NO 31: Hex River Valley
28 MOOI RIVER Mooi River, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands DOWN 2 • SCORE 40/60 Clubhouse 7 / Aesthetics 7 / Conditioning 5.5 / Design Variety 6.5 / Innovation 7.5 / Challenge 6.5 Unusual setting on top of a hill, adjoining Treverton College, so prepare for an undulating ride on a challenging course (6 289) with panoramic views. The final hole climbs steeply back up the hill to the clubhouse. Design innovations are a feature, notably at the opening hole which is both a par 4 (1) and par 3 (10) with alternate greens, and again at No 8/17. The eighth is 417 downhill, stroke 1, dogleg left, and 17 is reduced to 356, with its own green further back in the trees. 29 GROBLERSDAL Groblersdal, Limpopo DOWN 8 • SCORE 39.8/60 Clubhouse 7 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 7 / Design Variety 6.8 / Innovation 6 / Challenge 7 Unusual layout on lower slopes of a hillside, the holes running up and down the slopes in rows, separated by bushveld trees. A strong test of 6 338 metres with solid par 4s and attractive greens. The third/12th is an uphill par 5 (485) with a tree in the middle of the fairway, and No 7/16 is a wonderful downhill 5 (504) with big trees guarding the green. No 8/17 is a par 3 with water next to the green, and the final hole a shortish 4 running at right angles to all the other holes on the flat at the bottom of the hill.
30 LIME ACRES Lime Acres, Northern Cape
32 SKUKUZA Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga Lowveld
DOWN 7 • SCORE 39.8/60 Clubhouse 5.5 / Aesthetics 6.8 / Conditioning 6.5 / Design Variety 7 / Innovation 5.5 / Challenge 8.5 Sir Harry Oppenheimer opened the course in 1968 (Anglo-American developed the Finsch diamond mine here), and it’s rumoured that Gary Player flew in that year with Sir Harry to suggest a basic layout. It’s highly likely, as Lime Acres is the longest 9-holer in South Africa at 6 506 metres. It’s one of our remotest courses too, quiet, and unknown outside the Northern Cape, a two-hour drive from Kimberley. Lime Acres is a mining village. The mine is now owned by Petra Diamonds. It is a testing layout, well-grassed and having good putting surfaces. 31 HEX RIVER VALLEY De Doorns, Cape Winelands NO CHANGE • SCORE 39.8/60 Clubhouse 7 / Aesthetics 7 / Conditioning 6.8 / Design Variety 7 / Innovation 6 / Challenge 6 Short par-70 layout of 5 391 metres. It’s a 30-minute drive from Worcester, on the N1 at the Engen turnoff into De Doorns, with stunning mountain scenery and quirky, fun holes. Good conditioning and attractive new clubhouse. There are three par 3s on each nine, including No 7 over a dam to a large green. The two par 5s, No 6 and 8, are the only holes of any substance for longer hitters.
DOWN 8 • SCORE 39.5/60 Clubhouse 8 / Aesthetics 7.5 / Conditioning 4.5 / Design Variety 7 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 7.5 Wildlife encroaching on fairways and greens makes Skukuza the most talked- about and visited 9-holer in SA, the only golf course within the Kruger Park. Hippos submerge themselves in Lake Panic close to the first tee. The greens were upgraded at the end of 2022, and a new clubhouse built with a restaurant that attracts daily visitors. The course (5 900) was established in the early 1970s, exclusively for park staff, and only opened to the public in 1999. Large bushveld trees are a feature, and it ends with a stunning par 3 closer over Lake Panic. 33 KRIEL Kriel, Mpumalanga Highveld DOWN 1 • SCORE 39.5/60 Clubhouse 7.5 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 6 / Design Variety 6.5 / Innovation 6 / Challenge 7.5 A colliery mine club with 500 members, although many belong to the gym opposite the attractive thatch-roofed clubhouse. A testing challenge (6 280) with strong holes good enough to have once hosted the SA Senior Open where the winning score by Allan Henning was over par. An unusual feature of the design is that it has three par 5s, three par 4s and three par 3s. Rounds begin and end with a 5. The shortest par 4 is
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 119
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026
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