The tournament promises to be the highlight of the two-week tour for the 10-strong team, which leaves on Friday.
Otago Boys' has three teams in the 46-team field for the tournament at Stellenbosch from April 25-28. They will compete against teams from Scotland, England, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Australia. Two other New Zealand schools, Auckland Grammar and Otumoetai College (Tauranga), are also competing.
The OBHS team is led by golf master and assistant principal Bill Trewern. Otago Boys' has been one of New Zealand's leading golf schools since Mr Trewern took charge 41 years ago.
The boys going to South Africa range from Otago age-group champion Thomas Facer to year 9 pupils with potential.
The youngest member is Harry Smith (13), who started playing golf at his home town of Ranfurly three years ago and has a handicap of 12. He is the nephew of Mandy Smith, who played for the Black Sticks women's hockey team at the 1992 and 2000 Olympics.
"It will be a very good experience, but I'm a wee bit nervous," he said.
At the other end of the scale is Kayne Wardell (17), who has a handicap of 3.2. He started playing the sport at the Allan Grange course at Clydevale as a 5-year-old.
He was a member of the Otago Boys' team that was sixth at the New Zealand schools championships in 2009 and fifth last year.
"I'm excited ... The ball will fly 30m further on the drive in South Africa," he said.
The cost of the trip for each boy is $6500. They have had many fundraising activities in the past year, including a celebrity golf tournament, which raised $20,000.
Also on the trip are ex-pat South African Peter Odgers, a teacher at the school, and six parents.
This is the eighth overseas jaunt for Otago Boys' golfers and the third time they have been to world finals. The team finished fifth at St Andrews in 1992 and second in France in 1994.
OBHS has also competed in the Queensland schoolboys championships in Brisbane five times.
