DESTINATION GOLF 2024
Letters from Africa
John Cockayne
In my previous issue of Letters from Africa , I wrote about the race to the sea in South Africa over December for the summer vacation .
Well , as a family , we have just succumbed to the same ‘ urge ’, albeit in the winter ( such as it is here – much more like a nice UK summer , if the truth be told !), and because we want to try out living at the coast again .
days , coolish nights with no trace of the humidity that can make mid-summer ‘ hard work ’ for many , with the occasional breeze to ruffle the tops of the palms , as you try to decide what club to choose for your next shot .
So , we packed up , put our worldly goods into storage in Hartbeespoort , and have planned a six months ’ stay , to kick the tyres and look under the bonnet , just to make sure that we will in fact enjoy being back down at sea-level , before we semigrate permanently !
The southern KZN ( as KwaZulu-Natal is referred to here ) coastline , is dotted with golf courses , almost like a string of pearls .
The string starts with the Wild Coast Country Club just over KZN ’ s borders with the Transkei in the Eastern Cape , but considered historically to be one of ‘ ours ’ in KZN , and is followed by Port Edward ( a rustic , traditional and very welcoming 9 holes layout ), San Lameer , Southbroom , Margate , Port Shepstone , Selborne , Umdoni Park , Penn Valley , Scottburgh and finally Umkomaas .
Our choice of coastal province is KwaZulu-Natal , and more particularly its sub-tropical south coast , which is framed by the Indian Ocean to the east and , generally , acres of either sugar cane , or bananas to the west i . e ., inland .
During this region ’ s winter , from a golfing perspective , the balmy
Eleven golf courses in total , which offer a universally warm welcome to visiting players , and a varying range of challenges , from the sweeping ocean vistas , and winds , at Umdoni and Wild Coast , to the immaculate conditioning of San Lameer , Selborne and Southbroom , and just about everything else in between . To return to the theme of races , this province is famed for its annual versions of a number of these .
If we use length , starting with the shortest , as the determining criteria for the order of our discussion , then the first of these is the Durban July , which at about 4.5 m kilometres , is as much of a fashion statement and a place for the powerful , rich , glamorous and beautiful to be seen , as it is a platform to show off some the
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