The Ndola Golf Club was formed in 1921 and is one of the oldest clubs in the country after Livingstone Golf Club formed in 1907, and Kasama in 1912. The original nine holes were on the East side of the Bwana Mkubwa (Kabwe) road, and the clubhouse was virtually an oversized grass hut, which today would have been condemned as a fire hazard.
In 1954 the club gave up the original nine holes in exchange for land adjoining the existing second nine holes, and so the entire golf course was finally all on the same side of the road. In the same year the first Cock ‘O The North tournament was played, and the total purse was 100 pounds! The course designers made full use of the numerous anthills which are a prominent feature on the golf course. The new nine holes were opened in 1959 at a ceremony attended by a very large crowd. In 1996 the club celebrated its 75th anniversary.
The par 73 at Ndola Golf Club is fairly short and provides a different sort of challenge for the players as there are no water hazards and only the odd bunker surrounding each green. However, the danger does come in by means of the 300-plus anthills which at times are taller than 3 metres and come into play for most wayward shots from the tee.
There’s a superb finishing stretch of holes directly in front of the elevated old clubhouse building, from which you can watch play on 16 to 18 under the shade of the trees. The Hole 18th makes its way uphill to a large green in front of the clubhouse. The tee shot is once again tight, however; once the fairway is found, a short pitch shot is all that is necessary to close out your round with a three.The greens of 16 and 18 are side by side.
Most difficult hole is the 11th with a stroke index of 2. What looks like an easy hole from the tee box can turn into a player’s worst nightmare. The perfect line off the tee is over the large anthill in the left rough. This anthill can come into play for the shorter hitters while those with the length to carry the hazard still need to find the fairway otherwise face a tricky second into a well-guarded green
