| Well, all right, you won’t,
but you know what I mean.
It’s a good idea to stop in Cape Town for a couple
of nights to acclimatise, relax and soak up the atmosphere.
A visit to Table Mountain is a must – make a day of
it and don’t forget your camera. And you have to explore
the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a modern mix of good
restaurants, lively bars and some designer shops along Canal
Street where the prices are less than you’d expect.
If you want to buy really cheap, you have to go “off-street”
and be prepared to haggle. Good poker players will enjoy
this. Yet it’s the golf we’re here for and after
a couple of days of relaxing, it’s time to chase a
few birdies.
ROYAL CAPE is South Africa’s oldest
golf club, with a wonderful history dating back to 1885,
although it was several years before it was awarded its
royal warrant, in 1910. A parkland layout in Constantia,
one of Cape Town’s leafier suburbs, it is a traditional,
flat, tree-lined course where you will be treading in the
footsteps of the
world’s greatest golfers – the club has hosted
eight South African Opens. Gary Player and Ernie Els have
both won here, though whether they were in the trees as
much as me is unlikely. As with all golf courses near the
Cape, there will always be a breeze, sometimes fairly strong
but invariably warm, which makes good golfers work the ball. |
At nearby CLOVELLY,
the biggest hazard is likely to be the mass of guinea fowl,
peacocks and pheasants that thrive on this wonderfully natural
landscape which rolls through the Cape Peninsula.
Wearing another hat, Gary Player has designed a new layout
at FANCOURT, not far away near George,
and built with luxury in mind. Four courses adorn this impressive
estate, which was also built with top-class golf in mind.
The Presidents Cup was held there in November.
At SPIER, built on a wine estate at Stellenbosch,
the wine cellar is the clubhouse. In fact, no less than
41 wine estates congregate in the Stellenbosch area, and
if you have time – hang on, make time! – you
should visit a few of the estates and try just a sip of
their finest nectar. Play golf in the morning when it’s
a bit cooler, have lunch sitting on the terrace overlooking
the course, and then visit the wine estates – being
careful not to drink too much if you’re driving.
If you’re staying for longer, there’s the Garden
Route out beyond Plettenberg Bay, with more golf, more sun,
more wine and...well, you probably won’t come home.
ERINVALE was laid out by Gary Player at the foot
of the picturesque Helderberg Mountains. It was the venue
for the 1996 World Cup of Golf, which Ernie Els and Wayne
Westner won for the host nation. It comprises nine flat
holes and nine on the mountain. That works up an appetite
for lunch, I can tell you.
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