When we get started in golf, there are certain things we get fixated on. Hitting it far, hitting it straight. Getting better clubs to hit it far and hit it straight. Then we perhaps start taking the wardrobe and accessories a little more seriously. Then, after that comes the true confirmation that we are proper golfers. We start to plan trips.

And when it comes to trips, you aren’t quite a South African golfer if you haven’t headed to the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.

In the past 20 years, the North Coast has gone from a relatively quiet golfing jewel to one of the most well-known golfing holiday destinations in South Africa. The combination of great weather (especially in winter), proximity to a major airport, beach destinations and, of course, incredible golf courses is reason enough for this.

To best experience the region from a golfing perspective, there are five main courses to set your sights on.

In the mid-1990s, almost as a catalyst to the growth of golfing on the North Coast, Tom Weiskopf was tasked with designing Zimbali on a unique and testing property.

In thick tropical vegetation with major elevation changes, Weiskopf and the development team had their work cut out for them. The result today is nothing short of spectacular.

This championship course is a hybrid between a links course and a coastal forest layout. The front nine is the more open of the two with sea views and flatter terrain, with the back nine characterised more by indigenous tropical forest with some truly wild areas that aren’t seen anywhere else in the country.

Gallery below

The latest golf course development in the country, Zimbali has added its Lakes course into the mix. Opened in April this year, South African golfing great Ernie Els teamed up with Golf Data to create this memorable test, which incorporates sea and lake views.

Set further back from the coast than the original Zimbali layout, the property has allowed Els and the team to design something with great variety for all levels of golfers. Another standout feature is how the whole experience is set up so that golfers truly make a day of it.

This comes at a steeper cost than a usual round in the region, but it certainly packs enough in the wow department to make it worthwhile.

Gallery below

Further up the coast, and certainly a little more understated and quieter, you have Prince’s Grant Golf Estate. Designed by famed course designer Peter Matkovich, it is the definition of seaside serenity, with some truly remarkable sweeping sea views. The greatest example of this is on the 15th hole, a breathtaking par five that plays from an elevated tee down to the sea, which runs along your left.

Although it is a sought-after golfing housing estate, the course was the priority, which sets it apart from some other estates where the housing dominates and often encroaches on the playing experience.

Gallery below

Opened as the first of its kind, another one of Peter Matkovich’s designs consists of 13 par threes, four par fours and a single par five, making a par of 60. This translates to faster rounds in the three-hour region, which could be the perfect option on days when you want to include activities other than golf.

With terrific practice facilities and an exceptional clubhouse experience, though, there is merit in enjoying a full day at Simbithi.

Gallery below

For a more traditional country club experience in the region, there is Umhlali. With a conventional mix of members and visitors throughout the week enjoying this established parkland layout, it is certainly the most laid-back of settings.

As you would expect from such a place, the clubhouse allows you to enjoy a casual post-round experience with the locals too, with the distant sound of the railway adding to the charm.

Gallery below

MARK SAMPSON/ZIMBALI/CARL FOURIE/TYRONE WINFIELD/SUNSHINE TOUR/SUPPLIED