Fajara

Situated twenty kilometres north of Banjul International Airport, the 18-gole layout at the Fajara Club lies on flat, swampy ground close to the coast, where tight, tree-lined grass fairways and oiled sand putting surfaces occupy an area of no more than eighty acres.

Extending to 5,461 yards from the back tees, the course plays to a par of 69, with two sets of back-to-back par threes on the front nine at holes 5 and 6 then 8 and 9. In the middle of these four holes, the 274-yard 7th (“South Col”) heads slightly uphill over a large fairway bunker to the brown.

On the back nine, the 385-yard 13th (“Water Hole”) is the toughest hole on the card (rated stroke index 1), playing to an island in the middle of a swap where the putting surface is accessed via a narrow footbridge – walk away with a “4” on the card here and it’ll feel like a birdie!

The club very kindly sent us this edited extract in correspondence:

It was not until 1959, after the Club had moved from Banjul to Fajara, that golf was reintroduced [to Gambia after World War II]. For this initiative, the credit must go to a small group of members who pressed the Club into building a golf course near to its clubhouse at Fajara.

The site chosen was well suited, with the land on one side falling form high ground down to the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other with a stream winding through palm forests. With little financial backing, the group constructed a 9-hole course in the space of a few months and it opened in December 1959.

In 1970, under its overall plans to develop the tourist industry of The Gambia, and to further sporting activities for the visiting tourist, Government and the Club agreed to fund improvements to the then existing nine hole course. To this extent, some Club members made individual contributions and the government gave a grant.

Work on improving the course and extending it to eighteen holes was completed two years later. The Fajara club is thus one of the country’s oldest institutions. Today, it has a membership of more than 400 members. Gambian nationals represent 40% of the membership; other members hail from a variety of African and European countries,

We are a completely open club, practically a ‘United Nations’ and we are committed to a non-sexist and non-racist policy. Drawn from all walks of life, the membership is vibrant and enjoys the facilities of the Club – golf, tennis, badminton, squash, swimming, snooker and table tennis are all popular sports catered for by the Club.