125 years and counting: Royal Harare Golf Club’s rich history

Royal Harare was founded in 1898 by a group of intrepid golf lovers, who played on conditions far removed from the lush course that we know today.

The course was location in 1901.

Originally known as Salisbury Golf Club, the club was granted Royal Patronage in December 1929.

The name changed again to Royal Harare Golf Club in 1980 when Zimbabwe gained Independence. The beautiful Parkland layout that you see today has been the result of years of innovation and vision on the part of the founders and current membership.

In 1979, Golf Digest voted Royal Harare one of the 50 best courses in the world, outside of the United States. After a redesign by Nick Price and Steve Smyers in 1996, the course was rejuvenated and lengthened with some major rerouting of holes.

The new course was opened for play on the 25th of October 1997, prior to the centenary celebrations in April 1998.

The new course is very highly rated by professionals and amateurs alike as a “classic” test of Golf.

In 2018, Golf Digest once again voted Royal Harare Golf Club the premier golfing destination in Zimbabwe.

Despite its manicured lush appearance, Royal Harare is indeed no pushover; the course rewards shrewd shot choice and course management. Many a golfer has been lulled into carelessness by the veneer of ease that the course projects, only to be humiliated.

Royal Harare Golf Club has hosted the Zimbabwe Open for the last nine years, and in 2018 many of the visiting professionals ranked the course among the top courses on the Sunshine Tour, just behind South Africa’s Leopard Creek for the consistently excellent greens and especially for the warmth and hospitality of their Zimbabwean hosts.

The club welcomes and encourages visitors to come and enjoy all of our wonderful facilities. The golf course is open from 06:15am daily Monday to Sunday, and the club is open every day of the year except Christmas Day.

The weekday green fee for 18 holes visitors is US$25.

On weekends, non-affiliated visitors will pay a green fee of US$40.

All visitors must book to play at Royal Harare, and you can contact the Club by calling 0242-702920/27/28/29 or +263782645382 to reserve your tee time.

You can also email your preferred tee time to teetime@royalharare.co.zw to secure a tee time.

We have plenty of well-trained caddies available seven days of the week.

Our halfway house restaurant Birdies and Bogeys provide excellent well priced snacks and meals and our fully stocked bars always have a welcoming sice-cold drink available.

Bookings for lunch on the balcony overlooking the golf course can be arranged in advance by contacting Fadzai Rambanepasi, the Catering Manager on 0242-790967 or emailing catering@royalharare.co.zw

Royal also has a five kilometre running track around the perimeter of the course which is well marked and for a small fee visitors are welcome to come and run in a safe and beautiful environment.

The course is home to a number of duiker and we also have abundant birdlife on the course which is the home to more than 57 of tree species indigenous to Zimbabwe.

Our extensive web site will also provide you with more detailed information on the Club. You can find our website at www.royalharare.co.zw and we are also on Facebook at www.facebook. com/royalhararegolfclub

The Pro Shop Zimbabwe

See our website for full details of other services available from the Pro Shop http://royalharare.co.zw/golf/pro_shop.aspx

Despite its manicured lush appearance, Royal Harare is indeed no pushover; the course rewards shrewd shot choice and course management.