The Golfing Coast - Sun, Sea and Sand Saves
from George to Port Elizabeth

TThere is nothing more infuriating than trying to make a three-footer for par on Pezula’s ridiculously beautiful 14th green overlooking the Indian Ocean, when a Southern Right whale breaches in the corner of your eye.

Damn, but it’s hard to play golf in South Africa.

It’s little irritations like this which you’ll have to put up with if you decide to take a swing at what must rank as one of the world’s greatest golf road trips – Port Elizabeth to George.

The Eastern Cape is South Africa’s second largest province and easily one of its most breathtaking.

As part of the famed Garden Route which Jack Nicklaus once described as the new golf mecca of the world, this route presents some of the most spectacular courses, including Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ernie Els and Greg Norman designs.
And there’s also plenty to keep the non-golfers busy.

A flight into Port Elizabeth puts you within a pitching wedge of your first collection of fairways, Bushman Sands in Alicedale.

Designed by the grand master Player, Bushman Sands has taken a once-forgotten little town and put it on the golfing map in a big way.

Alicedale is a railway town about 90 kilometres from Port Elizabeth. It’s named after Alice Dale, who was the wife of the engineer who constructed the railway junction.

It was also known for an unemployment rate of 90 per cent. But the new golf course is one part of an initiative to revitalise the town, including the Bushman’s Nature Reserve and the Bushman Sands Hotel.
The golf course has a bit of a links feel to it and is nestled between the two main rivers of the town – the Bushman’s River and the New Year’s River.

The course has some quirky features about it. Your drive at the first will cross a working railway line, and your final drive flies over a historic cemetery, where many a round no doubt also lies dead and buried.
There’s also what is claimed to be the largest green in Africa – a single green of 1 600 square metres shared by the second and fifth holes.

A sundowner cruise on the New Year’s Dam or a visit to the nearby Shamwari Game Reserve – where Tiger Woods proposed to his wife after the 2003 Presidents Cup – are top of the list of must-dos.
The new four-star Alicedale Hotel offers top-class accommodation ranging between R800 to R1500 for a room. There are also options such as the stylish Windermere Hotel or Elephant House, or a myriad of B&Bs in Port Elizabeth.

Apart from golf, game viewing is one of the premier activities in this area, with the Eastern Cape offering a host of quality game reserves in malaria-free environments.

Shamwari and the Addo Elephant National Park (about an hour from Port Elizabeth) are absolute musts.
This is also what is known as “Big Seven” world, meaning you can view elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo as well as whales and great white sharks.
Port Elizabeth is a haven for history buffs. The Donkin Heritage Trail is a five-kilometre trail which visits 47 historical and architectural sites.

You can say you’ve been to the oldest bowling green in South Africa with a visit to the Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, or seen some of the finest architecture in the City Hall, the Prester John Memorial (believed to be the only monument to this mythical priest in the world), and the Public Library.

Number 7 Castle Hill Museum is the oldest Settler cottage in Port Elizabeth and Fort Frederick, built in 1799, is possibly the only fort in the world from which no shot was ever fired.

Pick up a rental car in Port Elizabeth and then begin the scenic drive along the N2 to Knysna, h

ome of oysters, the Pink Loerie Gay and Lesbian Festival, and two spectacular layouts in Pezula and Simola.
There must be something pretty special about a place where tennis world number one Roger Federer and former world number one golfer Nick Price choose to buy a home.

The championship golf course is a challenging layout which is almost unrivalled in terms of the scenery it presents the golfer.

The par-four 14th, which runs along the cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, is the most famous hole on the course. But the 13th is equally impressive as it presents a drive hit from an elevated tee that overlooks a vast expanse of the ocean.

It’s quite simply a course that needs to be played.

Pezula is the vision of US tycoon Keith Stewart, a man who after selling pots and pans and even ladies’ shoes developed the paper collating mechanism on copiers and quickly captured 90 per cent of the world market.
Pezula is world-class in every sense, boasting a hotel, spa and quality restaurant.

Knysna is also home to Simola, designed by Nicklaus.

It was named by Golf Digest as the Best New Course for 2005 and it combines some memorable golf with a wellness centre and luxury lodge.

True to any Nicklaus course, it places a premium on course management while not losing its playability for a variety of handicaps.

Knysna is an adventurer’s paradise. It offers anything from abseiling to scuba diving to forest hikes, or simply a hike to a quaint coffee shop.

The town is perhaps most famous for the Heads, which are two sandstone cliffs at the mouth of the lagoon.
The Millwood House Museum in Queen Street offers an entire history of the town. Oysters are a particular delight in this part of the world, and the Oyster Bar on the Waterfront offers some of the best.

Accommodation is plentiful. If the budget allows, the Pezula Resort Hotel is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
About an hour’s drive from Knysna lies George, another firm favourite on this route. Amongst others, George is home to Els’s Oubaai and Norman’s Le Grand George.

Oubaai was once the site of a prehistoric settlement, so it seems man has always known this was a particularly special place for a bit of golf. The course is scenic and tough and is the culmination of Els’s playing experiences worldwide.

Oubaai is located near Herold’s Bay, Els’s home and a good base for some spectacular coastal walks, dolphin and whale spotting and deep-sea fishing and bungee jumping.

Le Grand George is also just around the corner. This is the first Norman course in South Africa and is sure to be a winner when it’s completed.

The nearby town of George is the sixth oldest town in South Africa. The King Edward VII Library is said to be amongst the best examples of Edwardian architecture in the country. Also pay a visit to the Slave Tree, an English Oak that was planted by Landdrost van Kervel and named as such because of the chain and lock that are embedded in its trunk.

A trip on the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is also well worth it. An ancient steam locomotive will take you on a three-hour trip through forests and over lakes, and you can arrange transport back to your starting point.

Accommodation doesn’t come any better than the nearby Fancourt Hotel and Country Club. For cheaper alternatives there is a myriad of B&Bs, or a more authentic experience can be had at Malvern Manor Country Guest House, which offers four-star accommodation on a working dairy farm.

And cows are a lot less of a golfing distraction than whales.