South Africa By The Golf Planet Holidays Team · Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Published 13 June 2026 At a glance Can you combine golf and safari in South Africa? Yes, and it is the trip we are asked for most. The Garden Route has championship golf at Fancourt, Oubaai, Pinnacle Point, Simola and Pezula, […]
Garden Route golf, then off the grid
Close by there is more. Oubaai near Herolds Bay is an Ernie Els design running down toward the sea, and the clubhouse terraces look out over the Indian Ocean. Further along at Mossel Bay, Pinnacle Point hangs four holes over the ocean cliffs. It is the kind of course you photograph as much as you play. Up at Knysna, Simola and Pezula sit on the clifftops above the lagoon, both Championship layouts, both worth the drive. None of these carry a fixed price because they are played on tailor-made stay and play breaks, which is how we put the region together anyway.
The part that makes it a holiday rather than a golf trip is what comes next. Gondwana Game Reserve is under five hours from Cape Town near Mossel Bay, and it is a genuine Big Five reserve with lion, white rhino, eland and Cape mountain zebra roaming free. Two nights here, off the grid, is the part the non-golfer in your party will remember. Stays from
South Africa golf holidays for couples, where one plays and both explore
In the Winelands around Stellenbosch the courses sit among the vines. De Zalze runs along the oak-lined Blaauwklippen river, Stellenbosch Golf Club walks you past vineyards with the Helderberg behind, and Pearl Valley at Paarl is a Jack Nicklaus Signature course under the Simonsberg. For somewhere to come back to, The Oude Werf is the oldest hotel in the country and sits right in the historic centre of the town, walking distance to the restaurants. The Spier Hotel, just outside town and reopened in 2025 after a full refurbishment, is the more resort-style choice with two restaurants and a heated pool.
While one of you plays, the other does not have to organise anything. Our Western Cape sightseeing excursions cover the Cape of Good Hope, a full day on the peninsula, wine tours and marine wildlife, either privately with your own guide or in a small group, from
Where our specialists would stay in South Africa
Cape Town golf holiday, the ocean and the mountain
The golf inside the city is older and characterful. Royal Cape is more than a century old, flat and classic, with constant wind and water to keep you honest. King David Mowbray sits under Table Mountain and has held the South African Open seven times. Milnerton is a links on the edge of the Atlantic where the wind is the whole story, and Steenberg, half an hour out in the Constantia Valley, is one of the prettiest tests in the country with a five-star hotel and a winery on the estate.
Where you sleep depends on the view you want to wake up to. The Bay Hotel at Camps Bay looks over the Atlantic with the Twelve Apostles behind it, three restaurants and a beach club for the sunsets, from
An honest word on timing, wind and driving
The other thing to know is that this is a driving country. The Garden Route is a road trip by design, and the distances between Cape Town, the Winelands and George are real, an hour here, four or five hours there. We build the itinerary so the legs are sensible and the transfers are handled, but if the idea of being driven for half a day puts you off, say so early and we will plan around it. The reward for the driving is that you see the country change underneath you, which is half the trip.
My honest recommendation, if you only do one big-ticket pairing, is Fancourt for the golf and Gondwana for the bush. Three or four nights on the Garden Route, two in the reserve, and a few days in Cape Town to bookend it. That trip does not feel rushed, and it gives both of you something.
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South Africa golf and safari, our specialists' picks
What our golfers say
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just returned from great golf trip to South Africa thanks Nigel highly recommend.
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 …
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. …
Frequently asked questions
How many courses can we realistically play on a South Africa golf trip?
Most couples play four to seven rounds across two weeks and leave plenty of room for safari, wine and the coast. On the Garden Route you might play Fancourt, Oubaai and Pinnacle Point, then add a couple of Cape Town or Winelands courses like Royal Cape, Steenberg or De Zalze. We pace the golf so it never tips into a chore, and we leave the game-reserve days golf-free by design.
Are flights included in your South Africa packages?
Our trips are ground-only and tailor-made, covering your hotels, golf, game reserve and transfers. Flights are an add-on we are happy to arrange, and they are ATOL protected where we include them. Plenty of clients book their own flights and let us handle everything on the ground; either way works.
Do we need to hire a car, or do you arrange transfers?
We arrange private transfers between hotels, courses and the airport, so you do not need to drive unless you want to. South Africa is a driving country and the Garden Route distances are real, so we build the itinerary with sensible legs. Tell us early if you would rather not spend long stretches in a vehicle and we will plan around it.
Can you organise the safari as part of the golf holiday?
Yes. Gondwana Game Reserve near Mossel Bay is a Big Five reserve under five hours from Cape Town, and it slots neatly into a Garden Route itinerary. We book the lodge, the game drives and the transfers as part of the same trip, so the morning game drive and the previous day’s round are all on one booking.
Is South Africa suitable for a couple plus a few golfing friends?
It works very well for a small group. The Winelands and the Cape have enough variety that golfers and non-golfers can split off and regroup, and lodges like Spier, the Oude Werf and the Camps Bay and Waterfront hotels handle a group comfortably. We tailor the tee times and the rooms to your party rather than a fixed package.
What does a South Africa golf and safari trip cost?
It depends on the hotels, the courses and how long you stay, so we price every trip to the itinerary rather than a headline figure. As a guide, hotel stays in the palette run from around
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Wherever you're travelling from, you're welcome on a Golf Planet hosted tour — a small group, a host with you from the first tee to the last, and every round, transfer and dinner taken care of. You just bring the clubs.
