Golf in the tropics

I was invited to play in a Golf Tournament this past Saturday. I have never played in as many golf tournaments as I have since moving to Accra.
In Ghana, if you are a golfer, you must play in tournaments. Why? Well this is the only way to guarantee that your handicap will be adjusted accordingly. Why the scores submitted in non-competitive games do not count is beyond me. So being the keen golfer that I am, with lofty aims of bringing my handicap down to the single digits by the end of 2011- or some audacious goal like that-  have realised that I have to play in the golf tournaments in order to attain this goal, and there are many of these weekly.
Company-sponsored Monthly Medal games are a regular thing at Celebrity GC, Achimota GC andTema GC. I have learnt to play Stroke Play Formats like a pro - have won a few tournaments (hard to believe but yes; and had equally long days on the course), and now confidently turn my nose up at the Stableford Format as being for wimps that can't sink their balls.

Now, golf in the tropics is nothing like golf as you know it - it can in fact be justifiably categorised as an endurance sport. With humidity levels at around 80% and temperatures ranging anywhere between 30 to 35 degrees Celsius, it is no walk in the park (no pun intended). When you are sweating after teeing off from the first hole and practically dehydrated by the fourth, it is comparable to a session in a sauna with the unfortunate disadvantage of it being under the searing sun. But other than that, two extra golf shirts; with the first change at halfway and the other immediately after the last hole; a pitcher of a high glucose energy drink and a couple of litres of water and you're all set for a casual day on the course.

The tournament was well-organised; courtesy of Golf World Ltd, who have practically cornered the market in organising golf events and our hosts were the Sky Team; notably made up of  Air France/KLM, Alitalia, Kenya Airways and Delta Airlines. I had a long day, but was inspired to return another day,when my partner for the day - who was brilliant, focused and a perfectionist on the course and plays off a 7 handicap - complimented my game on more than one occasion and in addition I parred a stroke 1 hole (deemed the most difficult on the course). As a high handicap player,  this is a big deal! As most golfers will tell...there is always that one hole when you display sufficient flashes of brilliance to fool yourself into thinking there is a pro golfer in you waiting to be unleashed.

The Ghana Golf Association has the full and extended list of all clubs in Ghana; a good source for keen golfers looking to brave the heat and humidity and flirt with extreme sports. Here is a list of Accra's 18-hole Golf Clubs.

• Achimota Golf Club 0302 400 220 / 0302 400 221
• Celebrity (Sakumono) Golf Club 0303 401 177/ 0303 241 176
• Tema Golf Club 0302 701 2089/ 0302 701 2321
• Bok Nam Kim Golf Club (9 holes) - off the Burma Camp Road at the Air Force Base

Note: Most clubs do not require you to book tee-off times, just pitch up and play (unless it is competition day).

Happy Golfing!