Updated on November 10, 2026
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What is the best golf course in South Africa? Fancourt (The Links), in George, is No. 1 on Golf Digest's list, and the Durban Country Club No. 1 on Top100GolfCourses. When comparing the two rankings, Fancourt moves ahead of Durban and Leopard Creek, on the edge of Kruger Park. Gary Player designed five of the fifteen courses in our ranking.
Top photo: Leopard Creek, on the edge of Kruger National Park. Hendrik van den Berg, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 15 Best Golf Courses in South Africa: The Rankings
15 courses shown.
| Rank | Course | Location | Golf Digest 2026 | Top100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fancourt — The Links | George, Western Cape | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Durban Country Club | Durban (Stamford Hill), KwaZulu-Natal | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Leopard Creek Country Club | Malelane, Mpumalanga (on the edge of Kruger National Park) | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | St. Francis Links | St. Francis Bay, Eastern Cape | 7 | 4 |
| 5 | Arabella Golf Club | Kleinmond (Bot River Lagoon), Western Cape | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | Glendower Golf Club | Johannesburg area, Gauteng | 8 | 7 |
| 7 | Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate | Lanseria, Gauteng | 2 | 15 |
| 8 | Pearl Valley Golf & Country Club | Paarl (Cape Winelands), Western Cape | 3 | 14 |
| 9 | Royal Johannesburg — East Course | Johannesburg, Gauteng | 12 | 6 |
| 10 | Gary Player Country Club | Sun City, North West Province | 10 | 11 |
| 11 | Humewood Golf Club | Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape | 19 | 3 |
| 12 | Sishen Golf Club | Kathu, Northern Cape (edge of the Kalahari) | 9 | 17 |
| 13 | Fancourt — Montagu | George, Western Cape | 14 | 12 |
| 14 | East London Golf Club | East London, Eastern Cape | 17 | 13 |
| 15 | Pezula Championship Course | Knysna, Western Cape (Garden Route) | 13 | 18 |
Consensus Rank = average of the Golf Digest 2026 and Top100GolfCourses rankings. Click a column header to sort.
Où se trouvent les golfs d’Afrique du Sud?
Click on a number to view the golf course, then click on its name to read its profile. Base map © OpenStreetMap.
How We Ranked South Africa's Golf Courses
We compared two South African rankings: Golf Digest (updated June 2026) and Top100GolfCourses (accessed November 10, 2026). The consensus rank is the average of the two; a course not in the top 30 of either list is assigned rank 35. In the event of a tie, the higher of the two ranks is used to break the tie. The GOLF.com's World Top 100 (2025-26) was reviewed: no South African courses are included. This ranking is updated annually.
The Rankings in Detail
Architects and years of opening: official websites of the courses and the ranking lists cited, accessed on November 10, 2026; no information is provided when the source does not specify it. Photos under a free license via Wikimedia Commons.
1. Fancourt — The Links 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 1 · Top100 2
Gary Player’s links, opened in 2000 in George on a former airfield, is No. 1 for Golf Digest. It hosted the 2003 Presidents Cup, which ended in a tie.
2. Durban Country Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 4 · Top100 1
Opened in 1922 in the dunes of Durban, the No. 1 on the Top 100 list holds the record for the most South African Opens hosted: sixteen editions.
3. Leopard Creek Country Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 5 · Top100 5
The Gary Player Course on the edge of Kruger National Park has hosted the Alfred Dunhill Championship since 2005. Private club: Visitors can gain access through partner lodges (8,500 ZAR per person, including a golf cart; rate valid through February 28, 2027).
4. St. Francis Links 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 7 · Top100 4
Jack Nicklaus's “Signature” course, opened in 2006, is located in the dunes overlooking St. Francis Bay.
5. Arabella Golf Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 6 · Top100 8
Located on the shores of the Bot River lagoon, this course designed by Peter Matkovich opened in 1998 and hosted the Nelson Mandela Invitational from 2000 to 2006.
6. Glendower Golf Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 8 · Top100 7
C. H. Alison’s course near Johannesburg, at a club founded in 1935, host of the South African Open from 2013 to 2018.
7. Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 2 · Top100 15
Located on the former property of Gary Player, who lived there for nearly 25 years: one of the longest courses in the world, approximately 8,300 yards (7,600 m) from the back tees. Ranked No. 2 by Golf Digest.
8. Pearl Valley Golf & Country Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 3 · Top100 14
A Jack Nicklaus-designed course nestled among the vineyards of Paarl, inaugurated in 2003 with a match between Nicklaus and Gary Player. The first club to host the South African Open three years in a row (2007–2009).
9. Royal Johannesburg — East Course 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 12 · Top100 6
A Robert Grimsdell design that hosted the South African Open seven times between 1946 and 1986, and the Joburg Open since 2007. Renovated, it reopened in January 2018.
10. Gary Player Country Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 10 · Top100 11
The Nedbank Golf Challenge course in Sun City, which opened in 1979. Its 9th hole, a par-5 with an island green, is the most famous.
11. Humewood Golf Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 19 · Top100 3
The only South African course featured in the book “True Links.” Ernie Els won the 2006 South African Open there. Ranked 3rd on the Top 100 list.
12. Sishen Golf Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 9 · Top100 17
Built in 1979 by the Sishen Iron Mine on the edge of the Kalahari, this is the last course designed by Robert Grimsdell.
13. Fancourt — Montagu 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 14 · Top100 12
The original Fancourt course, designed by Gary Player and redesigned in 2005 by David McLay Kidd.
14. East London Golf Club 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 17 · Top100 13
Part links, part parkland course set among the coastal dunes, it has hosted the South African Open seven times. Ernie Els, then 16, won the South African Amateur there in 1986.
15. Pezula Championship Course 🇿🇦
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 13 · Top100 18
Perched on a headland overlooking the Indian Ocean in Knysna, on the Garden Route. Highlight: the short par-4 14th hole.
Where can you play golf in South Africa?
The Western Cape has five courses in our top 15, including the two at Fancourt and Pezula on the Garden Route, plus Arabella and Pearl Valley near Cape Town. Gauteng, around Johannesburg, and the Eastern Cape (St. Francis, Humewood, East London) each have three. That leaves Durban, Leopard Creek near Kruger Park, Sun City, and Sishen, at the gateway to the Kalahari.
See also
The Countries with the Most Golf Courses
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Spain
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Thailand
The 12 Best Golf Courses in Dubai and the Emirates
The 10 Best Golf Courses in Mauritius
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Japan
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Portugal
Top 100 Golf Courses in the WorldFrequently Asked Questions About Golf Courses in South Africa
What is the best golf course in South Africa?
Fancourt (The Links) in George is No. 1 on Golf Digest and No. 2 on Top100GolfCourses; the Durban Country Club is No. 1 on Top100. When combining the two rankings, Fancourt is No. 1 on our list.
Can you play Leopard Creek?
This is a private club: visitors gain access through partner lodges. The published rate is 8,500 ZAR per person, including a golf cart, through February 28, 2027.
Which South African golf course has hosted the most South African Opens?
Durban Country Club, with sixteen editions.
What golf courses did Gary Player design in South Africa?
Our top 15 includes: Fancourt (The Links and Montagu), Leopard Creek, Blair Atholl, and the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.