And then…there it was…Sun City!

Today's winners - Reg, Fi, Eddy and Meredith

Yesterday was a huge day - after golf and travelling all day we finally arrived at Sun City at nearly midnight. The sleepy ones woke up as we started to see what this place is all about – ostentaciousness, luxury, statues, chandeliers, marble –you name – it’s all here! After checking in, we staggered to our rooms (and I must mention that  elephant tusks decorate the elevators - surely they are not real!) . This morning's game was at one of the 2 championship courses Sun City has –The Lost City course. It was quite a contrast to the courses we have played so far. This course is Gary Player's version of a desert golf course. The course design is interesting and challenging from the get go, but the most challenging hole on the course is the Par 3 where the crocodile pit is! Seven of them live in that area and, believe me, you don’t want to try to retrieve your golf ball if you hit it there!

The team challenge was the infamous ‘pink’ ball comp. Only that this time we used a logo ball...but the torture was the same! 3 out of the 4 balls made the entire 18 holes and it was an unheard score of 42 points that won the competition. Not surprisingly, 2 of those  team members had 42 points each with Reg taking victory over Ed on a count back. Ed was the real winner because he gets a good amount points for the aggregate competition and only gets 2 strokes deducted from his handicap. Reg gets 4 strokes taken of him…and once again, just in time, for the girls vs. boys rematch…not very clever!

A well celebrated birthday also took place today. It was Stephen S’s birthday and we met at the Royal Suite (yes, the suite is bloody amazing!), kindly allocated to the Gilson’s by the hotel. We celebrated with nibbles, cake, champagne, and a taste of Fiona’s skills as a piano player (not bad at all!). We finished the day with a group dinner at one of the many restaurants in this absolutely massive complex only comparable to a “mini Vegas”.

A much earlier start tomorrow will see the girls and boys playing a "Ryder Cup-style" stableford match against each other. The captains are Paul and Meredith and the teams will be nicely uniformed in golf shirts and hats kindly offered to us by the resort.  Once again winning will be priceless!

View of the 18 hole with the Palace int he background