Angola is perhaps not the destination of choice for travelling golfers but if you do pass through this Sub-Saharan country you may be surprised to hear that there are three golf courses in Angola. The vast majority of Angolans live in poverty so we feel a bit insensitive about focusing on golf which is well out of reach for the average Angolan.

However, in our quest to bring you information about golf in each and every country we must confess to have struggled with Angola. Detailed information is scant but we do know there is a nine-holer which is located some 15 km to the south of Luanda… it’s either called Morro dos Veados or it’s located in a region by that name. The second course, we think, is owned by one of the oil companies but we don’t have any details.

The third course is at the Mangais Ecotourismo resort and, as luck would have it, in November 2013 Tony Wardle contacted us: “I am currently building a Port in Angola and I play golf these days at Mangais on the River Kwansa. It’s the only proper course in Angola and was designed by Jorge Santana da Silva who is an extremely talented architect. The course is a really great track with a mixture of open holes, plenty of lakes and some truly great parkland holes. The greenkeeping is of a very good standard and the clubhouse top quality. I would recommend Mangais at Barra do Kwanza to anyone who visits the country.”

Robert McAllan, a Scottish expat working in Angola followed this up in August 2020 with the following: ”The Mangais golf course in Angola is south of the capital city Luanda, around an hour’s drive, in an area known as Ingombota. It sits on the north bank of the Kwanza River within a 200-acre site and has the feel of a modern resort course. There are twenty lakes on the property and a canal works its way through the mangrove forests around the course. Several holes take advantage of the lakes and both monkeys and alligators can be found off the main fairways, so be warned.”