Golf Guides · 23 March 2026

The Best Golf Courses in South Africa

South Africa By The Golf Planet Holidays Team · Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Published 23 March 2026 At a glance What are the best golf courses in South Africa for a tailor-made trip? The standouts we build trips around are Fancourt in George — home to a celebrated championship trio on the Garden Route […]

South Africa

There are golf destinations, and then there is South Africa — a country where a round can begin under the shoulder of a mountain, run beside a vineyard, and finish within sight of two oceans meeting. Few places reward the travelling golfer so completely: the golf is genuinely world-class, yet it never asks you to choose between the game and the journey around it.

This is a definitive guide to the courses worth crossing the world for, and the kind of test each one offers. From the championship golf of the Garden Route to the mountain-framed fairways of the Cape Winelands, these are the venues our specialists build into a tailor-made trip — places where what happens off the course matters as much as what happens on it.

Fancourt, George — the championship heart of the Garden Route

If South Africa has a spiritual home for serious golf, it is Fancourt. Set in the gentle, forested landscape of George on the Garden Route, this is a resort built entirely around the game — a destination where you can wake, play, and barely leave the estate before nightfall, all to a standard that draws golfers from every corner of the world.

The appeal is depth. Fancourt offers a celebrated trio of championship courses across a single estate, which means a multi-day stay never repeats itself: the test changes, the strategy changes, and the rhythm of your trip stays fresh from first tee to last. It rewards the golfer who wants to measure their game against the best South Africa has to offer, while still walking back to fine dining and genuine comfort each evening. For most of our Garden Route itineraries, Fancourt is the anchor everything else is arranged around.

Erinvale, Somerset West — golf in the Cape Winelands

Closer to Cape Town, in the vineyards and mountains of Somerset West, Erinvale offers one of the most beautiful settings in South African golf. The fairways sit beneath the dramatic ridge of the Helderberg, with the back nine climbing toward the slopes and the front running across gentler ground — a course of two distinct moods, framed throughout by mountain and vine.

It is a test that asks for thought rather than brute force, and it rewards the golfer who reads the land. What makes Erinvale special for a tailor-made trip is its position: you can play championship golf in the morning and be among the Cape Winelands’ finest estates by afternoon. We pair it naturally with the Erinvale Estate Hotel & Spa for golfers who want their course on the doorstep, or with Willowbrook Country House nearby for a more intimate winelands base.

Where our specialists would stay in South Africa

The Cape — golf between mountain, vineyard and sea

The Western Cape is where golf, wine and coast converge, and it is the region our specialists return to most. Stellenbosch puts you in the heart of the winelands, with the historic Spier Hotel and the gracious Oude Werf among the most characterful places to stay in the Cape. Cape Town itself — with The Vineyard Hotel as a refined city base, or The Bay Hotel on the Atlantic seaboard at Camps Bay — lets you fold rounds of golf into a stay rich with Table Mountain, the seaboard and the restaurants of the Mother City.

Out along the coast, the rhythm slows. The Farmhouse Hotel at Langebaan and Harbour House Hotel in Hermanus open up the Cape’s wilder edges — lagoon, whale coast and big Atlantic skies — for golfers who want their trip to breathe. The pleasure of the Cape is that no two days need look alike: a championship round, an afternoon among the vines, a coastal drive, all stitched into one seamless journey.

Beyond the fairway — wildlife, coast and the art of the itinerary

South Africa offers something few golf destinations can: the chance to combine the game with genuine wilderness. Gondwana Game Reserve, on the Garden Route, lets you pair a morning round with an afternoon among free-roaming wildlife — the kind of contrast that turns a golf trip into the journey of a lifetime. Further along the coast, Cape St. Francis Resort brings the trip to rest on a stretch of shoreline famous for its light, its surf and its quiet.

This is where a specialist earns their place. The art of a South African golf trip lies in the sequencing — which courses, in which order, with the right rest and the right reward between them. Our Hosted Tours for 2026 bring like-minded golfers together on a curated journey through the country’s finest venues, while a fully private, tailor-made trip is shaped entirely around you. Either way, the country’s depth means the itinerary is yours to compose.

Our specialists’ favourite stays in South Africa

The Benjamin Hotel, Durban — South Africa golfThe Benjamin Hotel, DurbanRoyal Durban Golf Club · Beachwood Country Club, Durbanfrom£125 (≈ €135) (≈ $165) (≈ CA$225) (≈ AU$235) (≈ NZ$285) (≈ CHF 125)per personDiscover this hotel →Cape St. Francis Resort — South Africa golfCape St. Francis ResortSt. Francis Bay Golf Club · St Francis Links, St Francis Bayfrom£175 (≈ €195) (≈ $225) (≈ CA$325) (≈ AU$325) (≈ NZ$405) (≈ CHF 185)per personDiscover this hotel →Harbour House Hotel, Hermanus — South Africa golfHarbour House Hotel, HermanusHermanus Golf Club · Erinvale Golf Club, Somerset Westfrom£290 (≈ €335) (≈ $375) (≈ CA$535) (≈ AU$545) (≈ NZ$675) (≈ CHF 305)per personDiscover this hotel →Beverly Hills, Umhlanga — South Africa golfBeverly Hills, UmhlangaDurban Country Club · Beachwood Country Club, Durbanfrom£350 (≈ €405) (≈ $455) (≈ CA$655) (≈ AU$665) (≈ NZ$805) (≈ CHF 365)per personDiscover this hotel →African Oceans Manor, Mossel Bay — South Africa golfAfrican Oceans Manor, Mossel BayPinnacle Point Golf Club, Mossel Bay · Oubaii Golf Club, Herolds Bayfrom£415 (≈ €475) (≈ $545) (≈ CA$775) (≈ AU$785) (≈ NZ$965) (≈ CHF 435)per personDiscover this hotel →Thirty On Grace, Luxurious Guesthouse, Cape Town — South Africa golfThirty On Grace, Luxurious Guesthouse, Cape TownRoyal Cape Golf Club · King David Mowbray Golf Club, Cape Townfrom£425 (≈ €485) (≈ $555) (≈ CA$795) (≈ AU$805) (≈ NZ$985) (≈ CHF 445)per personDiscover this hotel →The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay Cape Town — South Africa golfThe Bay Hotel, Camps Bay Cape TownMetropolitan Golf Club · King David Mowbray Golf Club, Cape Townfrom£530 (≈ €605) (≈ $695) (≈ CA$985) (≈ AU$1,005) (≈ NZ$1,225) (≈ CHF 565)per personDiscover this hotel →Fancourt — South Africa golfFancourtOubaii Golf Club, Herolds Bay · Pinnacle Point Golf Club, Mossel Bayfrom£825 (≈ €955) (≈ $1,085) (≈ CA$1,545) (≈ AU$1,565) (≈ NZ$1,915) (≈ CHF 875)per personDiscover this resort →Gondwana Game Reserve — South Africa golfGondwana Game ReservePinnacle Point Golf Club, Mossel Bay · Oubaii Golf Club, Herolds Bayfrom£875 (≈ €1,005) (≈ $1,155) (≈ CA$1,635) (≈ AU$1,665) (≈ NZ$2,035) (≈ CHF 935)per personDiscover this hotel →

What our golfers say

4.997 reviews

just returned from great golf trip to South Africa thanks Nigel highly recommend.

peter harper · South Africa · 9 years ago

We have just returned from a fantastic 31/2 week holiday in South Africa organised by Golf Plant Holidays. Nigel was amazing sorting the itinerary for our group of 8 to include all the …

Melanie Lesser · South Africa · 3 years ago

My husband Philip and I had a wonderful golf trip to South Africa in March with Golf Planet holidays. It was our first time to South Africa and it didn't disappoint us. …

Caitlin Shaw · South Africa · 6 years ago

Frequently asked questions

How many days do I need to play the best courses in South Africa?

To do justice to both the Western Cape and the Garden Route, we usually suggest ten to fourteen days — enough to anchor a stay around Fancourt, play in the Cape Winelands at venues such as Erinvale, and still leave room for the coast, the vineyards and a little wildlife. Shorter trips work beautifully when focused on a single region, and your specialist will pace it so the golf never feels rushed.

Is my money protected when I book a South African golf trip?

Yes. Golf Planet Holidays has been arranging tailor-made golf travel since 1981, and your trip is fully financially protected: we are ATOL Protected for the flight elements, and your money is held securely in trust with the PTS until you travel. It means you can plan an ambitious journey across the Cape and Garden Route with complete peace of mind.

Can I combine golf with a safari or the winelands?

Absolutely — it is one of the great joys of South Africa. Gondwana Game Reserve on the Garden Route lets you fold wildlife into a golf itinerary, while bases in Stellenbosch and Somerset West put the Cape Winelands’ finest estates within easy reach of the fairways. Your specialist will balance golf, wine and wilderness to the rhythm you want.

How much does a tailor-made South African golf trip cost?

Our South African journeys start from £125 (≈ €135) (≈ $165) (≈ CA$225) (≈ AU$235) (≈ NZ$285) (≈ CHF 125) per person, as the accessible beginning of a fully bespoke trip. The final figure depends entirely on the courses you choose, the hotels you favour and the length of your stay — every itinerary is priced privately, built around exactly the trip you have in mind rather than a fixed package.

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