THE SECOND 10 between 73 and 75 hosting the PGA Championship the last four years, which says all you need to know about the uncompromising nature of the ter- rain and design in terms of scoring. However, we are seeing that in calmer conditions this Jack Nicklaus Signature design is not nearly as unforgiving for those golfers with the right armoury to take it on. The tournament course record has now been lowered to 62.
11 FANCOURT MONTAGU 79.6 POINTS George, Southern Cape 6714 metres Gary Player Design / David McLay Kidd Down 4 places from No 7 12 SISHEN 79.4 POINTS Kathu, Northern Cape 6657 metres Bob Grimsdell Down 3 places from No 9 13 ELEMENTS 79.1 POINTS Near Bela Bela, Limpopo 6792 metres Peter Matkovich No change from 2024
(Interestingly, four of SA’s six Nick- laus courses hosted Sunshine Tour events this past summer, and there were rounds of 62 at three of them – St Francis Links, Pecanwood and Hough- ton. The lowest at Serengeti was a 64.) St Francis Links, since first entering the Golf Digest rankings in 2010 at No 9, has risen inexorably upwards, step-by- step to No 3 last year. For the first time, however, it has stumbled, retreating to No 5. Its success and popularity as a residential estate in a desirable sea- side resort location, particularly after the Covid lockdown, has paradoxically had a deleterious effect on the course’s Aesthetics, which stood firmly at 13 points out of 15 from 2021 to 2023. Clusters of new homes in the worst of positions have changed the natural links-like beauty of the landscape, im- posing themselves on the views. New builds are not only in your face close to
14 ZIMBALI 78.9 POINTS Ballito, KZN North Coast 6467 metres Tom Weiskopf Up 2 places from No 16 15 GARY PLAYER CC 78.8 POINTS Sun City, North West Province 7162 metres
OLIVEWOOD NO 92 The par-4 14th hole at the Eastern Cape coastal resort and estate.
Gary Player & Ron Kirby Up 2 places from No 17 16 ROYAL JOHANNESBURG EAST 78.6 POINTS Johannesburg, Central Gauteng 7001 metres Bob Grimsdell Down 4 places from No 12 17 THE CLUB AT STEYN CITY 78.3 POINTS Fourways, Central Gauteng 7054 metres Nicklaus Design Down 3 places from No 14
GLENDOWER NO 6 Roses frame the downhill par-4 tenth hole at this Johannesburg club.
18 PEZULA 78.0 POINTS Knysna, Southern Cape 6308 metres Ronald Fream & David Dale No change from 2024 19 HUMEWOOD 77.8 POINTS Gqeberha, Eastern Cape 6342 metres Colonel SV Hotchkin Down 4 places from No 15 20 CHAMPAGNE SPORTS RESORT 77.4 POINTS KZN Central Drakensberg 6694 metres Hugh Baiocchi No change from 2024
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 61
MAY 2025
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