Want Game & Golf?

South Africa, known for its wildlife and safaris, is not a destination one would think of for golf but it actually is. Most South African cities and provinces offer majestic courses that challenge a golfer’s game as well as their imagination.  A select few are even located along the borders of or inside of game reserves!  Venture to South Africa and experience the ultimate golf vacation.

A three hour drive from Johannesburg in the Limpopo Province, Legends Golf and Safari Resort is unlike any other.  This course was designed by eighteen of the best golfers in the world, each golfer given a  hole to customize to their liking.  Legends is home to the longest course in Africa as well as an extreme 19th hole.  This 19th hole is located up high on the Hanglip Mountain and is reachable only by helicopter.  Get a hole-in-one on 19 and receive $1 million dollars.  As if that isn’t enough incentive to tee off here, this course gives you the opportunity of playing alongside beautiful landscapes and intimidating wildlife.  Located inside of the 54,000 acre Entabeni Safari Conservancy, golfers are given the privilege of golfing near elephants, buffalo, leopards, rhinos and lions.  Be ready to interact with nature as fences only hold the larger more dangerous animals at bay.  There is a chance that with all this beauty, you may not remember your score at the end of the day. 

Just two hours outside of Johannesburg sits another great golf city, Sun City. This is a great place to travel for a fabulous golf getaway.  Once considered the Las Vegas of South Africa, Sun City has so much to offer.   Home to not one but two par-72 championship golf courses, Sun City offers visitors a formidable golf experience.  Check out the Gary Player golf course or the desert style Lost City golf course, both designed by Gary Player.  Be wary of the 13th hole of the Lost City as it shares its home with some rather large crocodiles.  With game, golf and gambling, travel from one of the best hotels in Johannesburg and enjoy a day in Sun City.

The Kruger National Park is home to another great golf course, Skukuza Golf Course.  Skukuza is yet another course where the game of golf and the wild game exist in harmony.  This 72-par nine hole golf course is not fenced which allows all of the local wildlife to venture onto the course.  Don’t fret however; course security is always monitoring the wildlife to ensure nobody becomes dinner on one of the greens.  This golf course may not be quite as luxurious as some of the previous listed but the ability to become one with nature and your golf game at the same time is quite inviting.  Even though this course may not be lavish, with great hotels in the Mpumalanga province, you can be sure to stay in impressive accommodations while golfing with lions. 

All over South Africa you can find more traditional courses, so golfing is not simply limited to the more natural environment where animals can interrupt your birdie.  But if you are looking for an adventurous round, check these courses out.  Remember, traveling to South Africa can be about the beautiful beaches, the thrilling safaris and even the fabulous hotels, but if you are a golfer this paradise will give you a challenging game and a most memorable experience.