The first construction milestone of the Zimbali Lakes Resort has been celebrated with the official "sod turning" ceremony of the resort's keynote feature - the Gary Player Signature designed golf course. And the great champion himself was there to turn the first sod!

Pictured are: Former South African cricketer Shaun Pollock, legend golfer Gary Player, MEC Michael Mabuyakhulu and President of IFA Hotels & Resorts Africa and Indian Ocean, Wessel Witthuhn.

This marks the second and major phase of development for joint venture partners IFA Hotels & Resorts and Tongaat Hulett Developments in greater Zimbali, following the Zimbali Coastal Resort, which has already earned much acclaim.

Guests attending the ceremony included MEC for Economic Development and Tourism Michael Mabuyakhulu and local government dignitaries from Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, the Kwadukuza Municipalities and Ilembe District Municipality.

Player welcomed Zimbali Lakes Resort to his global design portfolio, saying, "Since the early 80s we have been a worldwide leader in golf course design and we are driven by our proven ability to add substantial value to real estate and resort properties. Through the years, we have executed a portfolio of more than 300 projects in 35 countries over five continents. Today we're proud to officially welcome Zimbali Lakes Resort to our portfolio and look forward to building on to the mutually rewarding relationship we have with IFA Hotels & Resorts for many years to come."

Intrinsic value

President of IFA Hotels & Resorts Africa and Indian Ocean, Wessel Witthuhn, commented, "It is a pleasure to work alongside a team such as Gary Player Design who share IFA Hotels & Resorts' ethos and desire to enhance the intrinsic value and natural beauty of the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. The integration of this Gary Player Signature Golf Course within the exclusive residential and leisure Zimbali Lakes development introduces a new era for exceptional investment opportunities."

Mabuyakhulu commented, "KZN is proud to welcome a true South African golfing legend and the Gary Player Signature Golf Course to adorn our beautiful north coast. The prestige of the Gary Player brand coupled with yet another world-class golf, residential and commercial development by IFA Hotels & Resorts is a major tourism and economic contributor to our province."
Gary Player Zimbali

The Black Knight, Gary Player

The development of the course will take about 18 months of extensive earthworks in conjunction with conservation planning and indigenous planting to help control erosion during construction and to re-establish the natural flora. Full-time site personnel have been appointed. A Gary Player design associate will also be on hand to monitor all construction aspects and phases to ensure that the course is being built according to design specifications.

Inspired

Jeff Lawrence, Senior Architect from Gary Player Design, comments, "Our design is inspired by the natural beauty of the region and emphasised by its breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean and surrounding topography, which together provide a wonderful opportunity for us to devise a stunning golf course for Zimbali Lakes Resort.

Launch event at Zimbali Lodge

"Creative shaping and strategic design elements will present a unique experience not yet realised at Zimbali or along the Dolphin Coast. We will be diligent in our efforts to produce a golf course that is user-friendly and, most importantly, encourages a golfing experience that is rewarding and memorable to Zimbali Lakes," said Lawrence.

About Gary Player Design

Established by Marc Player in the early 1980s and widely recognised as the most successful international golf course architectural firm in the world, Gary Player Design has branded more than 300 layouts with the mark of a champion. During its existence, the firm has worked on five continents and in more than 35 countries, and prides itself on taking Gary Player and his design experience to emerging markets to help develop the game of golf globally.

The company offers three tiers of golf course design brands, Black Knight Design™, Player Design™ and Gary Player Signature Design™ - of which Gary Player is personally involved in each Signature project.

The cornerstone of Gary Player's design approach is to create playable and memorable golf courses within the constraints of a given site, while being ultra-sensitive to the surrounding environment. The result is a portfolio of award-winning and environmentally-recognised courses around the world, including the top three courses in South Africa and a multitude of Asian awards - most notably the best golf course in both Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Multiple rankings have also been received in the US by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, and several courses in the US have been certified by Audubon International as well for environmental stewardship.

For info: www.garyplayerdesign.com