WHERE TO PLAY
The Jewel in the Crown The par-3 seventh (pictured on opener) arrives unexpectedly after what has come before. The green sits high above the tee boxes on the slope of a dune, and bunkers litter the hillside leading up to the green. It’s an exciting tee shot which raises the adrenalin levels, and they will stay that way for a while. One of the magical features of both the Trump courses are the paths you walk through the dunes from green to tee. They’re not short walks, unless you’re going off black, but neither are they tiresome ones. Playing each hole you have no view of subsequent holes, so it is all very anticipatory. There are wooden signposts indicating the whereabouts of each of the six tees. An arrow usually points one way towards the black and gold tees, and another ar- row to the blue, white, green and red.
a high tee overlooking the ocean. The green was perched on top of a ridge, and the fairway snaked its way down the left side of the hole. Going directly for the green meant having to traverse wispy rough and sandy outcrops. No bunkers. Risk-reward at its rawest. The halfway house is so perfectly situated that you can stop for a refresh- ment after six holes, then replenish yourself eight holes later before tack- ling 15-18. They are big finishing holes in terms of metres, 550, 225, 425 and 500. The par-5 18th climbs a hill to an enormous infinity green where you look down on the impressive range facilities and the clubhouse. You con- clude with a long downhill walk to the car park. A buggy service meeting golf- ers behind the 18th green would have been welcome.
Only as you step on to the tee does each hole fully present itself. Cresting the dune from seventh green to eighth tee was the highlight of my visit. I stepped into the most beau- tiful natural dunescape, a panoramic links vista laid out before me. Here and there I glimpsed emerald fairways and greens tumbling through a valley of dunes and vast sandy waste areas. It was a sensory moment where I couldn’t take my eyes off this visual feast. Then I had to face a daunting tee shot. Within these seven holes were six par 4s and a lone par 3 (No 12) which was hidden away on top of a dune overlook- ing the beach. These holes alone make the New Course a must-play in my book. They are each terrific and emi- nently playable. No 10 is the only short 4 on the New, and it was just 235 metres from the middle blue tees, playing from
Luxury Lodge Experience Trump International is not a resort course, so there is no large hotel on the property, as there is at Trump Turn- berry on the west coast of Scotland. However, there is the 5-star MacLeod Lodge (named after Donald’s mother Mary MacLeod) a short drive from the clubhouse. Two nights bed & breakfast, plus a round on each course, is offered for R60 000 a person, or R96 000 for two sharing. There is likely to be a cheaper accommodation offering in 2026, as an old double-storey farmhouse building on top of a hillside near the clubhouse is being converted into en-suite dormy-type rooms. It will offer amazing views. The clubhouse is a surprisingly small one considering there are two courses. All it contains is a pro shop, locker rooms and the Dunes brasserie – a Trump burger is on the menu – with an outside deck. The range, though, is gigantic.
MacLeod Lodge
The Clubhouse
92 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
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