FAIRWAYS & BEYOND
NATURE'S
defence
Despite a 3000km coastline, links courses aren't part of South Africa's golfing landscape, but we all love it when we play on one
By Ben Karpinski
fairways & beyond
download this article to read later
download now
With the 154th Open Championship recently playing out at Royal Birkdale and Ryan Fox securing a famous victory, the annual focus on links golf once again has us talking about these majestic courses. With that also comes the desire to play more of them.
Trips to these mythical golfing destinations in Great Britain are however a big ask on the South African Rand, so this month we are having a look at the links landscape from a local perspective.
What makes links golf so unique, what we have to offer in this regard, and also why we don't have more of golf 'purist courses'.
Why Links Golf Is Special
visit website
To talk about links golf courses you first need to appreciate why playing them is so special.
Those golfing pilgrimages to Scotland, England and Ireland are expensive, but speak to anyone who has set foot on those storied layouts, and they will always light up with enthusiasm in the retelling of their experiences.
It's just how golf was meant to be played. The very best links courses look like they have always been there, in perfect harmony with their surroundings. It is as if nature itself had laid them out, with just the mowers and a committed greenkeepers touching them up here and there.
We all love a beautiful parkland course, and are in awe of Augusta National each year when the Masters rolls round. But at the end of the day, a golfer who truly loves the game will have a special place in their heart for a links course.
The coastal locations, the exposure to nature, the slopes, the unpredictability, the understated grandeur… it really has something for everyone while naturally slowing you down to the true rhythms and tempo of the game.
Why does South Africa not have more links courses?
visit website
A links golf course is simply defined as a coastal golf course, essentially without trees, linking traditional farm lands to the coast. These strips of sandy land providing the perfect places to hit and roll a golf ball.
With nearly 3 000km of coastline in South Africa, you would think that links courses would be in great numbers. It's sadly not the case though as our climate, geology and ultimately economics don't align.
True links courses are built in and around dunes areas with very little top soil and sparse vegetation. Cool temperatures are also needed for the kind of turf required for hard and fast playing surfaces.
In South Africa our main populated coastlines are tropical (KwaZulu-Natal) and rocky (Eastern/Western Cape). More lush grass and softer conditions are par for the courses here thanks to their landscapes. Links style in look is often the best we can do.
Then, the more sandy and cool western coastline is sparsely populated, which make investment in infrastructure and course builds hard to sell to investors.
South Africa's Best Links
visit website
Gallery below
Humewood
South Africa's truest links course, is crafted from the dunes overlooking Algoa Bay. It is an absolute must play, with the pure course experience rounded off brilliantly with an equally traditional and ornate clubhouse.
St Francis Links
Not only one of the very best courses in South Africa, but a delightful modern links creating an unforgettable playing experience. It's been a great test for our local pros on the Sunshine Tour in recent years, while being a popular destination for holiday golfers.
Milnerton Golf Club
Situated between a lagoon and the sea, it's a delightful strip of links land with breathtaking views of Table Mountain. Incredibly exposed to the coastal winds, it's always worth a game if you're in the area.
Atlantic Beach
Just up the coast from Milnerton, Atlantic Beach is another one of South Africa's courses that can fit into the links-style category. With the wind a constant factor, it takes some playing, and gets you up close and personal with coastal golf and its natural surrounds.
Durban Country Club
Perhaps not truly considered in the links category of SA courses, Durban Country Club was crafted from the sand dunes in a naturally undulating and charming strip of land linking the beach to the mainland. Though flat and Parkland like in places, the original dunes offer incredible character to the opening and closing holes in particular. Along with ocean views and a majestic clubhouse, it deserves a special mention.
East London Golf Club
Another traditional coastal treasure, East London Golf Club is set up a little from the coast on rockier terrain, but is certainly in the SA links conversation. In benign conditions, golfers can take advantage of a relatively defenceless course, but once that wind picks up, you will need your wits about you on a layout that meanders through the natural terrain superbly.
The Links at Fancourt
Not directly on the coast, but an absolute thing of links-styled beauty as it rolls out in front of you from an understated yet impressive clubhouse. It's a beast of a course with incredible attention to detail in all areas. With George's unpredictable weather playing a part, a round here can often feel like the real thing 'links wise', especially in the drier months. Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about this course is that it generally prioritises aesthetics over traditional playability.
Ebotse Links
Perhaps about as far away from the coast as a 'links' course could be, Ebotse Links in Benoni is a severely underrated golfing experience. In the dry Gauteng winters, it perhaps offers the most genuine of hard and fast links conditions in the country. Add the rarified high altitude air to that, and you can really have some fun if you know how to control your ball.
What's your favourite local links styled course?
The above mentioned courses are certainly by no means an exhaustive list of links experiences in South Africa. Let us know what you think are must plays in this category, and which ones you love going back to by engaging with us on our platforms below. Or email us on contact@thegolfmag.co.za and we'll publish a selection of the feedback.
@thegolfmagza
@thegolfmagsa
@TheGolfMag
@thegolfmag
EJ LANGNER | CARL FOURIE | TYRONE WINFIELD | TROY WINFIELD | SUNSHINE TOUR
