Golf in Johannesburg and Pretoria Area. Unexpected animal sightings.
At the start of the 2024 season, we wanted to relax and play golf on our own again. The region around Johannesburg, where there is a large selection of top-class courses, is ideal for this. What's more, they are of excellent quality, extremely affordable by German standards and quick to reach. It was the first time that we had travelled almost exclusively in an urban environment. However, we agreed that Africa is no good without animals. Sabine found a private game-reserve north of Pretoria, where we booked 2 nights with full board. In hindsight, an excellent decision!
11.4.24 Flight with Turkish Airlines from Luxembourg with a 3.5 hour layover in Istanbul. From there approx. 9 hours overnight flight to Johannesburg. Arrival around 10.30 am local time.
Car hire: Check 24, Europcar, Honda Amaze (€353) fully comprehensive without excess. A fairly new car in very good condition.
We had always bought 2 SIM cards with the appropriate volume at the airport. This time Sabine had bought an e-SIM, which worked without any problems. My phone doesn't work with an e-SIM. That's why I wanted to buy a SIM card in a phone shop. In the meantime, the regulations have changed. You need confirmation from your landlord to be able to buy a card. As I couldn't produce this, I had to do without and could only use my phone in free WiFi areas, i.e. in all restaurants (including the golf restaurants), the shopping malls and in the accommodation. We had downloaded the Google Maps in advance so that we could use them online.
From 12.10. - 15.10. we stayed in the Sandton district at Sandton Country Manor. Sandton is a city in the north of the Johannesburg metropolitan area (approx. 230 000 inhabitants) and is considered the most affluent neighbourhood in the City of Johannesburg. Sandton is the new financial centre of the country and offers an abundance of shops and restaurants in Sandton City, the largest shopping centre in South Africa. The open square around which the shops and restaurants are grouped is very attractively designed with all kinds of statues. We visited Trumps Grillhouse & Butchery (Tripadvisor's No. 1 restaurant out of 1213 in Joburg) and just around the corner, Fishmonger Rosebank (No. 1 seafood restaurant). Both can seat several hundred guests and offer an excellent selection of dishes.
We paid R 4740 (€ 245) for our bed and breakfast accommodation at Sandton Country Manor. For this we had a flat with large TVs in the living room and bedroom, a music system that was not connected, a small kitchenette (without crockery) and a large bathroom with 2 showers. A large garden with a pool rounded off the offer. It gave the impression of being newly purchased or for sale. A great location but completely sold out for the rest of the year according to booking.com. Strange!
The Houghton GC had given us a start time for 3.30pm. We therefore took advantage of this to play 9 holes on the day of arrival and after a quick check-in, despite being overtired from the night flight with little sleep. Houghton GC is listed as No. 38 in SA and its course quality corresponded to this categorisation. Green fee: € 24 pp. We received a very warm welcome in the pro shop and booked a cart. From the terrace of the restaurant, which is very modern, you have a beautiful view of the course.
The next day, the Glendower GC was already on the programme at 7:24 am. Green fee R 850 (€ 43), cart R 500 (€ 25). The course was very busy. Perhaps also because the Fortress Invitational professional tournament with the Sunshine Tour was being held there two days later. Accordingly, the greens were incredibly fast (Stimp 13) and difficult for us to control. We used push trolleys of inferior quality and a relatively high hire price. A cart is only marginally more expensive, which is why we mostly used a cart later on.
On day 3 (14 October), we drove 15 minutes to Country Club Johannesburg.
There you theoretically have the choice between the Woodmead Course (No. 26) and the Rocklands Course (No. 37).We booked the Woodmead for 11:36 am for a greenfee of R 884 pp (€ 45).The facilities with swimming pool, tennis, paddle, etc. are huge, as is the pro shop.The course is slightly hilly with a few doglegs.
15 October was moving day to Centurion, to the accommodation Mereke Manor Lodge.
For R 3511 (€ 180) including breakfast, we stayed for 3 nights in a relatively small room, but had access to an indoor pool, a jacuzzi and a pool table.Owner Douw and service staff (Moses) were very friendly and helpful.
In the evening we met up with Linky, the son of our Botswanan friend Modise, at the O'Galito restaurant in the Centurion Mall. Linky works in IT there. The food and wine were once again first class.
We played the most exclusive golf course on 16 October. The Steyn City Golf Estate is part of the new 800-hectare Steyn City district, which the richest man in South Africa at the time, Douw Steyn, built for 9 billion. In addition to luxurious houses, there is a school, an artificial lagoon, a 45 km mountain bike course and many other amenities for residents who can afford this residential area. Entry through a grandiose gate is strictly regulated and correspondingly time-consuming. The condition of the course (designed by Jack Nicklaus) was truly outstanding. It is listed as No. 14 and we paid R 1450 (€ 74) for the green fee and R 600 for the use of the cart. Founder Douw Steyn's palazzo (4000 m2 of living space) towers high above the course and is surrounded by water that plunges some 50 metres into an artificial lake (see photo). Dough Steyn died in January 2025.
The next day took us at 7.20 am to the Pretoria Country Club (No 44), founded in 1910, where we were particularly impressed by the many Jakaranda trees in full bloom. The whole course exudes a dignified atmosphere. The course is rather flat. The greens are small and mostly elevated. There does not appear to be any fairway irrigation. Therefore, all grass areas, except tees and greens, were rather yellow. Green fee R 570 p.p. (30 €), trolleys R 125 p.p.
On 18 October, we set off on the 200 km journey to Zebula Golf Estates & Spa near Bela Bela in the African Bushveld on the edge of the Waterberge. In addition to a residential complex with holiday homes and a boutique hotel with the usual wellness facilities, overnight accommodation is also offered for golfers (Golfers Lodge). These are spacious semi-detached houses with grass roofs. As a special treat, the bathroom offers a Jacuzzi tub for two. The grounds are surrounded by private game reserves. Antelopes, zebras and giraffes can be seen on the site and around the houses. An airstrip is provided for well-heeled or hurried visitors. We had only booked here for one night (R 1467, €75). The golf course is located in a relatively dry bushveld zone. The grass was predominantly brown in colour. This will certainly change after the first spring rains. The maintenance condition and layout of the course, which is still listed in the top 100 as No. 78, were also well below the previous standard. Conclusion: an interesting location that you shouldn't visit in October and not necessarily because of the golf course.
Our next stop was Bushlovers Lodge in Modimole, 70 km north-east of Zebula. For €117, we were given 2 nights' accommodation with breakfast at the property, which was originally designed for weddings and large parties. We learnt that the property is currently up for sale. The previous owners are giving up for reasons of age. The staff was reduced accordingly. As we were the only guests, we enjoyed having our own cook, a lady from Zimbabwe, who cooked for us in the evening according to our wishes (€36 for 2 dinners including drinks). On a walk around the farm we saw Golden Wildebeest and the typical white remains of hyenas.
The golf course in Modimole is part of the Koro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate (No. 99) GF: R 500 p.p. (€ 26), cart R 300. The estate also offers overnight accommodation directly on the course, which would certainly be an alternative on our next visit. We played after the club championships, which slowed our game down considerably. But we had plenty of time to look around. The layout of the course is varied with green fairways. After the game, we were able to watch the award ceremony from the bar with a delicious gin & tonic.
Before golf fatigue could set in, we made a detour to the Dinokeng Game Reserve, the only Big 5 Game Reserve in the province of Gauteng. There was a special offer that Sabine had discovered by chance. We stayed for 2 nights in a safari tent by the reservoir, including full board and 4 game drives. (350 €). That sounds expensive at first glance, but in hindsight it was worth every cent. The resort comprises a hotel complex with a wide range of accommodation options. At the nearby reservoir, 10 safari tents with room service and bathrooms are on offer. We were the only guests in the ‘tent camp’. The ranger, the barman and the cook were exclusively for us. We were greeted with coffee at 5.45 a.m. The ranger then drove through the reserve for 3 hours, always on the lookout for animals. Breakfast was served at 9.00 am. Lunch followed at midday, the afternoon cake prepared us for the evening game drive, which again lasted 3 hours. On our return, a delicious dinner was waiting for us outside by an open fire. We were more than satisfied with the animal sightings. In addition to lions, we also saw cheetahs with cubs and a hyena feeding. The usual hippos, crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, zebras and antelopes were of course also there.
To round off the trip, we spend three more nights at the Wild Tree Lodge in Benoni. From there it is only 10 minutes to the airport. We have a nice room on the first floor with a view of the garden. We sit in the garden by the pool for breakfast. Dinner is also offered, which we take advantage of twice. The dishes are simple but freshly prepared. Just right to round off the day. There is also a drinks fridge with a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for self-service. The surcharge on the shop price is very moderate. The shopping centre is within walking distance.
The Ebotse Links Golf Club is only a 10-minute drive from the accommodation and offers a good golfing experience on a links-style course (designer: Peter Matkovich) for a sensational €58 (2 green fees, 1 cart). The course was built in 2008 to renaturalise a former mine site. The result is an environmentally friendly and sustainable golf course that emphasises the natural beauty of the land. The slightly undulating terrain offers plenty of variety.
The following day we chose the golf course at Serengeti Estate. We had already played this course a few years ago, shortly after its completion, and were very impressed with both the quality of the course and the service. In the meantime, 2 golf courses have been created (Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, Whistling Thorn) surrounded by estate houses. We chose the Signature Course (No.43, green fee R 850 pP, (44€), cart R 500). I still remember hole 8, a 527 metre long par 5 along a pond, from our last visit. The small green at the end of the pond is a challenging island green. Unfortunately, the ball landed in the water again this time instead of on the island. Maybe next time!
Serengeti (Nr. 43) GF: R 850 pP (44 €), cart R 500
On the day of departure, we had to return the car to the airport at 15:00. Because we hate idling, the owner of our accommodation arranged a tee time at Benoni Country Club at short notice through her brother. GF: R 300 (€ 16) Cart R 400. As with all courses, it was very busy and we were put in with 2 advanced beginners. It turned out that they were the new ambassador of Taiwan and his wife. The wife had only started playing golf in SA, while he had been playing for longer. They have only been living in the country for 6 months and thanked us for the many travelling tips by paying the drinks bill. We returned the car to the airport on time at 3.15 pm.
