South Africa is known for its excellent golf courses, and the Eastern Cape is home to some of the most beautiful in the country.
Here are 12 golf courses to add to a travel itinerary, either for a golfing holiday, or as an add-on.
Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth is the only true links course in Africa, and one of 150 worldwide. With wide fairways and relatively few bunkers, the rough is daunting and provides a good, challenging round of golf.
Bushman Sands Golf Lodge and Estate is situated in the heart of greater Addo, and is a picturesque 18-hole championship golf course designed by Gary Player. If follows the banks of the Bushman’s River.
The Port Elizabeth Golf Club was established in 1890, and is the second-oldest in the country. The present site is, however, some distance from where the first course was built.
St Francis Links is a Jack Nicklaus signature course, with the layout combining undulating terrain, greens and surrounds with excellent variation in length and direction.
Walmers Country Club was founded in 1947 by Scottish pro, Johnny Robertson. It has a flattish parkland layout, shaded by indigenous trees with kikuyu and kweekgras on the fairways, and a combination of bent grass and wintergrass on the greens. It has about 30 bunkers, and water hazards.
The Hankey Country Club in the Gamtoos Valley is considered one of the best nine-hole courses in the country. In the midst of the orange farms is has a medal par of 72, and being 9 holes makes use of 14 different tee-boxes. Avenues of large, old trees to up the challenge for golfers.
Cradock Golf Club is a nine-hole course on the banks of the Fish River, with irrigation water taken from the river. It is considered one of the finest golf courses in the Karoo, enhanced by Vinos Restaurant on the course.
Kirkwood Golf Course is at the entrance of the Kabouga section of the Addo Elephant National Park. It is said to be challenging because of its narrow fairways, and has nine holes.
East London Golf Club meanders through the coastal dunes and indigenous bush overlooking the Indian Ocean, and is a tough but enjoyable challenge. It has a number of signature holes included the long, blind-off-the-tee par-four ninth, which demands tactical play.
Gonubie Golf Club in East London offers a charming challenge with a deceptive bite. The nine-hole course has a dramatic 8th/17th, 14-metre, par three hole, with an amplified and elevated tee overlooking a dense thicket hugging the green.
The Graaff-Reinet Golf Club was founded in 1897, and has moved to three different locations since then. In 1994, it moved to its current location, and is now a nine-hole grass course with views of the surrounding mountains. The course has kikuyu grass fairways and Bayview greens.
The 18-hole King William’s Town Golf Club is known for its exceptional par threes, and has five lakes and numerous water hazards across the 6 389m course.
