FAIRWAYS & BEYOND
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As we continue our journey around South Africa's golfing landscape, this month BEN KARPINSKI asks whether it's time to consider 'goat track' golf tours in South Africa
fairways & beyond
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Golf is a game with some terrific phrases and descriptors. One of which is the term 'goat track'. According to Google, 'goat track' is golfing slang for: An affectionate or insulting term for a run-down, unkempt golf course with patchy fairways, bumpy greens and minimal upkeep.
Though mostly true in a golf conditioning sense, it's what else these courses offer that make them potential tour options going forward.
If you are ever lucky enough to be within earshot of the great Gary Player around a bunker, there is a good chance that he will comment on the condition of the hazards nowadays compared to when he used to play. He is known for poking a bit of fun around how perfect the pros have it nowadays – like back in his prime there were no rakes: 'You just had to smooth the sand over with your feet when you finished playing.'
We really do have it good with just how far golf course conditioning has come over the years. With that, we have a multitude of incredible golf courses to play which we touched on recently when writing about how to experience more of SA's Top 100 courses.
In South Africa though, there are well over 300 registered golf courses. Mostly off the radar, some of these courses fall into the 'goat track' classification, offering very little in terms of prestige or social media clout when playing them. But the more I travel and get to play them, the more they remind me about why I love the game of golf so much.
Grounds then to start considering them for future golf tours with your mates. Before getting into that though, let's just acknowledge where the golf group are currently going in SA.
THE GO-TO TOUR OPTIONS
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When golfers want to tour, the options are obvious. In no particular order, these are where plans are made and tours are done:
Highland Gate
Incredible stay-and-play option just outside of Dullstroom. Breathtaking course, and well suited for tour groups to arrive and have everything at their disposal (pictured).
Fancourt
Same as Highland Gate but with multiple courses and close proximity to George airport. Really is the gold standard of tour locations.
Sun City
Really a one of a kind resort with two contrasting course experiences, set around hotels and endless activities.
Greater Garden Route
From the base of George, you really are spoilt for choice with Airbnb and short-drive option across the golfing area.
'GOAT TRACK' ALTERNATIVES
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Kimberley
Single course offering which is certainly good enough to play twice, and attached to a town that has more to offer than you would think for a weekend stay (pictured).
South Coast KZN
Multiple golf courses (and not all goat tracks) from Umkomaas down all the way to the Wild Coast. This is great for perhaps a hybrid approach in that you can get the most of the lesser-known courses while also enjoying a more sought after playing option.
The Kruger Park trip
Sabie River Sun (main Image), Kruger Park Lodge, Skukuza Golf Club, Ba-Phalaborwa. In a manageable geographical spread you have some great golfing options while being surrounded by wildlife activities to enjoy.
CathedralPeak
A truly unique and breathtaking hotel-based trip, with a 9-hole course (best played in winter) that delivers such unbelievable views that the goat track aspects of conditioning are mostly forgotten).
BENEFITS OF A 'GOAT TRACK' TOUR
With the golf course not being the best you have ever played before, your expectations going into the trip are naturally a little lower. This then allows you to focus on other aspects of your destination, and what you can enjoy in and around the 'goat track'.
For example, on the proposed top 4 'goat track' tours, Kimberley is a great place as the old mining town has some incredible history. With that, there are still some wonderful places to stay, eat at and have drinks. Probably best to try and tie in a big rugby game, whether that is a live Currie Cup home game for Griquas, or something big to watch somewhere with the locals on a Saturday afternoon.
Teeing it up on some of the more 'goat track' courses on the KZN South Coast, allows for some great beach time, and laid-back hospitality which you may not get at a high end, traditional golf establishment.
'Goat track' golf in and around the Kruger National Park obviously opens you up to enjoying game drives and long afternoon braais. When it comes to making perhaps the greatest 'golf track' pilgrimage of them all, Cathedral Peak (pictured) takes you to perhaps one of South Africa's greatest destinations for natural beauty among the mountains. Set in a world heritage site, the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg makes Table Mountain look like a chiselled mine dump by comparison, and with that comes tremendous hiking opportunities, trips to waterfalls, and even helicopter flips to really take it all in.
Naturally these tours are also more family friendly with the additional leisure activities. Of course this is also the perfect opportunity to get a partner or your kids into the game in a more relaxed golfing environment.
The people
It's kind of a cliché that 'off the beaten track' golf comes with meeting a more down-to-earth golfer. Some of the best chats you can have in golf are those at a 'goat track' clubhouse after your round, where the regulars will easily spot you are not a local.
With that, they are always eager to hear about how you enjoyed the course and where you are from. From there, you often get to know the best places to eat or visit.
These clubs are often the pride of the region too, and come with some great stories – especially when the main characters are sharing them!
The price
Golf is naturally an expensive game, and if your barrier to touring is financial, these tours usually make playing more affordable. This does not necessarily apply to Cathedral Peak, which set in a remote location and orientates around a premium hotel, but with the others you can definitely get good deals on all aspects of touring.
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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 'goat tracks'?
The above mentioned courses are certainly by no means an exhaustive list of 'goat track' 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.
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BEN KARPINSKI | CARL FOURIE | SUNSHINE TOUR
