DESTINATIONS
Western Cape courses command high green fees R ISING COSTS IN THE GOLF industry have resulted in a sharp increase in green fees this summer for golfers visit- ing the Western Cape and wishing to play high-end courses in the Garden Route, Cape Peninsula, and the Winelands.
Gardens, and others are likely to find clubs refusing to accept their affiliated credentials. They will not recognise those cards. Pearl Valley’s affiliated rate during the peak season months (ending March 31) has increased to R2 820, which does include a cart. De Zalze in Stellenbosch has become an extremely popular club with tourists since the renovation of their clubhouse, paired with superb
The visitor green fees have virtually doubled in price the past two to three years, and a fourball with carts plus half- way house could sting a family R10 000 at several of these courses. The Links at Fancourt, South Africa’s No 1, has always had the most expen- sive visitor green fee in the region, more than R6 000 for hotel guests, but not far behind now is No 4-ranked Pearl Valley, at R4 625 for a non-affiliated visi- tor, while Steenberg’s fees are fluctuating between R3 000 and R4 000. Steenberg in Cape Town has an inter- esting green fee model, where prices vary from day to day and hour to hour. If you book online in advance, in December and January an early morning tee time can be had for anything between R3 170 and R3 640, while it can escalate as high as R4 230 for a prime time. And that’s if you’re walking. A golf cart will set you back R750. GolfRSA affiliated members at least can rely on visitor discounts at most courses, and it’s a reason why a growing number of foreign tourists to the Cape – particularly those staying for a longer pe- riod during the summer – are finding it worth their while to become members of local clubs. Goose Valley in Plettenberg Bay offers an international membership subscription of R5 242. You can recoup that money quickly by playing just three rounds at Pinnacle Point. Those golfers who try their luck by acquiring cheap basic GolfRSA mem- bership at KZN clubs such as Cathedral Peak, Port Shepstone, Drakensberg
LUXURY EXPERIENCE The par-3 seventh hole at Steenberg in the Cape Peninsula. The estate course has the most expensive green fees in Cape Town.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GRANT LEVERSHA
70 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025
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