Published in Fly540 inflight magazine, July 2019

When I first visited Vipingo Ridge back in 2009 the golf course had been more or less laid out but was not yet open to the playing public. The makeshift ‘clubhouse’ was an open-sided makuti-roofed shack.

How times have changed. Today, what was once a 2,500 hectare sisal-and-mango estate is now the PGA-accredited Baobab Course – widely regarded as the finest golf development of its kind in East Africa.

There are, of course, rivals who could also make a claim to this accolade. There is Naivasha’s now well-established and excellent Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort and over border in Tanzania we have the delightful and slightly different Kilimanjaro Golf and Wildlife Estate project. But none, I would argue, quite matches the magical Vipingo Ridge in terms of location, development quality and the overall setting of the course itself.

‘Challenging’ is an overused word when describing golf courses. Sometimes it means impossibly tough and 18 holes of misery for high handicap players like me. But the Baobab Course manages quite brilliantly to combine a mix of difficulty and fun – tough enough, but not too tough.

The quality of course is widely acknowledged. Vipingo Ridge has been voted Kenya’s number one by Top100Courses.com for three years running and received the World Golf Award for the nation’s best course in 2017. But as general manager Andrew Kuiyaki told 540: “Premier golf courses such as ours are works in progress and we will never stop making improvements, so expect it to get better and better.”

What’s more, Vipingo is gaining a wider reputation as a top tournament venue. Says Andrew: “We host several golf tournaments on an annual basis including, this year, two legs of the Ladies Coast Open on 2 and 3 August. And after a spectacular Pro-Am that saw 13 professionals from the Ladies European Tour partner Kenyan amateurs in February this year, we are hoping to host the very first official LET tournament in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of October.”

Perhaps understandably, golf course membership is restricted to homeowners. Every Vipingo Ridge homeowner pays an obligatory annual membership fee. This covers not only golf membership but also free use of all amenities (gym, tennis courts, horse-riding, beach club, etc). The annual subscription includes membership for two adults and two children aged up to 18.

This is not some snooty, members-only club, however. As Andrew points out: “Anyone is welcome to pay our green fees. We also offer concessionary packages for regular players and people living locally.”

And Vipingo Ridge is more than just a pretty golf course. There are properties to rent or buy, fine dining to be sampled and, to top it all, an exclusive members’ beach club just a few minutes away through the sisal.

After a decade of steady and largely sympathetic villa development, it’s fair to say the prime golf course-fronting plots have been snapped up long since and are now adorned with a variety of architectural creations. Most are strictly in keeping with the Swahili-style construction guidelines laid down at the outset by the developers.

Here and there a few vacant spots are left for sale and from time to time a resale comes to market and then quickly disappears again – a sure sign of Vipingo Ridge’s continued desirability.

Andrew says: “We have serviced plots available to buy and the average cost per acre is approximately KES 20 million. Locations vary from easterly-facing sites benefiting from a sea view, a golf course view or westerly facing with sunset view across the impressive Chodari Hills.”

Over time, these have proved a solid investment. As Andrew explains: “This has been quite remarkable as Vipingo Ridge is ranked among the highest and most preferred investment destinations for trophy properties in terms of value appreciation. This has been experienced over the years, with the buy-and-build option being the most popular – and despite slow economic growth since the project's inception. Initial investors at Vipingo Ridge have seen staggering returns of up to 400 per cent.”

Aside from capital appreciation, there’s a healthy rental income for those non-permanent residents. Andrew adds: “There is a homestay rental pool for homeowners managed by the hospitality manager at Vipingo Ridge. When you sign up to this, your home is marketed to let – for a commission – on a short-term basis and client bookings are managed dependent on property availability. All homestays are vetted to ensure the properties are up to the high standard.”

And if a stand-alone villa is beyond your budget, it may be worth taking a look at the development’s residencies. Nestling on the edge of the Baobab Course within Vipingo Ridge is The Links, a gated community of 14 units. The various ‘stands’ enjoy differing views overlooking the course and the Chodari Hills. 

You can choose a 456 square metre stand for KES 10 million and then decide on one of three existing designs; or you can engage contractors and consultants to build your dream home; or you can go for the four-bedroom villa, already built and ready to buy for KES 45 million. This unit comes with a swimming pool, DSQ, roof terrace and top-of-the-range kitchen. Only four stands remain unsold.

Vipingo Ridge’s restaurants are not just for hungry golfers but are also open to the general public. Expect to adhere to a smart-casual dress code, but be prepared to sample some of the tastiest food – from a simple post-round snack to genuine haute cuisine ­– on this stretch of the north coast.

Andrew details the dining options: “The food is quite different at each outlet. The Sundowner on The Ridge has a wood-fired oven in which delicious homemade pizzas are cooked. The clubhouse has more traditional dishes: classic breakfast dishes, soups, salads, steaks, curries and more. At the Beach Club, seafood is the main event with whole lobsters, crabs and prawns served next to a pile of hand-cut chips on wooden boards. It’s a more relaxed affair here as you dine with your feet in the sand. Various burgers, masala dishes and an incredible selection of starters are also all on offer.”

Property owners get automatic membership of the Beach Club, which is open to the public during hours of operation (Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm) and everyone is welcome. The Beach Club is a short 10-minute drive from the Ridge and transport can be arranged for guests who don’t have their own transport.

There is free access to the Beach Club, but in order to enter the gates on The Ridge guests are required to pay KES 1,000 which is fully redeemable against all food and drink in the restaurants and against towel hire at the pool.

CADDIES

Vipingo Ridge has a long and proud record of working to improve the lives of underprivileged young people on the north coast.

Explains Andrew: “We have partnered with an NGO called Glad’s House (www.gladshouse.com) who help street children pick up their lives by offering them skills training and opportunities. Over the years, Vipingo Ridge has taken on different employees from its Caddy Programme. We arrange transport in the mornings and evenings for all our staff and the caddies are free to use this service. They have access to staff showers and are provided with a hot lunch during their working day. Caddies are encouraged to play the course on Tuesdays and they can also use the practice facilities if they wish. We even have a monthly caddies’ competition sponsored by our members.

“There are 53 caddies on our books, but some are part-time. It’s one of our club rules that each player has a caddy, even those players that choose to hire golf carts. We believe they are an integral part of the golf culture at Vipingo Ridge and in Kenya as a whole.”