Kruger National Park is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations for South Africans and scores of international visitors each year. It also provides a terrific golf tour opportunity where you get to experience beautiful natural settings while playing your favourite sport.

No golf trip to this region would be complete without making a stop at Skukuza Golf Club, the only course located inside Kruger National Park.

THE WILDEST GOLF COURSE IN THE WORLD

Skukuza Golf Club has become a bit of an internet sensation in recent years. We have seen lions take to the tee boxes, hyena fight for impala kills on the greens and some of the biggest, loudest hippos in the park living around the 9th green.

It’s not just a wild golfing outpost, though. In 2022 Skukuza celebrated its 50th anniversary, and to mark the occasion they unveiled extensive upgrades to the course and facilities by Indalo Hotels & Leisure. The upgrades to the restaurant and bar area have also made this a popular spot in the park for non-golfers to visit to enjoy a meal.

This delightful nine-hole course is played in two loops to make 18, with a few additional tee variations. Just make sure you have enough balls in the bag after signing your indemnity form. Anything too wide of the fairways here is best left alone…

WHERE TO BASE YOURSELF

There are numerous accommodation options ranging from self-catering to B&Bs and glamping on the outskirts of the park. First prize for a west Kruger trip would be in and around Hazyview, which is just over 12km from Kruger’s Phabeni Gate, or 42km from Paul Kruger Gate. If you choose to stay on the outskirts of Kruger, you’ll also have access to all the shops you may need.

IDEAL WAY TO TACKLE A DAY

Although there is no proven way of guaranteeing animal sightings in the park, a recommended way to conduct a day is to get into the park for a game drive first thing in the morning.

Depending on the time of year, gates open as early as 4:30am in the peak summer months. Enjoying these precious hours looking for animals before breakfast allows you to then take it easy around the pool during midday. Then you can get into some afternoon golf, which provides the perfect run into enjoying a braai at your accommodation, or a meal at one of the restaurants in and around Hazyview.

GAME DRIVE OPTIONS

The popular self-drive option is pretty self-explanatory. You arrive at either Phabeni or Paul Kruger Gates, pay your admission fee per person and then drive the roads of your choice with your binoculars and cameras ready.

If you would prefer someone else to do the driving and, more importantly, the guiding, there is a good selection of tour operators who will take you door to door in a game vehicle. These are great for groups of up to eight and are run by experienced guides who can teach you a lot about the bush too.

Sanparks also offers guided drives from the gates, with the addition of bush walks and night drives.

GETTING THERE

To travel the western side of Kruger for golf, driving from a major centre such as Johannesburg to Hazyview takes a leisurely five hours.

For those coming from further afield, there is the option of flying into Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport on the outskirts of Mbombela. After renting a car you can reach Hazyview in about an hour.

There are also direct domestic flights into Skukuza Airport, where you can then make the short trip outside the park to Hazyview. Or you can stay in the park at one of the lodges or Sanparks’ Skukuza Rest Camp and focus on playing at Skukuza Golf Club only.

SKUKUZA GOLF CLUB/BEN KARPINSKI/ERNEST BLIGNAULT/GOLFRSA/PHILIPPA BYRON