Achimota Golf Course get face lift

The Achimota Golf Club is ready to position itself among the continent’s favourite golfing destinations for some of the world’s leading golfers, after it underwent massive refurbishment to enable the course host international competitions.

After nearly two years’ closure during which Tullow Oil Ghana invested $3 million to reconstruct the 18-hole course to conform to Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) standards, Achimota club reopened last Wednesday with pomp under the distinguished patronage of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, bigwigs from Tullow Oil and other corporate bodies as well as some prominent golfers.

As an avid golfer, the Asantehene’s presence gave the occasion a fitting touch of royalty as he thanked Tullow Oil for its investment while extolling the sporting and economic benefits of golf.

Otumfuo said there was no justification for the disproportionate sharing of the national sports budget and investment in sports which benefits football to the disadvantage of other sporting disciplines even though most laurels won by the state were not provided by football but rather the deprived disciplines.

He, however, stated that the country could not only depend on one first class golf course and asked Tullow Oil to consider a similar project at the Royal Golf Course in Kumasi to further develop and popularise the sport.

The redesigned course, which comprised planting of special grass on the Tees and Fairways, creation of new countours and bunkers, was undertaken by Paul McGinley Golf Design Africa.

Golfer and business mogul, Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah, was confident the refurbishment of the club had positioned the country as a favourable destination for golf tourism.

Mr Amoafo Yeboah, who doubles as Competition Secretary of the club, said plans had been put in place to ensure the facility was marketed and maintained to attract international competitions and also to enhance the promotion of golf in Ghana.