-Kenya voted Africa’s best Golf destination, as the big news broke on Saturday evening at the 13th Annual World Golf Awards Gala Ceremony held at Madinaty Golf Club, Cairo, Egypt, a historic night for the continent, and for the first time in 13 years, the ceremony, the Oscars of world golf, were staged in Africa.
-Karen Country Club was voted Kenya’s Best Golf Course, Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club was voted Kenya’s Best Golf Hotel and Oribi Expeditions was voted Kenya’s Best Golf Tour Operator.
-The gala in Egypt was the climax of a three-day program with a welcome reception at The St. Regis New Capital, Cairo, and the World Golf Awards Classic golf tournament played on Madinaty’s 18-hole par 71 Championship Course, designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Jr.
MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS.
The Coast is celebrating, Kenya is celebrating, and Africa is watching, as Vipingo Ridge PGA Baobab Course in Kilifi County has done it again, crowned Africa’s Best Golf Real Estate Venue for the third year running in 2024, 2025 and now 2026.
And this time, the win sent shockwaves of excitement through the entire Coast golfing community from Vipingo to Nyali, from Kilifi to Mombasa, from Diani to Malindi, phones buzzing, clubhouses buzzing, Golfers hugging and Caddies smiling.
The big news broke on Saturday evening at the 13th Annual World Golf Awards Gala Ceremony held at Madinaty Golf Club, Cairo, Egypt, a historic night for the continent, as for the first time in 13 years, the World Golf Awards, the Oscars of world golf, were staged in Africa, and on the night Africa hosted the world, Kenya stole the show.
Kenya did not just win one award, Kenya swept the continent, Kenya was voted Africa’s Best Golf Destination and Vipingo Ridge PGA Baobab Course was voted Africa’s Best Golf Real Estate Venue.
Karen Country Club was voted Kenya’s Best Golf Course, Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club was voted Kenya’s Best Golf Hotel, Oribi Expeditions was voted Kenya’s Best Golf Tour operator and that is not just a win, that is a clean sweep, that is dominance, that is Kenya telling Africa and the whole World-We are the home of African golf.
But leading the charge, shining brightest of them all, was Vipingo Ridge.
In the World Golf Awards system, winners are chosen by votes from golf industry professionals, media and the public, with the nominee gaining the most votes named the winner, there is no official 2nd or 3rd place, only the winner is announced.
Vipingo is not just a golf course, it is an experience, the Baobab Course, designed to championship PGA standard, winds through indigenous forest, past ancient baobab trees that have stood for centuries, past lakes, past wildlife, with the ocean breeze whispering through every hole and it is tough, it is beautiful and it is unforgettable.
It is a course where a professional and a 28-handicapper can both find joy and both find a challenge. Where every hole tells a story, where nature and golf live together, not against each other.
And around the course is something even bigger, a real estate dream, homes that overlook fairways, Villas that wake up to birdsong, plots where families build not just houses, but lifestyles and that is why this award matters so much, it is not just Best Golf Course but is Best Golf Real Estate Venue.
It also means Vipingo Ridge is not just where you play golf, it is where you want to live, to invest, to raise a family, to retire in peace.
The gala in Egypt was the climax of a three-day program that started with a welcome reception at The St. Regis New Capital, Cairo, and the World Golf Awards Classic golf tournament played on Madinaty’s 18-hole par 71 Championship Course, designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Jr.
The Club, owned by TMG Golf and managed by Troon, sits within the master-planned city of Madinaty on the eastern edge of New Cairo, and is itself a multiple winner, named Egypt’s Best Golf Course five times and Africa’s Best Golf Course for three consecutive years.
It was fitting, therefore, that on the night Africa hosted the world, Kenya would be crowned Africa’s best, and a Kenyan course would once again be crowned Africa’s best real estate venue.
World Golf Awards Managing Director Chris Frost said the move to Africa was a defining moment for the awards.
“Bringing the ceremony to Africa for the first time was a landmark moment for us, and Egypt proved a magnificent host. Earlier, Madinaty Golf Club gave us a championship course, superb hospitality and a warm welcome for the leaders of golf tourism from around the world. My congratulations go to every winner,” said Frost.
That congratulations now belongs to Kenya, and it belongs, first and foremost, to Vipingo Ridge.
Club Captain Les Baillie could not hide his joy, his pride and his gratitude to every golfer, every member, every staff member and every visitor who made this possible.
“This is a proud moment for us, for the Coast and for Kenya. To retain the title for three years in a row is not just an award, it is a confirmation that what we are building here is special, it is world-class, it is African excellence. We did not win this alone. We won it because of our members who believe in this Club, because of our staff who wake up every morning to make this course perfect and because of our golfers who come from all over Kenya and all over the world to play and stay here. We dedicate this award to the Coast, to Kenya and we promise, we will defend it again next year,” said Baillie.
For the Coast, this win means tourism, Golfers from South Africa, Europe, America and Asia will now put Vipingo on their bucket list, they will fly to Mombasa, they will stay in Kilifi, they will eat in our restaurants, they will employ our caddies, our drivers, our hotel staff.
For Kenya, it means reputation, Africa’s Best Golf Destination is not a small title, it means when the world thinks of golf in Africa, it thinks of Kenya first not South Africa, not Morocco, not Egypt, but Kenya.
For real estate, it means confidence, Investors now know when you buy at Vipingo Ridge, you are buying into Africa’s best.
For Karen, Windsor and Oribi Expeditions, it means recognition for the full golf journey from the course, to the hotel, to the tour operator who brings the visitor to Kenya and shows them the magic.
For young golfers, it means inspiration, a boy in Mombasa, a girl in Kilifi, a junior at Nyali, a junior at the Seafront course, they now have a home course that is the best in Africa, right on their doorstep, they do not need to dream of America or Europe, the best is here.
As the golden trophy shines at Baobab Course, one thing is clear-Vipingo Ridge has put Kenya on the World Golf map, and kept it there.
To the Coast golfing community, this is your win, to the country at large, this is your pride, to Africa, Kenya is still the one to beat and Vipingo Ridge is still the one to beat.
ENDS.
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