As South Africa’s only national tournament aimed exclusively at members of golf estates, The Golf Estates Challenge has become an event of considerable repute. With the predicted growth of residential golf estates proving to be true and providing the inspiration for the tournament, the Challenge has grown from strength to strength with more than 12 000 rounds being played in 2006.

This year, the Challenge continues to raise its own bar with Lexus as the title sponsor and Pinnacle Point Beach and Golf Resort the venue for the national finals for the next three years.

For Lexus, sponsoring the Golf Estate Challenge is an extension of an existing relationship with golf that has grown from strength to strength - both in South Africa and abroad where Lexus is the official vehicle sponsor of golf's most prized event: the British Open.

Part of the success of the Golf Estates Challenge is the simplicity of its mechanics. A suitable estate is identified and invited to participate. The estate then stages a series of six betterball stableford competitions for its members and the winning pairings of each of these six competitions then play against one another in the estate final. The winners of this estate final then qualify to represent their estate at the National Final where they play against the winners of all of the other participating estates who have qualified in the same manner.

In 2007, there are 10 participating estates, namely Steenberg and Atlantic Beach in the Cape, Mt Edgecombe and Zimbali in KZN, Pecanwood, Dainfern, Silver Lakes, Woodhill in Gauteng and White River and Nelspruit in Mpumulanga. This brings to the Challenge 60 qualifying competitions, 10 local finals and a National final.