Fans get red carpet treatment at Sun City

Change is inevitable, no matter how hard someone tries to cling on to the past with brain-dead comments, and sometimes even the most successful organisations or events can be refreshed and revitalised by change.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City is a case in point.

Once the highlight of corporate South Africa’s end-of-year festivities, and the richest golf tournament in the world, the Nedbank Golf Challenge is now 37 years old. It has come through a period where it seemed to be standing still, uninspiring fields and just doing the same thing because that’s the way it had always been done, taking the lustre off what was the jewel in the crown of South African golf.

Dan Sevel, the new tournament director, seems to be a person who appreciates that in these changing times, renewal is necessary; the event needs to offer more to its patrons, the whole tournament experience needs to be enhanced.

The effort to offer more stretches from a new digital App that provides information on all aspects of the tournament to the increased field means there are many more golfers for spectators to watch. One of the more obvious changes has been the superb hospitality area Sun City has created.

The golf consumer has changed radically and if they are not getting value out of their whole experience, there are many other options for them to move on to. So Sun City’s focus has been on fan value outside the ropes and the Public Hospitality Village has been revamped and is now a great place to escape the heat of the course sandwiched between the Pilanesberg mountains, and just chill out with numerous entertainment activities and food and drink options available.

The Sky Boxes for corporate sponsors have also been much-improved and their elevated outside decks provide excellent views of the action while their clients are being spoilt.

Of course, being “in with the new” does not mean “out with all the old” and, along with a course that has stood the test of time as one of the best in the world, the founder and host of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Gary Player, is still a prominent part of the event and Mango Groove, those venerable South African music legends, will also be jiving over the weekend.

The South African Sports Hall of Fame, which inducted Player this week, is an interactive exhibit with simulators allowing patrons to test their sporting skills. That sort of fun is also available in the public hospitality village, where spectators can hit golf balls and have their swings analysed or enter putting competitions.

The reintroduction of reasonably-priced park-and-rides from Johannesburg and Pretoria have also made it easier to get there.

So there is a new buzz as this great golf event enters a new era with a new look. There is certainly a new gloss to the image of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.