South Africa is one of the finest countries in the world to play golf. Each region has a tremendous choice of top grade golf courses, generally in great condition and can be played in an excellent year-round climate.
The following are suggestions of courses to play and enjoy. They are all championship courses and most of them have hosted major professional tournaments. They range from the classic links course of Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth to the amazing Gary Player Country Club at Sun City (host to the annual Million Dollar Challenge).

Eastern Cape

HUMEWOOD GOLF CLUB

Situated on the coastline of the “windy” city of Port Elizabeth, HUMEWOOD, is South Africa’s only true “Links” golf course, even though it is unusual in that you cannot see the adjacent sea from any of the holes. The double storey clubhouse overlooks this majestic course, laid out over very undulating terrain, typical of the Links courses of Scotland and Ireland. The generous but clever bunkering, thick rough and dense bush of the fairways punish wayward shots. The course is almost 70 years old and, if you are in the Eastern Cape area, it is a “must play” course, together with other notable courses such as East London Golf Club, Royal Port Alfred and the Fish River Sun, which is situated approximately halfway between the cities of East London and Port Elizabeth.

PECANWOOD is one of South Africa’s newest golfing estates, its main attraction being the fabulous 18-hole golf course, the first design in South Africa, by one of the greatest golfers of our time - Jack Nicklaus. The course is always in amazing condition and the Crenshaw bent grass greens make for some of the finest putting surfaces in the country. Set alongside the beautiful Hartbeespoort Dam and with the Magaliesberg mountain range as a backdrop, it is truly a special place to play and is only a 45-minute drive from Johannesburg. The course’s signature hole is the par 3 13th hole, played over a corner of the dam. The bunkering on the course is superb and clever-shot making, together with good course management, is a prerequisite. The Club’s facilities are top-grade, with as good a practice range as you will find anywhere. Well worth a visit!

There are so many fine courses within a 25-kilometre radius of the Johannesburg city centre, that it is hard to single one out. Courses such as Wanderers, Killarney, Bryanston, Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, Glendower, Dainfern and the exclusive River Club, are all tremendous layouts and host tour events on a regular basis. However, HOUGHTON GOLF CLUB is the pick of the bunch. It is the home of the annual Alfred Dunhill Championship on the European PGA Tour. The course is a beautiful parkland layout with hundreds of mature trees. The condition year round is excellent and it has some of the best greens in the country. It has played host to numerous South African Open Championships and great players, such as Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els, have all won Championships there.

Most fishing is done with 5- and 6- weight rods and floating lines. In the Vaal River it is essential to have non-slip boots and a wading staff is also useful for the less agile.

The South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal is a golfer’s paradise, with some fine courses in beautiful surroundings. Further south, just over the Umtamvuna River in the Eastern Cape Province, lies the WILD COAST course, about one and a half hours’ drive south of Durban. It is a magnificent Robert Trent-Jones junior layout and forms part of Sun International’s entertainment, hotel and casino complex. The course has some simply stunning holes that are very exciting to play. It is unusual in that it has six, magnificent par 3 holes dictated by the undulating land. The 18 holes are spectacular but can be physically demanding, especially in a strong wind. It is far from a conventional layout, but a great deal of fun to play and a course that you will remember for a long time to come.

A comfortable 2-hour drive from Johannesburg by car lies the amazing Sun City Entertainment Complex. The complex is commonly known as “Fun City”, as you can do almost anything and everything you desire. There are three world class hotels, a casino, squash, tennis, bowls, swimming, walking trails, game drives and of course, the two magnificent golf courses - The Lost City and the more famous, Gary Player Country Club that hosts the annual Million Dollar Golf Challenge

THE LOST CITY has a fantastic layout that utilizes the lay of the land to dramatic effect and offers a spectacular array of holes and large undulating greens. There are some unique and challenging holes, none more so than the world famous par 3, 13th hole, played downhill to a green protected by bunkers and a real life crocodile pit! Needless to say this is one hazard to be avoided at all costs. This is a spectacular course and one to be enjoyed and talked about.

THE GARY PLAYER COUNTRY CLUB has consistently been ranked number one in South Africa. It is a true test of golf and features many great holes. It is a very demanding course where stray shots can be severely punished and the cloverleaf shaped greens make for tough pin positions and interesting situations. There is not a bad hole on the course, but the four par 3 holes are exceptional, as are the two finishing holes on both sides (the 9th and 18th). Numerous tees afford the opportunity for players of all standards to play this course.

Get the real feel of “golf in Africa”, with a round at the superb HANS MERENSKY COUNTRY CLUB. Bordering the northern fence of the Kruger National Park, the course plays host to regular professional tournaments and offers golfers a special experience. Wild animals abound all over the course and hippo’s and crocodiles reside in some of the water hazards of this course. The course was designed by Robert Grimsdell and features some great holes that offer fairly generous fairways, but wayward shots will be punished, as the holes are lined by dense bush. The club offers accommodation in rondawels beside the 11th and 12th holes from which you can see a variety of animals, both by day and by night. Be sure to chat to the locals and visit the professional shop to see some amazing pictures of animals on the course, including a lion kill on the 14th green!

This is undoubtedly South Africa’s premier golf estate, consisting of three Gary Player designed championship courses. Set in George in the heart of the beautiful Garden Route, the resort offers visitors everything they need - a five star hotel, health spa, conference facilities and numerous sporting activities, including a unique 9-hole beginners’ course and golf academy. The MONTAGU and OUTENIQUA courses are magnificent, established parkland courses that will challenge any level of player. THE LINKS is the third course at Fancourt and is scheduled to open towards the end of 2000. It is the dream of Fancourt owner, Dr. Hasso Plattner, to create a course that, within 5 years, will be rated amongst the top 50 in the world. Course designer, Gary Player, and the director of the Gary Player design company, Phil Jacobs, are doing everything possible to make that dream a reality on this multi-million rand project. The end result will be an extraordinary and unique golf course, which will require a solid strategy to play it. It will be a tough golf course and not your normal two-dimensional course, where you just “hit it and find it” and hit it again: the designers have been strongly influenced by what they have seen on the great and classic British Links courses and the course embodies the best and most interesting features of these. The course will be open to the public and not restricted to estate guests and members. It is set to become a major golfing talking point worldwide and will be a must for everyone to play on.

The Western Cape is undoubtedly the most popular region for foreign visitors to South Africa. There is just so much to do: superb beaches, vineyards, great dining, scenic drives and of course, its many and varied golf courses. Not all are of Championship standard. However most of them provide a lovely place to play and there is always a warm welcome waiting. Suggested courses to visit and play are: Erinvale, Steenberg (both Estate developments), Milnerton, Mowbray, Clovelly and Rondebosch and then just a short drive further you could take in the likes of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Hermanus. The oldest of all the Cape courses is
ROYAL CAPE GOLF CLUB. Built in 1885, it is a true Championship layout and has hosted 10 South African Open Championships. The fairways are tree-lined and are played to large undulating greens, which challenge the best putters. The holes vary a great deal and require all the different shapes of shot. The par 3,4th hole is a relatively short hole of 130 metres, but in windy conditions, is very tricky. The green is well guarded on both sides by bunkers and slopes severely from back to front. The 14th hole on the back nine is stroke one and a tremendous par 4. The tee shot needs to be played down the left side leaving a long 2nd to a two-tiered green, guarded by water - a classic hole. The course offers beautiful views of Table Mountain and golf traditionalists will undoubtedly enjoy their visit to this club.

The Garden Route certainly has many beautiful courses and is fast becoming a very popular area with golfing visitors. The Fancourt Estate mentioned earlier, with its three magnificent courses and general facilities is the leader of the pack, but George also has some other fine courses. In addition there are some other lovely places to visit as well. Plettenberg Bay has two courses: Plettenberg Bay Golf Club and the stunning 9-hole Gary Player designed Goose Valley course. The towns of George and Knysna both have very enjoyable courses too.


The spectacular setting of the Knysna Heads is the home of the new Ronald Fream designed SPARREBOSCH course. The course is set on top of The Heads and the holes have been carved out of a forest and offer dramatic views of the ocean and Knysna’s town and lagoon. The course forms part of a residential estate. However visitors are welcome and, indeed, a visit is strongly recommended.