Excitedly, yet somewhat apprehensively, our group of four Americans climbs from a four-wheel drive Land Rover to start our safari walk in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, the vast, 1,000-square-mile savanna where huge herds of animals graze, where Masai tribal villages dot the grassy terrain, and where Africa’s largest population of lions roams. As topi and zebra graze fewer than 50 yards away, our guide, a Masai warrior named Parmasau, and an armed, uniformed guard both assure us we are not in danger.

Striding confidently, Parmasau scans our surroundings with the intensity of a cheetah looking for prey. "Always remain behind us and you will be well protected," cautions Parmasau, who is dressed in a bright red robe and equipped with a small knife and a spear. "Now, please, enjoy the animals." Suffice it to say, I don’t let Parmasau’s backside out of my sight.

Moments later, when an impala dashes cheerily by our group, I can’t help but think it is just another spectacular travel experience that one typically takes for granted in Kenya. Where else can you see wild animals like lion, giraffe, and zebra in their natural habitats, and hours later be hitting golf balls into a brilliant blue sky destined for smooth Kikuyu grass fairways?

The unique combination of luxury safaris, 35 golf courses, and what I consider the friendliest people I have ever encountered in more than two decades of travel writing, make Kenya a viable golf destination for the adventurous linkster. Kenyan people have a tribal philosophy of welcoming strangers — making it a special place to visit. From cab drivers to caddies, the genuine warmth and hospitality displayed truly enhances your journey.

Kenya, which is about the size of Texas, almost puts your senses into overload with its wildlife, natural beauty, history, tribal culture, and, yes, golf courses. Make no mistake, though, traveling in Kenya requires a bon vivant attitude and a sense of adventure. Away from skyscraper-studded Nairobi, Africa’s largest city behind Johannesburg and Cairo, many of the unpaved roads are so bumpy I have to periodically check to see if my kidneys are still intact. And, like other African countries, tap water generally is not fit to drink. Yet, these are minor inconveniences and there seems to be a solution to every travel problem in Kenya. Instead of enduring the rock ’n’ roll dirt roads, many Americans choose to charter small planes for longer commutes to golf resorts and luxury safari camps. The charters are comfortable, efficient, and affordable. In addition, every major hotel, lodge, and safari camp provides several bottles of water in each room or tent.

It’s worth putting up with a few small hassles, though, because few countries on the planet can boast the amazing number of natural wonders that are found in Kenya. There are rolling savannas, mountain ranges, lush rain forests, extinct volcanoes, deserts, glaciers, and coral reefs. Kenya, along with its 48 national parks and preserves and wildlife, has a seemingly endless number of sights and activities once the golf clubs are put away for the day.

TEE IT UP
What does a typical Kenyan golf course look like? After playing golf there for 10 days, I’m convinced that no two courses are even remotely alike. There is so much variety in Kenya — from the wildly undulating treelined layouts in Nairobi to the Great Rift Valley with its volcanic remnants to the sunbaked courses in Mombasa near the Indian Ocean. The ball tends to fly a little farther in Kenya, where more than half of the courses are 5,000 feet above sea level.

Kenya’s golf legacy dates back to the early 1900s when British colonists began building courses. Today, a majority of the courses in Kenya are equal in quality and maintenance standards to the Caribbean and Europe and considerably less expensive to play. In the past 10 years, several golf resorts have opened with American-style amenities, such as spas, tennis courts, swimming pools, and business centers.

An obvious example of the multi-amenity resort trend in Kenya is the Windsor Golf & Country Club, a 15-minute drive from Nairobi, which is the initial stop on my visit. At first glance, the Windsor, with its Victorian-style buildings topped with red slate roofs, high-ceiling lobby with dark hardwood floors, and European-style flower gardens looks as if it has been around for 100 years or so. Evoking an English manor ambience, the Windsor is surprisingly only 10 years old and brimming with luxury amenities, such as three restaurants, a fitness center, a shopping arcade, and spacious, marble-appointed bathrooms. Oddly, one of the more pleasurable aspects of my stay is taking a shower after a round of golf. With showerheads the size of pie plates, it is as though I am drenching myself in a waterfall each evening.

Windsor’s 18-hole championship course cuts through dense tropical forest, coffee plantations, and lakes with panoramic views of the Aberdare Mountain Range and Mount Kenya. The tree growth is so thick that walks from one hole to another make you feel as though you’re traversing through a tunnel of sorts. Wildlife is present on the course in the form of birds and monkeys.

Though I’d like to cite an eagle or birdie as my most memorable experience on the Windsor course, the monkeys steal the show. On the No. 5 hole, a long straightforward par-5, several monkeys hip-hop from branch to branch in a tall tree overlooking the green, providing one of the more interesting galleries I’ve had in golf. I can’t tell if they are laughing or crying at my off-target approach shot.

THE AFRICAN GOLF EXPERIENCE
Following the monkey business, my next stop is the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort, which sits at 7,000 feet with awesome views of Lake Naivasha and the volcanic crater of Mount Longonot. Two hours from Nairobi, the Great Rift Valley, which bisects Kenya from north to south, is a wondrous world of highland savanna, volcanic peaks and lava flows, canyons and lakes. The resort’s 18-hole championship course, dotted with numerous cactus gardens and volcanic sand bunkers, has many combined elements of courses I have played in Arizona and Hawaii.

For Americans, perhaps no resort epitomizes Kenya more than the Mount Kenya Safari Club near the village of Nanyuki, 150 miles north of Nairobi. Straddling the equator on the slopes of 17,000-foot-high Mount Kenya, the Mount Kenya Safari Club is a sedate, romantic resort that could well be the unofficial African getaway capital for international celebrities. Former guests have included Winston Churchill, Lyndon Johnson, John Travolta, and Brooke Shields. The Mount Kenya Safari Club has provided a luxurious, one-of-a-kind escape amid sweeping manicured lawns, brightly colored flower gardens, and a private game-viewing ranch.

Founded in 1959 by the late film star William Holden, eccentric American businessman Ray Ryan, and Swiss financier Carl Hirschmann, the Mount Kenya Safari Club is situated in one of the world’s most beautiful settings. All you need to know about the impeccable service level at the resort is that every evening an attendant visits the cottage rooms to start a fire in the log fireplaces. One evening as I sip cognac by the roaring fire, gazing out my window at inspiring Mount Kenya, it is easy to comprehend why Churchill was a founding member of the resort.

The golf at Mount Kenya Safari Club is a special experience as well. Laid out in the shadows of snowcapped Mount Kenya, the resort’s nine-hole, par-3 course is the best short course I have ever played. Resting directly on the equator, the layout is undulating with holes framed by flowering trees, bushes, and plants. Several elevated tee boxes offer postcard-like views of Mount Kenya and animal sightings include storks and peacocks strutting down fairways. Small greens, devilish pin placements, narrow fairways, and strategically placed ponds and bunkers make the course a true short-game test. The most unique hole is the 175-yard No. 3 where the tee is half a world away from the green. The equator bisects the No. 3 fairway and the tee is situated in the Southern Hemisphere with the green in the Northern Hemisphere.

Caddies are the norm for almost every round of golf played in Kenya. American-style motorized golf carts and even pull carts are virtually nonexistent. In Kenya, much of the population walks everywhere, and the golf course is no different. For the most part, caddies are a raggedly dressed bunch who view their job as a privilege and a chance to make more money in one round than many Kenyans make for working an eight-hour day. Yet, what the caddies lack in the haberdashery department, they more than make up with friendliness and a willingness to serve.

While Kenyan caddies don’t possess the knowledge and panache of Scottish caddies, they’re much more than just glorified bag toters and are very helpful in lining up shots and putts and finding wayward drives in sometimes hip-high grasses.

The average caddie fee in Kenya is a meager 300 shillings ($3.75), with a tip of 200 shillings being the norm. My favorite caddie is named David, a lanky man in his mid-20s with a toothy grin and an unparalleled dedication to finding the balls I am consistently driving into high weeds at the Great Rift Lodge golf course. I later learn from the golf pro that his caddies are docked part of their caddie fee if they can’t find a guest’s ball.

THE KENYA GOOD LIFE
A golf excursion, or any first visit to Kenya for that matter, is incomplete without a safari experience. Even the most fanatical golfers should take a reprieve and stop and see the animals. Like many Americans, I’d only seen wild animals like lion, giraffe, and zebra in a controlled, zoo-like setting. I’m not sure I am fully prepared for the emotional lift one gets upon first seeing animals in their natural habitat, roaming freely as they have done for thousands of years. Five minutes into our safari in the Masai Mara, I see a lion nursing her cubs, a cheetah racing after prey, and a group of zebra galloping forcefully across the grassy plain. Amazingly, I see more animals in the first hour of our safari than I have in my entire life.

My accommodations are something I had never experienced before as well. If your vision of safari lodging is a no-frills dusty tent with military cots and a bucket of water for personal hygiene purposes, think again. Kenya has absolutely perfected the art of the private-tented safari. My 10-tent camp, the Mara Explorer by the Intrepid Safari Company, has its own airstrip, a personal butler and physician on 24-hour call, a European-trained chef, swimming pool, and private bar and library. The tents are made from heavy-duty canvas with wood flooring, a bathroom, and shower. I sleep on a four-poster bed and am surrounded by African artifacts and mahogany furniture that include a writing desk and closet.

A typical two-week safari/golf package planned by a tour operator includes two or three driving safari experiences, two or three rounds of golf in the highlands, and five opportunities to play top Nairobi-area courses. Three exceptional layouts in Nairobi that are almost always included in itineraries are Karen Country Club, which is built on former coffee farmland donated by Karen Blixen, who was the central figure in the movie Out of Africa; Muthaiga Golf Club, one of Kenya’s oldest courses set on the edge of Karura Forest; and Sigona Golf Club, a seriously hilly layout that sits 6,600 feet above sea level.

Mention Kenyan food and most Americans probably couldn’t name even one popular dish. Before my visit, I certainly included myself in that group. Kenya is not a gastronomic capital, but its cuisine is surprisingly innovative and delicious with a heavy emphasis on fresh ingredients. Kenya’s best hotels and safari lodges compete fiercely to recruit top European-trained chefs, and equally significant is Kenya’s wide range of climates, which create a thriving agricultural sector producing a wealth of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Typical of the many sumptuous meals I enjoy in Kenya is a lunch I share with some fellow golfers on an open-air veranda overlooking the first tee at the Windsor Golf & Country Club. Our host is Martin Njoroge, the resort’s amiable general manager, who suggests we cool down after our round with a Stoney Tangawizi, a fizzy ginger soft drink served over ice. Lunch starts with a cream of mushroom soup with fresh croutons followed by grilled fillet of kingfish, steamed tomato rice, and corn and peas in curry sauce. Much like every other meal I have in Kenya, the fare is simple yet bursting with flavors, thanks to the fresh ingredients.

For the truly adventurous diner, there is no place in the world like Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi, where the menu includes spit-roasted meats, such as zebra, giraffe, crocodile, ostrich, and wildebeest, in addition to standards like beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. The wild meat comes from game farms in Kenya. I must confess, I am not exactly enamored with my introduction to dining on wild African game. The zebra is somewhat bland, the giraffe is gamey, and the crocodile is not nearly as tasty as the alligator bites I’ve had in Florida. That said, the Carnivore is a must-visit where the nightly theater of huge chunks of meat grilled on a giant, open-fire grill provides entertainment even for the less-adventurous diner.

If you’re looking for a sophisticated place to pass a few hours before a late night international flight back home or you just want to watch passersby and mingle with local businesspeople, the Lord Delamere Terrace and Bar at the posh Norfolk Hotel is the undisputed Nairobi social hub. Legend has it that lions used to drink from the swamp in front of the Norfolk when it was first built in 1904. Today, the sophisticated Norfolk is one of Africa’s best business hotels.

The Delamere is where I spend my last few hours in Kenya before my return flight. Exhausted from 10 days of intense travel and golf, I sit at an outdoor table sipping a frosty mug of Tusker, a Kenyan beer. I trace some of my favorite Kenya memories, such as the hot-air balloon safari over the Masai Mara, the first sighting of a lion a mere five feet from our Land Rover, and, of course, my chip-in birdie over an outstretched peacock at Mount Kenya Safari Club.

Yet, the one memory that stands out is the moment I met the smiling Masai warrior Parmasau, who greeted me with a joyous jambo (means "hello" in Swahili). Even with all of its incomparable natural scenery, wildlife, and interesting golf courses, it’s the uncompromising kindness and hospitality of the Kenyans that leave the strongest impression on me. In the end, it’s really the wonderful people of Kenya that help make the country such a fascinating golf destination.

Orlando, Florida-based Edward Schmidt Jr. is the author of the recently published 52 Great Florida Golf Getaways.

THINGS TO KNOW
Best Time To Go
Kenyan weather is temperate year-round. The rainy seasons are April to June and October to early December.

Getting There
Most Americans traveling to Kenya go through London. Virgin Atlantic provides nonstop service to London from major U.S. cities. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Kenya Airways have direct London to Nairobi flights.

Visa Requirement
A visa is required for U.S. citizens entering Kenya (allow six weeks).

Don’t-Miss Activities
Wildebeest migrations in Masai Mara from June to October; bush breakfasts; visits to a Masai village; hot-air balloon safaris; and fishing for Nile perch in Lake Victoria.

Helpful Web Sites
www.magicalkenya.com
www.kenya-golf-safaris.com

For General Kenya Information
866.445.3692 (Kenya Tourist Board)