Golf Course 5

If you are looking for a memorable but affordable golf experience then you should definitely check out South African golf vacations. South Africa golf vacations offer beauty, tranquillity, challenges and good value for money. The size of France and Spain combined; it varies from the picturesque Garden Route towns of the Western Cape to the raw stretch of subtropical coast in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Many visitors are pleasantly surprised by South Africa s excellent infrastructure, which draws favorable comparison with countries such as Australia or the United States. Good air links and bus networks, excellent roads and a growing number of first-class B&Bs and guesthouses make South Africa a perfect touring country and - with the dramatic slide of the rand

in 2001 - a cheap one too for visitors.

Crime isn t the indiscriminate phenomenon that press reports suggest, but it is an issue. Really, it s a question of perspective taking care not to become a victim of crime, is something to be kept in mind always, regardless of which country you re in. Statistically, the odds of becoming a victim in South Africa are highest in downtown Johannesburg, where violent crime is a daily reality. You would really have no reason at all for venturing to this area if you are on a golfing vacation. Any shopping you might want to do, you can do in very safe, very big, world-class malls situated all around Gauteng and

in other parts of the country.

Other cities present a reduced risk - similar to, say, some big cities in the United States; most country areas are safe by any standards. Rest assured also, that any and all resorts you choose to stay at in South Africa, has excellent security measures in place, and you should really not be affected by the crime problem at all.

CAPE TOWN is southern Africa s most beautiful, most romantic and most visited city. Indeed, few urban centres anywhere can match its setting along the mountainous Cape Peninsula spine, which slides into the Atlantic Ocean. By far the most striking - and famous - of its sights is Table Mountain, frequently shrouded by clouds, and rearing

up from the middle of the city.

More than a scenic backdrop, Table Mountain is the solid core of Cape Town, dividing the city into distinct zones with public gardens, wilderness, forests, hiking routes, vineyards and desirable residential areas trailing down its lower slopes. Standing on the tabletop, you can look north for a giddy view of the city centre, its docks lined with matchbox ships. Looking west, beyond the mountainous Twelve Apostles, the drop is sheer and your eye will sweep across Africa s priciest real estate, clinging to the slopes along the chilly but spectacularly beautiful Atlantic seaboard. Turning south, the mountainsides are forested and several historic vineyards and the marvelous Botanical Gardens creep up the lower slopes. Beyond

the oak-lined suburbs of Newlands and Constantia lies the warmer False Bay seaboard, which curves around towards Cape Point.

Try South Africa on for size and you d be surprised at the choices. South Africa, one of the most beautiful countries on Earth is not just about wild safaris and great beaches; it is also the newest golf holiday destination spiraling to the top of most golfers lists. South Africa s golf is blessed by the presence of 300 plus sunny days, beautiful landscapes and courses designed to challenge players of all skill levels. With such ingredients the golf soup can only be delicious as most golf vacation groups heading to South Africa find out.

Although South African boasts of over

500 courses laid out on such diverse terrains as coastal plains to mountains, the country is still a secret few golf holiday makers know about. However, more and more people are getting in on it mainly due to the interest generated by world class courses like The Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, home to the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the world s richest golf tournament.

The Gary Player Country Club built in the crater of an extinct volcano, boasts of one of the finest and trickiest courses in the world. Rising like an Oasis from the bushveld around it, Sun City is home to this premium course that plays 6,938 meters for a par of 72. Start off your South

Africa golf tour with this gem for its wide fairways of Kikuyu grass that make for a harrowing time on the greenside rough, slick, kidney-shaped greens which require patience and physical endurance and the cunningly placed water hazards that ensure your game is played more between the ears than on the ground. The signature ninth, more than the rest of the holes, totally justifies the green fees of just $39 didn t I say it was affordable?

While at the Sun City Resort, also add the Lost City Golf Course to your golf package. The verdant fairways and the dramatically placed bunkers make this Gary Player layout intriguing and testing at the same time. At 6,983 meters, this track

is probably most famous for its 13th hole where water hazards inhabited by crocodiles come into play!

South Africa is an expansive country and your golf travel would leave you jaded if it weren t for invigorating courses like Leopard Creek, ranked 25th on Golf Digest s Top 100 Courses outside America. Bordering the Kruger National Park, Leopard Creek is an 18-hole championship course designed by Gary Player.

South Africa offers stunning courses in almost every part of the country but your golf tour would be incomplete without playing courses like the Robert Trent Jones designed Wild Coast Country Club, set against a backdrop of the Indian Ocean, The Durban Country Club, Arabella Country Club and the Glendower Golf Club, host of

The Transvaal Open.

The sheer quantity of courses in South Africa makes it impossible to swing away at all of them in just one golf tour, but do try to include The River Club Golf Course in Sandton, Johannesburg , George Golf Club near Fancourt and The Pecanwood Golf & Country Club Estate bordering the Hartbeespoort Dam.

When next planning a vacation, consider South Africa as your destination. You ll get affordable, world-class golf, in the best resorts in the world. Have you made your booking yet?

Louise Fourie is an online publisher and author for Online Golf Guide. She also maintains the website s blog, where you can find periodic specials deals on Golfing Vacations to South Africa.