South Africa’s golf courses, set in magnificent landscapes and often offering unique interactions with wildlife, can compete with the best in the world. With this vast potential under-recognised, South Africa’s inbound industry is upping its coordinated efforts to feature the country as a leading golf tourism destination.

According to SA Top 100 Courses, South Africa is home to at least 414 courses. But only a select few (the likes of Gary Player Country Club at Sun City, Leopard Creek in Mpumalanga and Fancourt Links on the Garden Route) feature on the world stage.

Inbound industry association SATSA is spearheading efforts to drive the niche sector into the mainstream tourism conversation at national government level. Launched in February, the association’s Golf Chapter comprises a broad spectrum of 41 members working within the golf tourism sector and the hospitality, safari and tourism development spaces.

Led by Chapter Chair and ProGolf Africa Safaris owner Carl Reinders, in close cooperation with SATSA CEO David Frost, the chapter is making strides in its goal of promoting golf tourism as a catalyst for sustainable and high-value experiences. This progress was highlighted in the chapter’s AGM on July 30. 

Through engagements with SA Tourism, the chapter has secured 12 spaces for golf-specific DMCs and products (including leading golf courses such as De Zalze, Arabella and Sun City) to attend the International Golf Travel Market in Lisbon from October 14 to 17.

SA Tourism has additionally agreed in principle to collaborate with the chapter to host a MegaFam trip of the country’s top golf courses for golf tourism operators from Europe, an activity which will go some way towards addressing a lack of global awareness of what South Africa has to offer. 

“In our conversations with SA Tourism, the biggest issue that came up was the awareness of South Africa’s golf offerings to global markets. When compared with leaders such as Spain and Portugal, we have so much more to offer in terms of the broader tourism experience and value for money, particularly in terms of food and beverage – which is a top priority for golf tourists,” Frost highlighted. 

Measuring true value

Frost said that conversations with golf tour operators had revealed exceptional growth and recovery in the sub-sector, but the true value of golf tourism needed to be more effectively quantified.

“We have to find a solution for that, because as long as we don’t have the numbers this will always be viewed as a niche sector and not a channel for tourism.”

On a global level, Markets and Research forecasts the golf tourism market to grow in value from US$23 billion in 2023 to over US$35bn by 2029, driven by “increasing interest in outdoor sports events, government initiatives to promote sports tourism, and a rising number of young golf enthusiasts.”

Reinders previously told Tourism Update that South Africa’s position within this framework was still unknown.

“We need to be cognisant that the total estimation extends beyond the golf revenue generated. It also encompasses the additional revenue streams accompanying the arrival of golf tourists, spanning hospitality and non-golfing activities and more,” he said.

The research additionally highlights the necessity of government backing for golf tourism marketing and increased bidding for global events run by major professional golfers’ associations such as the DP World Tour and the US PGA Tour.

Bridging the gap

The chapter is also seeking to bridge the operational gap that exists between golf clubs (targeting their operations mainly at signed-up members), golf tourism operators and the broader tourism industry.

“As an operator, there is frustration around educating golf clubs on the value of golf tourism and marketing golf courses to international markets. Their first priority is their members. So it is up to us to paint a better picture of the opportunities that are presented,” Reinders pointed out.

Pathways to achieving this will include the forging of partnerships with golf courses and bodies such as the Club Management Association of Southern Africa.

Creating engaging content

South Africa’s golfing landscape, combined with the myriad other attractions that golf packages can incorporate, present ideal opportunities for the creation of engaging destination marketing content.

One of SATSA’s aims – with the support of SA Tourism – is to create a destination marketing video that can be used by operators and other industry stakeholders to deliver a unified message of South Africa’s golf tourism potential.

“There is so much room for creating amazing content and training material that can help us to upsell what South Africa’s golf tourism sector has to offer. It’s not just about golfing, it’s about the holistic experience,” said Lizle de Wet, Founder and Owner of chapter member ADORE Africa.

The chapter will look to better harness the global publicity generated by annual DP World events such as the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City and the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, both of which will take place before the end of the year.

During the AGM, members discussed the need for more interviews and partnerships with high-profile international golfers to endorse the top quality golfing experience offered by South Africa.

This will add to the direct and indirect value provided during the events themselves. The Nedbank Golf Challenge, for example, is Sun City’s biggest annual event, attracting more than 60 000 spectators to the iconic resort over four days.