NO 13: Kruger Park Lodge
49 BLACK MOUNTAIN Aggeneys, Namaqualand, Northern Cape DOWN 11 • SCORE 36/60 Clubhouse 4 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 6 / Design Variety 6.5 / Innovation 6.5 / Challenge 7 In the semi-desert east of Springbok, on the N14 to Upington, you would not expect to find a lush green golf course. Black Mountain is a true oasis in this mining area. Hundreds of palm trees line the holes, and the course is surrounded by desert-like terrain. All the irrigation comes from a water treatment plant adjoining the course. 50 LYDENBURG Mashishing, Mpumalanga NEW ENTRY • SCORE 36/60 Clubhouse 5.5 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 5.5 / Design Variety 6.5 / Innovation 6 / Challenge 6.5 One of SA’s highest courses, an hour’s drive from Highland Gate. The club is in the suburbs of Mashishing, formerly Lydenburg, a historic town settled by Voortrekkers in 1849 which became a stop on the 19th century wagon route to Delagoa Bay. This is the summit of the Long Tom Pass (2150 metres), where the R37 descends spectacularly to the Lowveld and the town of Sabie. On the pass is a monument to the Creusot Long Tom guns used by the Boers during the Anglo-Boer War
45 MALMESBURY Malmesbury, Western Cape NEW ENTRY • SCORE 37/60 Clubhouse 6 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 6.5 / Design Variety 6 / Innovation 6 / Challenge 6.5 Popular Par-72 Swartland course adjoining the N7 highway north of Cape Town. Hilly layout, with well-designed greens. Two tees, 6 021 metres white, 5129 blue. An interesting mix of long and short holes. Course opener is a downhill par 5 with the N7 on the left (played as a 4 the second nine) and ends with an uphill dogleg left short 4 (273 & 262) back to the clubhouse. Malmesbury has long been associated with the Mount Royal residential estate next door, which planned to incorporate the course into the estate with the building of another 9 holes. 46 VREDENDAL Vredendal, Namaqualand, Western Cape DOWN 10 • SCORE 36.8/60 Clubhouse 6 / Aesthetics 6.8 / Design Variety 7 / Conditioning 5 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 7 Situated in the barren and rolling Karoo landscape several kilometres outside Vredendal on the R27 to Vanrhynsdorp. A feature of the layout is a wide ravine separating the first and last holes from the rest of the course. You drive over it with your tee shot on the second hole.
Attractively designed holes, and not long at 5 752 metres. 47 AMPHITHEATRE Near Bergville, KZN Drakensberg DOWN 7 • SCORE 36.5/60 Clubhouse 4 / Aesthetics 7.5 / Conditioning 5.5 / Design Variety 7 / Innovation 5.5 / Challenge 7 A highlight of playing this attractive undulating course in the Drakensberg is the elevated tee shot on the par-5 sixth. There’s also a pulpit par 3. The 9 holes, with a bushveld theme, belong to Hlalanathi Drakensberg resort, offering chalets and a campsite. The Tugela River flows past the course. The resort is a few kilometres off the R74 between Harrismith and Bergville. Royal Natal National Park is 10km away, and the area is home to the Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall in the world. 48 STILBAAI Stilbaai, Southern Cape DOWN 11 • SCORE 36.5/60 Clubhouse 8 / Aesthetics 7 / Conditioning 6 / Design Variety 5 / Innovation 4.5 / Challenge 6 Short course of 5 579 metres built on a steep hillside overlooking the coastline and river mouth. Fun playing downhill but a tough challenge going back up again, especially into the winds that blow here. Great views from a modern clubhouse at the top of the hill.
124 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026
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