Leopard Creek SA's No. 1 course
Brad Morgan
19 December 2007
Leopard Creek has been named South Africa's top golf course for the fourth year in succession, with Gary Player-designed layouts filling the top three places in the 2007 BMW Golf Digest Awards.
Leopard Creek
Leopard Creek, funded by SA billionaire Johann Rupert, hosted the Alfred Dunhill Championships, co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the PGA European Tour, earlier this month and produced a sensational finish.
Ernie Els, up two shots with only the 18th to play, seemed a lock for the title but twice found the water to card a triple-bogey and allow a stunned John Bickerton to claim victory.
Utilising the natural environment, Leopard Creek features plenty of water hazards which, at times, might include crocodiles and hippos. Els might be forgiven for thinking the course itself has a bigger bite.
Gary Player Country Club
Securing second place on the list was the
Gary Player Country Club, the long-time home of the prestigious Nedbank Golf Challenge.
According to Golf Digest, there was little to choose between the top two courses, both of which "sometimes embarrass the best golfers in the world, as we've seen in recent weeks in the Nedbank Challenge and Dunhill Championship."
Two South African major winners illustrated the unforgiving nature of the courses, with Els' shocking meltdown on Leopard Creek's final hole and Retief Goosen's final score of 10-over-par 298 at Sun City evidence of their demanding challenges.
The Links at Fancourt
Third position went to The Links at the Fancourt Hotel, Country Club and Golf Estate, which famously hosted a superb tied Presidents Cup clash between the USA and the International Team in 2003, as well as the Women's World Cup of Golf in 2005.
Owned by Hasso Plattner, the billionaire co-founder of software giant SAP AG, the estate features four impressive courses, but it is The Links that takes pride of place.
Over 700 000 cubic metres of earth were moved to create the course on what had been a flat piece of land. It's a tough challenge and Golf Digest voted it the toughest layout in South Africa earlier in 2007.
Arabella
Designed by top South African designer Pete Matkovich, the Arabella Country Club was named in fourth place.
In addition, the resort received recognition at the annual conference of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators when it was named Golf Resort of the Year in the Rest of the World category.
It is a parkland course and borders a lagoon that runs parallel to the 9th, 17th, and 18th holes, which delivers both an excellent golf challenge and beautiful scenery.
Pearl Valley
The host of the recent South African Airways Open, the Pearl Valley Golf Estate, captured fifth place. It will continue as host of the
second oldest Open in the world for the next two years.
A Jack Nicklaus signature course, named "Best New Golf Course of the Year" by Golf Digest in 2005, Pearl Valley features an exclusive 500-home residential estate, and is home to two-time South African Open champion Trevor Immelman.
Located in the Cape Winelands on 212 hectares, Pearl Valley offers a picturesque, postcard-like setting.
Durban Country Club
Ranked sixth on the list, Durban Country Club was for many years regarded as the best course in South Africa. That position has slipped a little in recent times, but a move back up the charts could be on the cards.
The club is undergoing a R57-million refurbishment programme, which includes modernising the clubhouse, while maintaining the traditional architecture and ambience.
The third hole highlights the course. It is regarded by Golf Online as one of the best 18 holes in the world; some call it the best third hole, while others rank it as the best par-five anywhere.
Wild Coast Country Club
At number seven is the Wild Coast Country Club, a beautiful but punishing course designed by the world-renowned Robert Trent Jones.
It isn't a long course, but a clever use of elevation and the challenge of coastal winds make it a real tester.
Golf Online includes the Wild Coast Country Club's 146-metre third hole among its top 500 holes in golf.
Glendower
Glendower, a three-time host of the South African Open, most recently in 1997, fills eighth spot on the rankings.
The parkland layout was built in 1937 and it includes numerous obstacles, including water on 11 of the holes.
Its 10th hole rates among Golf Online's top 500; the par-four plays from just under to just over 400 metres long and features water to the left of the fairway and gaping bunkers to the right.
Royal Johannesburg
and Kensington
Royal Johannesburg and Kensington hosted the inaugural Joburg Open, co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and PGA European Tour, in January 2007.
It features two courses, the East Course, built in 1935, and the West Course, the older of the two, having been built almost a century ago in 1909.
Designed by Robert Grimsdell, who also designed the Durban Country Club, the East Course underwent a revamp in 1998 by Mark Muller and was further improved in 2002 as part of the Stream Rehabilitation Project. It has hosted seven South African Open Championships.
The Montagu
Fancourt's second entry on the list completes the top 10; the Montagu is a parkland course which opened in 1991.
It was closed for much of 2004 for upgrading and remodeling, and re-opened in 2005 with completely new first and ninth holes.
Located in the southern cape, the Montagu is one of the most outstanding courses in a golf course-rich region that is rapidly expanding thanks to an explosion of estates.
Best new course
The award for the best new course in South Africa came down to a choice between Pinnacle Point on the Garden Route and St Francis Links at Saint Francis Bay.
Both layouts were designed by top designers: Pete Matkovich for Pinnacle Point and Jack Nicklaus for St Francis Links.
Golf Digest said it was a very tough decision to make, but ultimately it gave the edge to St Francis Links. It pinpointed shots values and design variety as the strength of the course, while Pinnacle Point, which runs along the coastline, rated highly for aesthetics and memorability.
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