Chronicle Editor
Chronicle Writer, Advertorial
BULAWAYO loves a show, so in the week that the Suzuki Grand Vitara descended on the city, an unholy mash-up of golf and automotive leisure happened.
Bulawayo Golf Club was playing host to the annual City of Kings Golf Tournament that attracted over 140 amateur golfers from across the country.
And just like Biggie Smalls rhymed on his 1994 release Big Poppa the Grand Vitara arrived “with style and grace” for an unlikely marriage.
Suzuki Bulawayo, which is a division of Amalgamated Motor Corporation (AMC) did a gangbuster arriving at BGC with the Grand Vitara. The sport is sure to benefit from the exposure, particularly in Bulawayo. The City of Kings Golf Tournament has always been well received, not least among the young generation of amateur golfers who enjoy nothing more than taking to the fairways and greens when released from the commitments of their daily grind.
This was a chance to tie up the talent of two disciplines — the gentlemanly pursuit of golf and the hugely documented rich Japanese heritage that Suzuki infused into the Grand Vitara.
“Playing” off hole one, the Suzuki Bulawayo team led by branch manager, Sipho Ndebele showcased the entry level Vitara catching the eye of even Chevrons star cricketer, Sean Williams who stood long and hard to admire the little SUV. Was he imagining a drive lying so close to the pin that a small flicker of the wind could drop his ball; or was he daydreaming of driving along the course in an all wheel drive SUV in the stead of a golf cart?
We’ll never know!
All 144 golfers who teed off in the tournament have, by their mere presence, made clear their love of playing golf. But Suzuki and their Grand Vitara will happily change the subject to golf when given half the chance.
When asked if he might like to return the favour and have a pop in for a round or two, Ndebele said with a grin: “Our Grand Vitara is way less dangerous. You make a mistake driving a golf ball wide of the course, someone might not survive.”
“Someone might just get one really big blister on their freshly shaved, great bonce,” he added.
The golfers duly struck their first shots and, aficionados of the Royal & Ancient looked away, then tried to leap into the Vitara, perhaps mistaking it for a golf kart to get to the next hole or maybe they knew exactly what they were doing? We’ll never know!
But what we do know is it all had an air of Wacky Races until they came round the bend on the 9th looking to end their round and breathe in the Vitara as they walked off the course.
More typical play resumed for the remaining holes and it was noticeable how the fiercely competitive golfers really were giving it their all, including the short holes. With added Squid Game, Suzuki’s iconic styling, comfort and leisure was there on the tee, flanked by a phalanx of the car’s guards with batons. Or maybe they were golfers walking off the course with putters in hand?
Then as the sun set and the fading light lit the 19th, both Vitara and golfers rolled a pair of giant dice down the hill to decide who would hit the clubhouse first. The dice thing may not catch at the FBC Zimbabwe Golf Open but it made perfect sense in Bulawayo —
Online Reporter