Type: Championship parkland
Designer: Gary Player
Length: 18 holes, 6 501m
Par: 72
Featured Hole: 13th – One of the most memorable with the green right on the edge of the river, but 32m above the level of the water, offering magnificent views up the river and into the Kruger National Park. The 18th is also a daunting hole because of the island green.
Leopard Creek has hosted the Afred Dunhill Challenge on the European Tour since 2005. The holes have a wonderful flow to them, the design challenges varying all the time. What appears initially to be a relatively flat course suddenly presents surprise changes in elevation. Golfing hazards take on a new dimension, as much of the water is home to the creatures which the river is named after, crocodiles.
Facilities include:
- Pro shop
- Change rooms with lockers
- Clubhouse
- Spa and gym
Type: Parkland
Designer: Mark Wiltshire Golf
Length: 9 holes (18-tee), 5 831 m
Par: 72
Featured Hole: 9th/18th – a scenic hole, with a mid to short iron par 3 hitting over the dam towards the clubhouse, where you have a nice view of the rest of the course.
“The wildest course in the world.” The Skukuza Golf Course is situated on the outskirts of Skukuza Rest Camp and the rich wildlife sanctuary surrounding the golf course is home to the Big Five, a huge variety of birds and countless animals. Since the course is not fenced-in, uninvited spectators are a common sight. Each morning the ground keepers tour the course to check for any over-night visitors still lingering around.
The Skukuza Golf Course has no bunkers, although ‘aerial bunkers’ abound because of the many trees found on the course.
Facilities include:
- Pro shop
- Change rooms with lockers
- Golf carts
Type: Parkland
Designer: Gary Player
Length: 18 holes, 7 105 m
Par: 72
Featured Hole: 8th – the toughest hole on the course. Golfers need an accurate tee shot, and need to avoid the water hazard running across the fairway, leaving a medium to long iron uphill approach to a sloping green.
Ranked as one of the most prestigious golf courses on the African continent, the Gary Play Country Club has hosted more than 70 pro tour events over the past 40 years, namely the Nedbank Golf Challenge. It is an iconic layout in a magnificent bushveld setting in a valley of the Pilanesberg.
It is a long course from the championship tees, and while many club golfers are tempted to play it from the tips, to experience how difficult it can be, it is best enjoyed from one of the forward tees which were an innovation in the original design. The green complexes are uniquely designed with their cloverleaf shapes, so pins can be tucked into narrow tongues of green that are hard to reach.
Facilities include:
- Clubhouse with restaurant and bar
- Chipping green
- Gym
- Halfway house
- Locker facilities, showers and a steam room
- Pro shop
- Club hire
- Putting green
- Fully-equipped health club and spa
Type: Parkland
Designer: Gary Player
Length: 18 holes, 6 683 m
Par: 72
Featured Hole: 13th – has live 2m long crocodiles in an enclosure guarding the Africa-shaped green.
The Lost City Golf Course is a highly creative and varied design, very different from the Gary Player CC due to its setting in a smaller valley between two rocky hills. It deliberately invokes an arid, almost desert look in terms of its bunkering and vegetation. This course is a regular tournament venue, most recently for the Sunshine Tour’s Investec Cup finals from 2013 to 2015, and the Gary Player Invitational charity event.
The Lost City Golf Course is a compulsory cart course for an improved pace of play due to some long walks from green to tee on the back nine.
Facilities include:
- Pro shop
- Club hire
- Practice putting green
- Practice bunker
- Driving range
- Halfway house
T: +27 11 676 3338 / 3086
Email: golf@go-vacation.co.za
