South Africa packs championship links, highveld parkland and Big Five bushveld golf into one country, usually at a fraction of European or American green fees. The courses below are the ones we book most often for visiting golfers, grouped by the city you are most likely to be staying in.
Best golf courses in Johannesburg
Highveld golf sits at roughly 1,750m above sea level, so the ball flies noticeably further — most visitors club down one, sometimes two. Fairways are parkland, greens are quick, and afternoon thunderstorms are common from November to February.
Royal Johannesburg & Kensington — East
Robert Grimsdell • Par 72 • Championship — demanding
A former South African Open host. Long, tree-lined and unforgiving off the tee; play the fairway, not the flag.
Glendower Golf Club
Charles Alison • Par 72 • Championship — very demanding
Narrow corridors, water in play and thick rough. Consistently rated among the country's hardest tests.
Houghton Golf Club
Jack Nicklaus (redesign) • Par 72 • Championship — strategic
Closest premium course to Sandton, so it suits a business trip round with a short transfer.
Steyn City
Nicklaus Design • Par 72 • Championship — scenic
Built through the Jukskei river valley; dramatic elevation changes reward an accurate approach game.
Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate
Gary Player • Par 72 • Private — access by arrangement
Gary Player's own signature estate course and one of the hardest tee sheets to get onto in Gauteng.
Best golf courses in Cape Town & the Winelands
Sea level, mountain backdrops and wind. The south-easter picks up through summer afternoons, so early tee times play markedly easier. Winelands courses pair naturally with a wine-estate lunch afterwards.
Steenberg Golf Club
Peter Matkovich • Par 72 • Championship — precision
Constantia valley setting on a working wine estate. Book a morning round before the wind arrives.
Clovelly Country Club
Classic links-parkland • Par 71 • Moderate — quirky
Tucked between the mountain and the sea near Fish Hoek; charming and walkable.
Erinvale Golf Club
Gary Player • Par 72 • Championship — demanding back nine
Hosted the 1996 World Cup of Golf. The back nine climbs the Hottentots Holland foothills.
Pearl Valley at Val de Vie
Jack Nicklaus • Par 72 • Championship — water in play
Nine holes carry water. A ranked top-five course and the pick of the Winelands.
Fancourt — The Links
Gary Player • Par 73 • Championship — the sternest test
A four-hour drive along the Garden Route, but widely rated South Africa's number one. Worth an overnight.
Best golf courses in Durban & KwaZulu-Natal
Warm, humid and green year-round, with coastal courses running through dune forest and sugar-cane country. Winter (May to August) is the most comfortable golfing season on this coast.
Durban Country Club
Laurie Waters & George Waterman • Par 72 • Championship — classic
Perennially top-ranked. The opening holes through the dunes are among the finest in world golf.
Mount Edgecombe Country Club
Two 18-hole courses • Par 72 • Championship — tight
Minutes from King Shaka International, which makes it an ideal arrival-day round.
Zimbali Country Club
Tom Weiskopf • Par 72 • Championship — scenic
Coastal forest, monkeys and ocean views. Pair it with a stay on the Dolphin Coast.
Prince's Grant Coastal Estate
Peter Matkovich • Par 72 • Moderate — links flavour
A quieter, wind-exposed layout north of Ballito with genuine seaside holes.
Best safari golf courses in South Africa
Bushveld and Lowveld courses set inside game reserves, where the round is one half of the day and a game drive is the other. Distances are long — allow for a charter flight or an early start.
Leopard Creek Country Club
Gary Player • Par 72 • Championship — private access
On the Kruger boundary above the Crocodile River. Access is by invitation and arranged in advance.
Legend Golf & Safari Resort
18 tour professionals • Par 72 • Championship — theatrical
Home of the Extreme 19th, played from a helicopter tee 400m up Hanglip Mountain.
Elements Private Golf Reserve
Peter Matkovich • Par 72 • Championship — remote
No housing on the fairways and free-roaming plains game. Roughly two hours from OR Tambo.
Zebula Golf Estate & Spa
Peter Matkovich • Par 72 • Resort — comfortable
Wide bushveld fairways, a spa and game drives on site. The most family-complete of the safari resorts.
When to play, and what to bring
- Johannesburg and the bushveld play best from March to May and September to November; summer afternoons bring thunderstorms.
- Cape Town and the Winelands are at their finest from October to April, with early tee times to beat the south-easter.
- Durban and the KZN coast are comfortable year-round, and driest from May to August.
- Most clubs require a collared shirt, tailored shorts or trousers and soft spikes; several private clubs do not permit denim.
- Travelling without clubs? We deliver a full 14-club Titleist tour set to your hotel, lodge or first tee anywhere in the country.
Let us arrange the round
Tee times, transfers and premium rental clubs at any of the courses above — booked, confirmed and delivered.