of Mpumalanga THE HOLE GEMS
Mpumalanga is the province to discover many of our finest 9-holers. They have seven in the Top 25 ranking. By Stuart McLean
The closing hole at Skukuza in the Kruger Park, a challenging par 3 over Lake Panic.
ambaku is a well-chosen name for a bushveld golf club and course that stands opposite the Kruger National
of playing this set of courses would be with a camper van or caravan as your accommodation, lighting a fire each evening. Sounds inviting. A short cut entails travelling through the Park (elephants galore on this route) from Malelane Gate on the southern border to play Skukuza, exiting at the Kruger Gate to reach Kruger Park Lodge . This Gary Player Design from the early 1990s is a superb experience, with several memorable and challenging holes. In contrast to the others it is notably undulating. Big greens, water hazards, creatively shaped bunkers are all evidence of it being a proper professional design. One oddity, however, comes in the shape of an island green on the par-4 ninth. This wasn’t in the original design, according to Phil Jacobs, who laid out the course working for Player Design. There is another green further along the hole, used for the 18th. The island green is so small that even a Sunshine Tour player might find it difficult to hold. I’d give it a miss and play the conventional green twice.
next door to Leopard Creek, Skukuza inside the Park, and Pilgrims Rest in the old gold mining town. They are all stunningly scenic and in relatively close proximity. Malelane is a bushveld beauty, its fairways lined with magnificent mature trees of varied species. The road to the Malelane Gate and Leopard Creek bisects the course. On the left are three holes and the clubhouse; the other six holes, each outstanding, are hidden away on the right. There’s a camp site at the clubhouse, and a free-spirited way
Park, on the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers. It occupies scenic heaven; the clubhouse deck overlooking the Crocodile has become a lunch destination for tourists. Kambaku was one of the Magnificent Seven bull elephants which graced the Park from 1930 to 1985. His tusks, each weighing 64 kilograms, are in the elephant hall at Letaba rest camp. This course, opened in 2006, leads the way in South Africa in the diversity of its 9-hole offering. There are 11 greens, and golfers play to them in a variety of novel ways. Tee to green conditioning is superb. The best time to visit is during the winter months. Temperatures can soar in the height of summer. A high of 52C has been recorded. The Lowveld region, with its warm climate, is ideal for a winter tour of 9-holers. Other recommendations in addition to Kambaku would be Kruger Park Lodge at Hazyview, Malelane
The final hole, a short par 4, at Malelane Golf Club, close to Leopard Creek.
66 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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