Golf saves the Fish River Sun

THE Fish River Sun outside Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, has transformed itself from being a gambling resort to selling golf instead, and this gamble of a different sort has proved very successful. Dubbed a ‘ghost resort’ when its casino closed down in 1999, the Fish River Sun Hotel and Country Club has clawed its way back to become one of the province's most successful resorts. After a concerted four-year bid to get the resort back into the black, occupancy is now at an average of 65%. Part of revitalising the Fish River Sun was converting the bedroom blocks into self-catering timeshare units with a full kitchenette and lounge. The cost of refurbishing the units and building a new access road enabling guests to drive to their accommodation amounted to R3m. In 2000 the replanting of the golfing greens, at a cost of R1,8m was underway. "Our golf course, designed by Gary Player, is rated among the top 20 in South Africa and is seen as a 'must play' by golfers. Now we have reached a stage where we have stopped advertising accommodation and started advertising the golf course,” said Wessel Benson, the resort’s operations manager. (Miguel de Sousa)