deeply involved in introducing strong environmental disciplines, which will be in place throughout the tournament and will be further refined going forward. The event is becoming Africa's first carbon neutral golf tournament. The Gary Player Country Club golf course was the first in Africa to be constructed following USGA specifications. Professional market research revealed every aspect affecting the carbon footprint of the event, such as the amount of CO² emissions generated by the spectators who travel to Sun City, emissions on the golf course and surrounds, total energy consumption and the recycling of waste. All diesel generators on the golf course have been replaced by electrical units, thereby reducing course emissions and limited energy related emissions to the resort as a whole. One of the biggest gains has been in the reduction of water consumption in course irrigation. Instead of utilising clean water, grey water is now being used. We are working towards earning full certification as a 'green' event as part of our 30 year celebrations."

14 Oct 2010 11:50

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