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big game hunting
Soccer fans from Australia and New Zealand will be among an estimated three million people who will visit South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Local journalist Colin Bryden says not only can they expect a warm welcome, they’ll also have the chance to play some great golf courses.
Australia and New Zealand will be playing World Cup group games within easy reach of South Africa’s two best courses.
Both the Socceroos and the All Whites have matches in Nelspruit, which is within striking distance of the world-renowned Kruger game park and the magnificent Leopard Creek golf course, ranked – with good reason – the best in South Africa in the annual Golf Digest list.
And both countries will also play in Rustenburg, a nondescript mining town but less than an hour’s drive from the Sun City resort, where the Gary Player Country Club held the number one ranking until it was pushed into second place by Leopard Creek.
Visitors to South Africa during the World Cup – or at any other time – can be assured that they will be able to find excellent golf courses wherever they are based. Although there is a lack of public courses found in Australia and New Zealand, most clubs in South Africa welcome visitors.
The World Cup is being staged during the South African winter, which in many parts of the country is an advantage for golfers. In the high altitude of the interior it means dry, sunny and rain-free days. In sub-tropical Durban, where Australia meets Germany in their opening match, winter golf is a more agreeable proposition than playing in the steamy heat of mid-summer.
The Western Cape is the only part of the country where winter rainfall is prevalent – but there are plenty of glorious sunny days between the rainy ones. And, if the weather is too miserable for golf in the Cape there are a host of superb restaurants and wine estates to enjoy.
Here is a brief guide to some of South Africa’s better courses, categorised by World Cup venue. Green fees are in South African rands and are for visitors who are not affiliated to South African clubs. Affiliated golfers get more favourable rates at most courses.
JOHANNESBURG/PRETORIA
No fewer than 23 of the 64 World Cup matches will be played in these two cities, which on a good-traffic day are no more than half an hour apart.
The best of many good layouts is the East course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, which is ranked seventh in the country. It has hosted seven South African Opens and is the current venue for the Joburg Open, a co-sanctioned European Tour event. Royal’s West course, another quality layout, is also used for the first two rounds of the Joburg Open.
The East is a classic parkland layout, which along with Durban Country Club, has consistently been ranked among the world’s top 100 courses. Although it has slipped down the local rankings with the profusion of estate and resort courses over the past three decades it has risen to the challenge by improving its aesthetics and conditioning to make playing there a memorable experience.
It is 6,940 metres from the back tees and a more manageable 6,442 from the club markers. It should be remembered though that Johannesburg is some 1,500 metres above sea level, which means the ball travels about 10 percent further through the air and makes choosing the right club a challenge.
Royal boasts that it has the two longest back-to-back par fours in the world – the 474-metre 10th and the 457-metre 11th. Both are played slightly downhill. The eleventh is the signature hole. The fairway is guarded by tall poplar trees and is a dogleg to the right. The green is protected by a pond in front linked to a stream that winds past the right side of the putting surface. Beware of aiming too far left because it could mean a tricky bunker shot to a green which slopes back down to the water.
Other recommended courses in or near Johannesburg include Glendower and Randpark, which have also hosted the SA Open; Country Club Johannesburg, which boasts two good courses; Kyalami, Roodepoort, Bryanston, Parkview and the Wanderers, all of which are ranked in the top 50.
Pretoria Country Club is that city’s top course but Silver Lakes, Irene and Woodhill are other acceptable options.
NELSPRUIT
In the sub-tropical Lowveld, Nelspruit is a gateway to the world-renowned Kruger National Park.
It is also just 56km from Leopard Creek, South Africa’s stunning private course built on the Olifants river boundary of the Kruger Park.
It’s neither easy nor cheap to get a tee time at Leopard Creek but having had the privilege of playing there I would recommend it to anyone with the time and the means. It’s only open to members and their guests or residents of several hotels and lodges in the area.
Designed by South African golfing great Gary Player at the behest of wealthy businessman Johann Rupert, it is one of those courses so memorable that it is possible to remember every hole after playing just one round – although the memory has been jogged by television coverage of the annual Alfred Dunhill European Tour event.
The 6,533-metre course, carved through the bushveld, is kept in superb condition, helped by the low number of rounds played. The greens are slick and true and were running 11 on the stimpmetre when I played there.
Arguably the best of many great holes is the 13th, a par-five that winds along the Olifants River, with the green jutting out into the river and offering great views of the game reserve. On the day I was there we paused to gaze at a large bull elephant in the shallows just below us.
The par-five 18th has an island green that longer hitters can reach in two. But it can bite even the best as Ernie Els found out in the 2007 Alfred Dunhill. Needing only a six to win he put his second in the water short of the green and then hit his fourth shot long and into the water at the back, finally carding an eight and losing to England’s John Bickerton. Making a routine five was a happy highlight for this golfer of far more modest ability.
For those unable to play Leopard Creek, Nelspruit Golf Club is an acceptable alternative. An attractive parkland layout, the warm climate enables it to remain lush and green throughout the year.
POLOKWANE
The 6,283-metre Polokwane Golf Club is best known for being where two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen learnt his golf.
In recent years some exciting new courses have been developed in the Waterberg region between Polokwane and Pretoria, the most outstanding being Elements, which is ranked number ten in South Africa. It is one of 15 courses designed by Peter Matkovich, a former touring pro who is South Africa’s most successful course designer after Gary Player.
Elements is approximately 100km from Pretoria, 150km from Polokwane and 150km from Johannesburg.
The Waterberg is an attractive, mountainous area with malaria-free game reserves. Other top courses are Legends, Zebula and Euphoria. The former features holes designed by 18 international golfers and has an ‘Extreme’ 19th hole, played from a tee on a mountain top 430-metres above the green which can only be reached by helicopter.
DURBAN
Of all the major World Cup venues, Durban has the most tourist-friendly climate, with the weather staying warm while much of the rest of the country experiences chilly winter nights.
Almost in the shadow of its World Cup stadium is Durban Country Club, long regarded by reputable international publications as one of the world’s best courses. It has hosted the South African Open a record 16 times and is due to stage the Centenary SA Open in December.
Relatively short at 5,910 metres, it nevertheless provides a stern test, as it wends its way through dense sea bush, no more than a mid-iron away from the Indian Ocean, on a landscape shaped by rolling sand dunes. The first five holes provide a tough introduction as trouble awaits an off-target shot. The 468-metre par-five third is the signature hole, requiring an accurate shot from an elevated tee into a narrow valley guarded by trees on the right and a large bunker jutting into the fairway in the landing area of a good drive.
Beachwood, another tight seaside course just 5km up the N2 highway to the north, is administered by Durban Country Club and is a similarly well-maintained, challenging test.
Also north of the city centre are Prince’s Grant, near Durban’s new airport on the North Coast, and Mount Edgecombe, both of which are ranked in South Africa’s top 50. Slightly inland is Cotswold Downs, a relatively new Peter Matkovich design set on hilly terrain in Hillcrest.
The popular KwaZulu-Natal South Coast holiday region has numerous enjoyable courses, with the pick being the championship course at the Wild Coast Sun resort, about 160km south of Durban.
PORT ELIZABETH
Close to the city centre, Humewood is a classic links course that has recently undergone substantial upgrading. It has consistently been in the top 20 in the rankings.
St Francis Links, 73km away, is a four-year-old Jack Nicklaus course that has received rave reviews from those who have played it. It made its debut in the Golf Digest rankings this year at number nine.
CAPE TOWN
There are several good courses close to the centre of the city, including Rondebosch, Steenberg, King David, Westlake, Mowbray and Milnerton, with the latter on the shore of Table Bay with spectacular views of Table Mountain.
For a real golfing treat, though, it is worth travelling to the Winelands, which start within a half-hour drive of the city, to sample the four top-ranked courses in the Western Cape, all within the top 26 in the country, with Arabella and Pearl Valley coming in at four and five.
Arabella is furthest away, 80km from Cape Town, but provides an outstanding golf experience. It is close to Hermanus, which promotes itself as the whale-watching capital of South Africa.
Pearl Valley has hosted the South African Open for the past three years and is an immaculate Jack Nicklaus signature course, while De Zalze and Erinvale are also highly rated.
Two of South Africa’s top ten restaurants, according to the reputable Eat Out guide, are in Cape Town and another five in the wine-growing areas of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
RUSTENBURG
Less than an hour’s drive from Rustenburg – and about two hours from Johannesburg and Pretoria – is the Sun City resort, which has four hotels and two outstanding golf courses.
The Gary Player Country Club has played host to most of the world’s top golfers, including Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods, in the annual Nedbank Challenge, formerly known as the Million Dollar. The 2009 tournament was won by Australia’s Robert Allenby.
Routed through the African bush in the bed of an extinct volcano, it provides a demanding challenge for top professionals off the back tees and a memorable experience for handicap players off the club tees. The fairways are invariably in immaculate condition while slick, undulating greens put a premium on putting skill.
The par-five ninth hole always provides excitement when the pros are playing, as the tees are brought forward just enough to tempt them to reach the island green in two. For the average player, successfully laying up in two still leaves a daunting carry over water, requiring a full wedge or more.
The Lost City course, in a neighbouring valley, has more of a desert feel and provides a pleasing contrast to the GPCC while also presenting a stern test. The short 13th hole requires a tee shot over a crocodile pit.
NO FOOTBALL... BUT GREAT GOLF
The Southern Cape, between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, is far from the nearest football venue but is a rewarding destination for golfers.
The Fancourt resort in George has three of the top 20 courses in South Africa, headed by The Links, a brutally tough man-made links which was the venue for the 2003 Presidents Cup. The Montagu and Outeniqua are superbly-manicured resort courses. All three were designed by Gary Player.
at a glance
Getting there: V Australia flies direct to Johannesburg from Melbourne with connections on Virgin Blue from other Australian cities. Phone 13 82 87 or visit www.vaustralia.com.au
South African Airlines flies direct from Sydney and Perth to
Johannesburg. Phone 1300 435 972 or visit www.flysaa.com
Qantas flies direct to Johannesburg from Sydney. Phone 13 13 13 or visit www.qantas.com.au
ROYAL JOHANNESBURG
Location: Fairway Avenue, Linksfield, Johannesburg.
Contact: (27) 11 6403021
www.royaljk.za.com
Green fees: R490. Visitors are welcome but must play with a member on Saturdays and Sundays.
LEOPARD CREEK
Location: Near Malelane, Mpumulanga.
Contact: (27) 13 7912000
www.leopardcreek.co.za
Green fees: R1850 for guests of Buhala Lodge (10km away), Serenity Eco Lodge (15km) and River House (8km). Guests of some other exclusive lodges in the area can play for either R1850 or R2100. The green fee includes a golf cart and halfway house snacks.
ELEMENTS
Location: Near Bela-Bela, Limpopo, 100km north of Pretoria
Contact: (27) 82 4904735
www.elementspgr.co.za
Green fees: R270 weekdays, R330 weekends.
Accommodation: Two and four bedroom units are available at between R1600 and R3770 a night. E-mail eleres@legacyhotels.co.za.
DURBAN COUNTRY CLUB
Location: Walter Gilbert Road, Durban
Contact: (27) 31 3131777
www.dcclub.co.za
Green fees: Durban Country Club R850, Beachwood R650, play both courses R1350.
ARABELLA
Location: R44, near Kleinmond, Western Cape
Contact: (27) 28 2840000
www.arabellagolfclub.co.za
Green fees: R795, hotel guests R625
Accommodation: Arabella Western Cape Hotel @ Spa offers a winter special at R700 per person sharing. Contact: (27) 28 2840000. E-mail: reservations@arabellawesterncapehotel.co.za.
SUN CITY
Location: Pilanesberg, North West Province
Contact: (27) 14 5571245 (Gary Player CC), (27) 14 5573722 (Lost City)
www.suninternational.com
Green fees: GPCC R840, Lost City R720. GPCC is a walking only course.
Accommodation: Sun City has four hotels, ranging from the luxury Palace of the Lost City to the family-friendly Cabanas. Contact Central Reservations (27) 11 7807800. www.suninternational.com
FANCOURT
Location: Montagu Street, George, Southern Cape
Contact: (27) 44 8040183
www.fancourt.co.za
Green fees: The course is open to Fancourt Hotel residents only and one round per night’s stay at either the Montagu or Outeniqua course (normal price R795) is included in the resort’s winter special. A round at The Links costs an additional R1500.
Accommodation: Winter specials are available until September 30 from R1575 per person sharing, including breakfast and golf or a spa treatment. Contact Reservations (27) 44 8040010. www.fancourt.co.za
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