Golf in South Africa Travel
Guide
 South
Africa is a great golfing destination for a number of reasons. Firstly,
and perhaps most importantly, there are loads of great golf courses. Secondly,
the weather is fabulous and, thirdly, the green fees, as a rule, compare
very favourably to those of the northern hemisphere. A fourth, and not
to be under-estimated, advantage is that there is so much else to do in
South Africa that the partners and family of golfers will be quite
happy to be let loose with a rental car, some sun screen and a credit card.
There are about 450 golf
courses in South Africa, so you’ll find somewhere to play in even the
most obscure little town, but there are a few hotspots. Gauteng
in general and Johannesburg
in particular, has a vast number of excellent golf courses. However,
it’s not the most tourist-friendly spot for partners and family, unless
they’re into shopping, in which case, you’ve found heaven. But the title
of golfing heaven is a greatly fought over one. Even Sun
City, with its two absolutely superb Gary Player-designed
courses and a host of other rather plastic attractions is trying for the
title, but it’s not quite there.
 Some
areas of Mpumalanga and Limpopo
have interesting golf courses, some of which have crocodiles in the water
hazards and warthogs trotting down the fairways, but they also don’t quite
swing it.
Cape
Town is a serious contender. With loads of great courses, the beaches,
the mountain, a great city, flowers, etc, it’s almost there. But it’s really
just a great holiday destination that happens to have some good golf courses.
Even if you include the Winelands with
its handful of golf estates on wine farms with wellness centres, it’s still
a runner up.
The North
and South Coasts of
KwaZulu-Natal
are definite possibilities. Some excellent golf courses hidden away among
the sugar cane are supplemented by the rather hyped and over-developed
beach culture. It’s close, but the title – unequivocally – goes to the
Garden
Route.
Between Mossel
Bay and Plettenberg
Bay, a distance of about 130km, there are no less than 15 golf
courses, many of which appear regularly in the top ten or twenty lists.
But the best part is that this area really will keep the rest of the family
happy so you can find a good central spot and play a different course every
day for two weeks and return to a smiling spouse and cheerful offspring. |
