Alison’s design for Bryanston was not as radical as some of his courses, but there are several unique holes here. Unusually, the layout starts with back-to-back par fives and then there is a stretch of four par fours from the 5th. Yet there is a good mix in the shapes with five holes doglegging to the right and an equal number doglegging the other way.

The 453-metre par-four 10th is a huge test of ball striking and is possibly one of the toughest stroke-one par-fours in the country. The drive is over water to a fairway running at right angles to the tee. A good drive will leave a fairway wood or long iron over water to a two-tiered green. Two good putts on a sloping green are required before one can walk away with a satisfying par.

The par-four 16th offers another stringent test of ability. Here you are faced with a tight drive off an elevated tee with trees guarding the fairway left and right and water ahead. Your approach is over water to an elevated, kidney shaped, two-tiered green, while a deep bunker in the front curve guards any back left pin placements. Slopes on the green add to the difficulty in your quest for par.

The par-threes are all magnificent holes, with plenty of variety. All have the extra defenses of tricky sloping greens requiring you to hit the tee shot towards the correct area of the green to ensure a two-putt par.

The greens were rebuilt early in the new millennium to give Bryanston extra defenses against new technology and to cope with the further-flying golf ball. It has garnered mixed reactions with many believing that the undulations are too severe and not in keeping with the character of the course. The course is certainly not a pushover for even the finest golfers, but not punishing enough to spoil the enjoyment of the average player.

Bryanston was once seen as a rather snooty country club, altogether unwelcoming and snobbish. Thankfully, this image has been well and truly discarded and the club is now a vibrant meeting place of young and old with a strong, dedicated membership who make visitors extremely welcome. Put Bryanston on your list of must-plays.

The par-four 6th is the stroke one and is a straight, narrow hole, exceptionally well bunkered both in the fairway and around the green. At 434 metres, length and accuracy are demanded to make par on this tough hole.

The feature holes are definitely the finishing four, three of which are played along the lake. The 15th, at 526 metres is a long and demanding par five, requiring big shots to reach the green in two. It is fairly straightforward when played as a three shotter and is an excellent birdie chance for average golfers. The 16th is a magnificent par-three. Fairly long at 179 metres off the club tees, it requires an accurate shot over the side of the lake to the green. A three here is always a good score. The par-four 17th is the toughest on the back nine. Fairly long, it doglegs around the lake on the left, requiring an accurate tee shot if you want an easier shot into the green. The 18th is a good closing hole. Not particularly long, the green is vigilantly guarded on the left by a small water hazard is the final resting place for many golf balls. Negotiate this successfully and the enormous bar in the clubhouse awaits with a view over the 18th and those coming up behind.

The major defences of Benoni Lake are the variety of mature trees lining the fairways. Many of the holes dogleg at least slightly, putting a premium on accuracy off the tees. While there are not many bunkers, they are all well positioned and create just enough of a hazard to be fair, punishing only misdirected shots both off the tees and around the greens.

Well-maintained by Top-Turf, the course is in year-round excellent condition with the permanent Bent greens being among the finest in Gauteng. PGA professional Rob van Velzen runs a well-stocked pro shop and is on hand to give lessons. Visitors are welcome at Benoni Lake, particularly during the week, when the club offers discounted greenfees.

The course encompasses a links type layout and is sculptured out of a valley in the bushveld. Unique features of the course include play over an active railway line and a historic graveyard on the 18th fairway.

Holes 2 and 5 share a green, possibly the largest in South Africa measuring 1650m2. The 7th and 8th fairways are nestled between the Bushman’s River and New Years River, which converge on the estate providing another unique feature. The course measures just over 6000m and is a par 71 course.

The award winning Bushman Sands 4 star hotel nestled in the quaint railway town of Alicedale is a delightful blend of rich heritage and modern luxury. The hotel comprises 39 bedrooms around a central pool area overlooking the undulating fairways of the 18 hole Gary Player course. The hotel offers a choice of standard or luxury rooms and junior suites; all tastefully decorated and furnished with locally produced furniture and original art.

The property is part of an exciting revival of the town which fell into ruin after the rail hub was transferred to Port Elizabeth some years ago. A joint venture between Manits Collection and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation has spearheaded this revival and transformed the old college railway building which is a National Monument into the hotel reception, created the malaria free game reserve and has worked with BEE companies to train the employees at Bushman Sands in all capacities. An exciting partnership between public and private entrepreneurship.

Situated on over 4000 hectares of old farmlands, the game reserve offers malaria-free game viewing. The ‘New Years’ dam in the heart of the game reserve was originally built as a source of water for the steam trains and is now used for sundowner cruises.

In addition to the golf course, Bushman Sands offers a spa wellness centre, gymnasium, locker rooms with steam baths and a practise and putting green.

Curios, golf attire and accessories are available at the Sports Centre. The hotel can tailor make conferences for groups of 14 to 90 delegates based in the original train station building.

Carved out of the indigenous bush with kikuyu fairways and Bayview greens, full use has been made of the natural surroundings to produce a course that combines drama, challenge and ruggedness.

The course is maintained to the highest standard all year round and the scenic par 5 12th is the most exciting on the course. The fairway curves to the left and around a bend in the river. The challenge of this hole lies in the boldness of the person playing it. A brave second shot could be attempted across the corner of the river to the green which is perched on a high bank partially concealed by the rough vegetation.

The 473m 16th presents a tough poser. The dilemma arises in whether to attempt a testing second shot with a long iron or wood to carry the river, or to face a longish third shot to an undulating green. This hole runs parallel to the Indian Ocean and as you cross the pontoon bridge, you can look out to sea through the river mouth.

The 185-hectare site is bounded on the north by the Old Woman’s River, on the south by the Greater Fish River, on the west by the R72 coastal road and on the east by the Indian Ocean.

The golf course was designed by the Gary Player Design Group and building and construction started in 1988. The first nine holes were opened in 1989 and the second nine in 1990.

Gary Player took care not to disturb the indigenous vegetation, especially the Euphorbia trees. The Old Woman’s River splits the back nine holes into two sections. A floating bridge about 5om wide has been built across the river and has to be carried twice, first with the tee shot on the par 4 13th and again on the par 5 16th

The course starts pleasantly enough with a relatively simple 336-metre par-four opening hole, but it soon bares its teeth with the stroke-one par-four at over 400 metres on the very next hole. Look out for the picturesque feature holes, which are the par-five 16th and the par-four 9th/18th. The 9th/18th is a classic risk-and-reward hole, which, at just over 300 metres from the men’s tee, is very driveable, especially when the westerly is assisting from behind. The large green is shaped like a back-to-front “F” and measures some 300 square metres, which is not that large by today’s luxurious estate-course standards, but for a small nine-hole course is pretty substantial. The green is well guarded by large Milkwood trees that encroach on the putting surface, while the water hazard behind the green will swallow anything too long. Playing this hole conservatively is the only way to ensure a par!

The par-five 16th measures over 450 metres and is a genuine three-shotter for all but the longest hitters, unless the helping westerly is particularly fresh! Even then it is a brave and accurate player who will have a go at the green in two shots as it is well guarded by the river that runs to the left and in front of it. It is also well bunkered and careful note should be made of the approach shot to the two-tiered green – putting from the wrong tier only makes things more difficult. This hole is played as a 404-metre par-four (the 7th) on the front nine and its length and difficult green make it the second lowest stroke hole on the front nine. A par on this hole, whether playing it as the 7th or the 16th, is a good score at any time.

The club prides itself on friendliness and visitors are most welcome. Among the strong group of members is the former Liverpool FC goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar and older football fans will remember Bobby Braithwaite who turned out for Southampton FC many years ago.

Greenfees for affiliated visitors are a very reasonable R70 for 18 holes and there are a number of golf carts for hire at R100 per round. If you find yourself in East London and you are looking for a relaxed golfing experience, look no further than Gonubie for great value.

Considering the terrain on which the course is situated, sand dunes on the windy shores of Algoa Bay, there was no alternative but to build a links when members of the Port Elizabeth Golf Club approached respected course architect Major S V Hotchkin in 1929 to provide them with a second championship course.

Hotchkin re-modelled and owned one of England’s classic inland courses, Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, but his real love was the links of St Andrews, and that gave him the inspiration to produce a masterpiece at Humewood.

Departing from the old links concept of nine holes out from the clubhouse and nine back, as on the Old Course at St Andrews and many other British Open layouts, Hotchkin put the clubhouse in the middle of the course, and designed two loops of nine starting and finishing at that point. He was obviously influenced by the Muirfield links in Scotland, which follows broadly the same pattern.

Hotchkin used the natural contours of the land to design his holes and build his greens. To compensate for the strong winds that blow, the fairways were generously widened, and bunkers kept to a minimum.

Humewood was opened for play in 1931 and within three years it was hosting the South African championships, both the Amateur and Open of 1934.

The sixth is the shortest hole on the links with an elevated green guarded by bunkers on both sides. Its chief difficulty lies in the fact that the wind blows across the hole, making the long and narrow green an awkward target.

The thirteenth must rank as one of the great championship holes in golf, the fairway full of rolling humps and mounds in the driving area, and the green hidden away in the distance on a sandy hillock, a waste area of sand and rough ready to catch any approach shot that drifts right.

The 18 hole parkland golf course with spectacular gardens and recently redesigned greens provides golfers with the only pure Bent Grass greens in the greater Port Elizabeth area, drawing golfers from all over the world. The course underwent a complete revamp including the greens and new bunkers, which certainly adds to the difficulty of the course.

P.E. Golf Club is a fun course to play, it can be setup tough for tournaments but is generally fair to the handicap golfer. With generous fairways and not being too long, the handicap golfer can enjoy his day at P.E.G.C. the greens are tough to read with some big slopes and subtle breaks. It makes for a good golfing challenge. The main defense is the wind. When the wind blows, the golf course takes on a different challenge and really shows its teeth. The signature hole 17 is a par 3 with water on the right.

The spacious clubhouse, proud of its long history, provides a warm welcome to both members and visitors alike, catering for small or large groups of golfers, tour groups, corporate golf and tournaments, social gatherings, conferences, weddings and other numerous functions and celebrations.

Large, comfortable and fully equipped mens and ladies cloakrooms with spacious changing facilities adequately cater for full competition fields. The main lounge bar, Continental lounge bar and Fairway Suite lounge bar all offer a full range of quality refreshments. A large snooker room with two full sized tables is available

Port Elizabeth is the 5th largest city in South Africa, and is known world wide as the Friendly City. It is the gateway to the Garden Route, and features magnificent beaches around Algoa Bay. Besides watersports, fishing or just lazing in the sun, visitors can also visit the nearby Addo Elephant National Park and Shamwari Game Reserve.

In 1921 Prince Arthur of Connaught visited Port Alfred and named the holes – a tradition then particularly for links courses. In 1924 the club was granted royal status, one of only five in South Africa to receive this honour.

There is constant improvement at the course, a programme to enlarge the tee boxes is underway at the moment. The course is unusually laid out in two loops from the clubhouse, one of thirteen holes and the other of five. There are several feature holes on the course, not least of which is the par-four, stroke-two 5th, called Mullins. Coming after four opening par-fours, it is a challenge at 413 metres. The 12th, named Greenmantle, is also a solid par-four looking back towards the clubhouse and at just 338 metres is a straightforward drive and short iron to a typically flattish green protected by bunkers left and right. The grass throughout the course – on both fairways and greens – is cynoden – so traditional links bump-and-run shots become an important part of the golfer’s arsenal.

It is only on the stroke-one 16th, a monster into the prevailing easterly wind, that the green has noticeable slope to it, adding to the toughness of the hole. The tee must carry thick bush and be kept left away from further bush on the right. The par-fives are all reachable by longer players, depending on which way the wind is blowing. Being a seaside course, the wind is the greatest defence and you need to have your wits about you in order to hit the smallish greens and avoid the unforgiving bush. But there are few other challenges, making this a wonderful links experience at a club that is particularly friendly and welcoming.

The Royal Port Alfred has some 1 200 members, including 120 country members, most of whom are from England. During the Christmas holidays, the Club does some 300 rounds a day, which – considering the loops of 13 and five holes – must be a logistical nightmare! If you are going to be there in high summer it is advisable to book well in advance.

The Robert Trent Jones designed course provides real drama and challenge. The course was officially opened in 1983 and, apart from the dramatic landscape, has over the years gained an awesome reputation for the real test it provides.

With many exposed high tees and greens the seaside location is sometimes buffeted by blustery breezes. Your fight will be with the elements as well as the cleverly designed holes. The fairways are wide, and in the wind one needs to bear in mind that any shot straying from the cut surface will end up in thick penalising rough. The greens and bunkers are both large and well shaped, adding to that sense of real substance to compliment the drama of the landscape. The revamping of the greens with ‘country club grass’ has added real quality to the course. Water is in abundance, not just on the gorge but also in the dams and river. Periodic views over the unspoilt wild coast beach that fronts the Indian Ocean makes this a course of true rugged beauty.

The Wild Coast Sun is best known for its excellent casino facilities. The 396-roomed hotel has excellent conference facilities, theatres and a cinema. The variety of restaurants throughout the hotel caters for all tastes. With the magnificent setting, pristine course and variety of activities, the Wild Coast Sun is certainly a complete resort, leaving all tastes well satisfied.