Sparrebosch
with Stallone, or Pecanwood with Nicklaus?
By Michael Vlismas,
Staff Writer
ZIMBALI, SOUTH
AFRICA (Aug. 28, 2002) -- For those of us for whom a left to right
break is more likely to describe the time we fell out of the golf
cart, this game is often more about where and with whom we play rather
than how we play.
The residential golf estate is always a good place to start, as
you can marvel at the exceedingly bad architectural taste of people
with loads of money while you hunt for your Titleist
in their tulips.
South Africa is home to
a plethora of upmarket estates also boasting quality golf courses.
To make your choice easier, we've put together a list of South Africa's
top 10 golf estates, as well as giving you an idea of who would
be the ideal partner to play each course with.
Hole 1: The Fancourt Hotel
and Country Club Estate
Layout: Arguably the most famous and top-ranked estate in the
country, and a member of both the prestigious "Great Golf Resorts
of the World" and "Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide" associations.
Nestled at the foot of the Outeniqua mountain range near George
on the famous Garden Route of the Cape coast, Fancourt boasts a
five-star 100-bedroom hotel, a health and beauty centre, an indoor
pool known as the Roman Bath, and five restaurants. And of course,
this will be the home of the 2003 President's Cup. The estate boasts
four 18-hole golf courses designed by Gary Player, the flagship
of which is The Links.
Who to play with: People with power, status and elegance. We recommend
a four-ball including actors Pierce Brosnan and Catherine Zeta-Jones,
and billionaire Richard Branson. This is a round you want to wile
away discussing your coffee plantations in South America and your
recent purchase of 20th Century Fox Entertainment. And of course
there are the gratuitous shots of Mrs Zeta-Jones' swing. Enough
to leave you, as Mr. Brosnan might say, "Stirred, and somewhat shaken."
Contact: Tel: +27 44 804 0000. E-mail: hotel@fancourt.co.za. Website:
www.fancourt.com. You nearest major city and international airport
is Cape Town.
 Hole
2: Zimbali Lodge
and Country Club
Layout: Aptly located on South
Africa's Golf Coast in KwaZulu-Natal, Zimbali
is a regular recipient of international awards for excellence, including
being ranked among Conde Nast's leading 31 new hotels in the world.
Located in a coastal forest reserve, Zimbali
is built around an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf golf course.
The estate boasts a 76-room lodge, including four suites, eight
accommodation lodges each serviced by their own butler and staff,
a health and beauty spa, a private beach and a highly recommended
restaurant.
Who to play with: Weiskopf himself would be a good bet here. Weiskopf
was almost killed when he stepped into a patch of quicksand while
designing the course. This is one place you want somebody on hand
who can tell the difference between a bunker and a fairway to heaven.
Contact: Tel: +27 32 538 1041. Website: www.suninternational.com.
Your nearest major city and international airport is Durban.
Layout: Selborne is located
on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The estate is also cut into
thick sub-tropical bush, and boasts an abundance of wildlife, including
over 150 species of birds. This was once a thriving dairy farm until
its owner, Denis Barker, began designing his own golf course. A
lodge combines a colonial atmosphere with the rustic beauty and
history of Africa. And the individual villas on the course blend
tastefully with the surroundings. In fact, the whole ambience is
one of, "Yes, I deserve all of this".
Who to play with: The smell of the sea, an ocean of blue from
every tee, a stiff breeze in your face, the possibility of conquering
a New World … that would have to mean Christopher Columbus. After
all, if the man discovered America, then he'll surely have no trouble
finding the fairway.
Contact: Tel: +27 39 975 1730. Website: www.selborne.com. Your
nearest major city and international airport is Durban.
Layout: The third jewel in KwaZulu-Natal's golfing crown, lying
just 80 kilometres north of Durban,
near Stanger. This was once a sugar cane farm, with the course taking
you on a roller-coaster walk over hills and through valleys. It's
an open layout with an almost links feel to it, with the holes running
from the highest hill right down to the beach. The lodge boasts
15 luxury suites, and a private beach and a lagoon ensure that you
have your own personal piece of paradise.
Who to play with: Prince's
Grant is located close to the tribal area of Zululand, several
game reserves and the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, a World Heritage
Site. For this reason, we recommend teeing off with that legendary
king of the Zulus, King Shaka. Be warned, though. King Shaka was
famous for impaling subjects who failed to show the proper respect.
So every three-footer is a "gimme" for this guy, okay?
Contact: Tel: +27 32 482 0005. Website: www.princesgrantlodge.co.za.
Your nearest major city and international airport is Durban.
Layout: The first Jack Nicklaus designed course in Africa. Need
we say more? Only 50 minutes from Johannesburg, this estate overlooks
the waters of the Hartebeespoort Dam, a favourite watersports playground
for South Africans. The course is flat, but well bunkered, and offers
a variety of options to test both the good and bad golfer. The course
was ranked by Golf Digest as the fifth best in the country.
Who to play with: Who could resist a round with the Golden Bear
himself?
Contact: Tel: +27 12 244 0068. Website: www.pecanwood.co.za.Your
nearest major city and international airport is Johannesburg.
Layout: There's a very simple question they ask you at Sparrebosch.
"Did you bring two rolls of film?" The site for this estate is the
spectacular East Head of Knysna, also on the Garden Route. The site
has been compared to those of Pebble Beach and Cypress Point, with
the estate dubbed the "Postcard to African Golf". The views are
priceless, as are the signs on each tee. The one at the 18th sums
up your experience with the words, "Big fairway, big uphill, big
smile!"
Who to play with: Sylvester Stallone. Nobody knows how to handle
a "Cliffhanger" such as this course better than Sly.
Contact: Tel: +27 44 384 1222. Website: www.sparrebosch.co.za.Your
nearest major city and international airport is Cape Town.
Layout: The estate boasts a links-style course near the waters
of the Atlantic Ocean just outside Cape Town. Table Mountain looks
down upon the course, which can be brutal when the strong south-easter
blows during the summer months. A luxurious clubhouse awaits you
after your round, the highlight of which will most surely be playing
the par-four 11th, a tricky hole with breathtaking views of the
ocean and Table Mountain.
Who to play with: Seeing as this is the Cape of Good Hope, we
thought it apt that you should tee it up with the man who first
bumped into this bit of beach. Dutch explorer Jan van Riebeeck landed
at the Cape in 1652. But for some reason he preferred to set up
a trading post rather than start designing golf courses. As a man
more interested in following the spice route to India, we feel he
may appreciate Atlantic
Beach's own sprinklings of charm.
Contact: Tel: +27 21 553 2223. Website: www.atlanticbeachgolfclub.co.za.
Your nearest major city and international airport is Cape Town.
Layout: Also a pitching wedge away from Cape Town, and the proud
home of a six-star luxury hotel with 145 suites and rooms, a Wellness
Centre, a Cigar Bar and a world-class restaurant. All of which can
be reached via a limousine transfer from Cape Town International
airport. Oh, and did we mention the spectacular 18-hole championship
golf course?
Who to play with: The whole atmosphere at Arabella
is one of hurry up and slow down. It's all about recharging the
batteries and calming the mind. So we thought we'd hook you up with
that legendary mind guru Deepak Chopra. So, kick that karma into
shape and head off to the first tee, O wise one.
Contact: Tel: +27 28 284 9383. Website: www.arabella.co.za.Your
nearest major city and international airport is Cape Town.
Layout: The resort lazes languidly on the banks of the Sabi
River in South Africa's rustic Mpumalanga province. The 18-hole
golf course is surrounded by 104 luxury chalets and a 60-room four-star
hotel. The most attractive feature of the course is the presence
of hippos and crocodiles in the large dam alongside the 16th and
17th holes. Such world famous attractions as The Kruger National
Park, God's Window, the Blyde River Canyon and the prospector's
town of Pilgrim's Rest are all nearby.
Who to play with: It's here, only four hours' drive from bustling
Johannesburg, where the writer Sir Percy Fitzpatrick drew the inspiration
for his tales of adventure with his faithful dog Jock in his book
"Jock of the Bushveld". So Percy is your man for these 18 holes.
He knows this part of the world like the back of his hand. "It is
easy enough to lose oneself in the Bushveld," Fitzpatrick admits
in his book. So you certainly want someone who knows the way to
the 19th hole.
Contact: Tel: +27 13 737 7311. Website: www.southernsun.com.Your
nearest major city and international airport is Johannesburg.
Hole 10: White River Country Estate
Layout: This estate specialises in contrasts, starting with an
18-hole course in complete contrast to the surrounding bush. Here
you are presented with a parkland course in a beautiful residential
estate dotted with lakes and gently flowing rivers. White River
is a short drive from the main centre of Nelspruit, also in the
Mpumalanga province.
Who to play with: Here you want to be teeing off with a Yeats,
Keats or Wordsworth, all of whom were great naturalists with an
eye for beauty. Keats would open your eyes to the fact that, "A
thing of beauty is a joy forever". Yeats would convince you that
"heavens' embroidered cloths" were indeed "spread under your feet"
as you trundled along together. And a pre-dawn tee-off time with
Wordsworth would rekindle in you the line, "Bliss was it in that
dawn to be alive". A poetic round of golf, to say the least.
Contact: Tel: +27 13 751 3781.Your nearest major city and international
airport is Johannesburg.
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