Golf Course Information - Golfing Getaways - South Africa

Number 19 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Gary Player Design Company

Course Rating

Men 70, Women 71

Open:

Visitors welcome Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays only (not during Dec, Jan and Feb).

Dress Code:

Smart casual with soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

Your biggest test comes on the par-4, 17th hole that swoops downhill. You play from an elevated tee with tall pines flanking one side of the fairway, and an out-of-bounds fence on the other. The green is long and narrow.

Host of the 1996 World Cup Golf, this is an estate course of two distinctly different nines. The front nine is on a flat, while the back nine climbs up the lower slopes of the magnificent Helderberg Mountain, with breathtaking views of the coastline from the top holes.

Number 22 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Excellent

Designer

Peter Matkovich

Course Rating

Men 71, Women 71

Open:

Visitors welcome every day. The course is closed on Good Friday, Christmas and New Year.

Dress Code:

Smart casual, with soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

The short par-4, 12th is played from an island tee over a large stretch of water to a green that can be driven if you’re brave enough to carry the water.

Set in the Stellenbosch Winelands, this relatively new parkland layout is improving all the time, and a housing estate is being built on the property.  The front nine is relatively open, and it’s when you reach the second nine that the real beauty of the course is unveiled.

Number 43 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South African Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Superior

Designer

Dr Charles Molteno Murray (1934)

Course Rating

Men 71, Women 71

Open:

Visitors welcome every day except Saturdays and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. The course is closed on Good Friday, Christmas and New Year.

Dress Code:

Recognised golf shirts, shorts or trousers. Soft/metal spikes.

Signature Hole:

There are quite a few tight holes on the course, but one of the best is the par-4, 4th with out-of-bounds and a stream on the left, and a green guarded by a water hazard.

Set in the tranquil Clovelly Valley, this relatively short layout, built among sand dunes, rewards accuracy off the tee and provides players with scenic views of the False Bay coastline. Known for its superb greens.

Number 37 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South African Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Superior

Designer

Dr Charles Molteno Murray

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 72

Open:

Visitors welcome every day, except Tuesday and Saturday afternoons. The course is closed on Good Friday, Christmas and New Year.

Dress Code:

Smart casual, soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

On the tough dogleg par-4, 14th you have to skirt carefully around a large water hazard that comes in to guard at the right of the green. A par here will feel like a birdie.

South Africa’s oldest golf club has a mature, tree-lined parkland layout, with new modern greens, which are always superbly groomed. There are excellent views of the Cape’s rugged mountains.

Number 5 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Peter Matkovich

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 72

Open:

Visitors welcome every day.

Dress Code:

Appropriate golf attire. All players are required to wear a collared shirt. Short socks may be worn on the course, but not secret socks. Soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

The tough par-3, 17th alongside the lagoon requires a precise tee shot. Miss the green to your right and you could be on the beach.

A championship venue in a magnificent setting alongside the Bot River Lagoon that will test the best of golfers. But it’s also very playable for the average hacker, having a fair amount of room. The splendid scenery is a feature on the round. This is both a resort and an estate course.

THE GARDEN ROUTE

THE LINKS AT FANCOURT

Number 3 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Gary Player Design Company (Player / Phil Jacobs)

Course Rating

Men 73, Women 74

Open:

Visitors welcome every day except Mondays.

Dress Code:

Men: Shirts with collars and sleeves, slacks, golf and walking shorts. Short socks are accepted. Women: Dresses, shirts, slacks, golf shorts, mid-length shorts and blouses. Soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

The short par-4, 14th (309 metres) stands out. Thread your drive past the fairway bunkers and hit a pitch shot to a green framed by towering dunes. The par-4, 15th, which swings around a wetland and ends in a peninsula green, is also a phenomenal hole.

A man-made links course, quite possibly the most difficult course in South Africa. Carry more balls than usual, and be patient. Accept that this was never meant to be a low-scoring, target golf course and you will have a whale of a time. A unique experience.

MONTAGU GOLF COURSE

Number 10 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

David Kidd

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 72

Open:

Restricted to Fancourt Hotel residents only.

Dress Code:

Smart Casual

Signature Hole:

The par-3 17th hole where a mid- to long-iron has to be struck over a wide expanse of water to a green strikingly similar to that of the par-3 12th at Augusta National.

A modern 18-hole golf course with a mature parkland feel, considered one of the best conditions in South Africa. It is cleverly designed, picturesque, and presents an enjoyable challenge to all levels of golfers.

OUTENIQUA GOLF COURSE

Number 14 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Gary Player Design Company

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 72

Open:

Restricted to Fancourt Hotel residents only.

Dress Code:

Smart Casual

Signature Hole:

Long hitters will be tempted to reach the green on the shortish par-4 5th hole. A water hazard dominates the right side of the fairway and green.

Named after the mountain range that runs along the Garden Route coast, this 18-hole resort course has aesthetically pleasing design features such as rivulets and colourful gardens.  Like its neighbour, the Montagu, it is in magnificent condition year round.

BRAMBLE HILL (FANCOURT)

Number 88 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Gary Player Design Company

Course Rating

Men 71, Women 71

Open:

Visitors welcome every day.

Dress Code:

Smart golfing attire, with soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

The course is young and the holes still have to fight it out for the covered signature hole status. The par-4, 3rd is likely to win the race. Measuring 365 metres off the back, the hole doglegs to the left around a water feature.

The youngest of Fancourt’s four layouts serves as the resort’s public course and is likely to be busier than the others. There are not many trees on the course and some holes have a links-like feel.

PEZULA GOLF CLUB (ex SPARREBOSCH)

Number 24 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Ronald Frearm / David Dale

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 72

Open:

Visitors welcome every day.

Dress Code:

Golf attire to be worn, soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

Although the shortest par-4, the 289 metre 14th has a spectacular location. A strategic golf hole, where a percentage approach off the tee and into the green is more likely to reap dividends than a big hit with a driver.

Pezula possesses one of the greatest golfing locations on the African continent. The course is laid out on an undulating property overlooking the Indian Ocean. Rolling fairways and ‘eyebrow’ bunkers a la Gleneagles give the course a Scottish highland feel. The terrain makes it very difficult to walk this course.

GOOSE VALLEY GOLF CLUB

Number 51 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Superior

Designer

Gary Player Design Company

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 70

Open:

Visitors welcome every day. Closed for Christmas.

Dress Code:

Only recognized golfing attire. Soft spikes

Signature Hole:

The Keurbooms Lagoon and the Indian Ocean behind it frame the green of the par-3, 11th.

The course is on a spectacular piece of property overlooking the Keurbooms Lagoon at Plettenberg Bay, with views towards the Tsitsikamma Mountains.

Number 4 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Laurie Waters, George Waterman

Course Rating

Men 70, Women 72

Open:

Visitors welcome every day except Saturdays.

Dress Code:

Smart casual, collared shirts, short white socks (no secret socks). Metal/soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

The 3rd is considered one of the best par-5 in the world, played from a high tee to a narrow stretch of fairway, framed by a large, deep bunker that eats into the left side.

Naturally undulating course built in high dunes by the sea, with the holes flowing through dense tropical vegetation. Opening stretch of five holes is as good as any in the world. Flattens out on the back nine, but you return to the rolling terrain for the closing two holes.

Number 32 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Tom Weiskopf

Course Rating

Men 71, Women 72

Open:

Visitors welcome every day.

Dress Code:

Smart casual, with soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

There are lots of great holes. One that stands out is the par-4, 13th in front of the hotel and residential lodge, tumbling downhill through tropical vegetation to a sloping green.

A tough test of golf, but a beautiful one with some spec-tacular and challenging holes. The first 11 of these have been built on rolling, open land, and the final 7 holes take you into the Zimbali Coastal Forest. It’s a difficult walk, because of the hilly climbs between holes, which is why golf carts are compulsory.

Number 31 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Excellent

Designer

Bob Grimsdell

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 72

Open:

Visitors welcome every day.

Dress Code:

Smart casual golfing attire. Soft spikes.

Fantastic bushveld course next to the Kruger National Park where wild animals stroll the fairways with the golfers. Not a particularly long course, but a challenging one that has hosted many tournaments on the Sunshine Tours. Watch out for the crocodiles in the water hazards!

Number 1 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Gary Player

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 71

Open:

Restricted to certain hotels/lodges within the southern Kruger region.

Dress Code:

Smart Casual

Signature Hole:

Leopard Creek Golf Course has many featured holes, but the one that stands out is the par-5 16th. Its green overlooks the Kruger National Park and the Crocodile River.

Set on the borders of the Kruger National Park near Malelane in Mpumalanga, the 18-hole golf course was designed to blend in with the surroundings while providing a golfing challenge of championship standard. Golfing hazards take on a new dimension at Leopard Creek, for much of the water is home to families of hippos and crocodiles. Leopard Creek, is also home to the Dunhill Championship, which is played in December each year.

Number 2 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Gary Player, Ron Kirby (1979)

Course Rating

Men 71, Women 72

Open:

Visitors welcome every day.

Dress Code:

Smart casual, golfing attire. Soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

The par-5, 9th, with its island green, never fails to get the adrenalin going. At over 500m from the championship and club tees most amateurs won’t be able to reach the putting surface in two shots, but even the third shot is a tough one.

Arguably South Africa’s most famous course, courtesy of its status as host of the Nedbank Golf Challenge. The course cuts through the African bush and flanks the Pilanesberg National Park. Blessed with superb greens.

Number 18 of the Top 100 Courses in South Africa as rated by the South Africa Golf Digest for 2009.

Course Ranking

Exceptional

Designer

Gary Player Design Company (1993)

Course Rating

Men 72, Women 70

Open:

Visitors welcome every day.

Dress Code:

Smart casual, golfing attire. Soft spikes.

Signature Hole:

Keep an eye out for the Nile crocodiles in the water hazard left of the green on the par-3, 13th hole. The green, shaped to resemble the continent of Africa, is protected by nine bunkers.

The course was carved out of undulating and rocky terrain. Situated over a hill from the Gary Player Country Club, the Lost City’s layout is different in character. The fairways are wide, the greens receptive and, all things being equal, it presents an enjoyable golfing experience. The clubhouse is modelled on the Zimbabwean Ruins.