By Mark Johnson

Posted: 22nd May 2012 12:06

South Africa is covered in golf courses. It is almost perfect golfing country - ideal weather, plenty of space, wonderful scenery and a population obsessed by sports and the outdoor life. Add in one of the world's all-time great champions - Gary Player - as a national sporting hero, and it is little wonder that South Africans and tourists alike flock to play on some of the world's best and most affordable courses. There is even the option to mix it up a little - golf, spa and safari!

Sun City

A vast play ground with hotels at all levels, Sun City offers entertainment day and night with a casino, spa, water park, nightclubs, and shows. Then, there is golf. The huge desert style Lost City course has real crocodiles at the 13th hole! The Gary Player Country Club and Golf Course is one of the most famous in the country, home to the prestigious Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Steenberg Golf Club

In a stunning setting just south of Cape Town, overlooked by mountains, this beautiful 18-hole course, with small luxury hotel, restaurant and spa, winds its way through water, vineyards and mountain fynbos. The par-three 14th hole offers players the largest green in Africa (at 76 meters long).

Pezula

Another superb setting, between the Knysna Lagoon and the Outeniqua Mountains, makes this 18-hole course a joy to walk. With a fabulous beach, spa, sports facilities from archery and tennis to riding and canoeing, there is plenty for the non-golfer as well. Accommodation comes in the hotel, 5 stand-alone villas and the exclusive beachside Pezula Castle.

Fancourt

This is South Africa's premier golf resort, with three championship courses designed by Gary Player, a golf academy with a Taylormade performance lab, PGA professionals on staff and two pro shops. There is also an all-singing all-dancing spa for the golf-widows and a range of accommodation from rooms in the original Manor House to garden suites, or 2,3 or 4 bed houses to rent along the courses.

Mount Edgecombe Golf Lodge

Book ahead as the accommodation is limited at this charming old colonial lodge on a former sugar plantation. It's just 3 km (2 miles) inland from Umhlanga Rocks on the Durban coast. The lodge is on the 9th tee of one of two championship golf courses on the estate, within easy walk of the clubhouse. The courses wind through the lush subtropical vegetation and along the river offering plenty of challenges along with a fabulous setting for a day's play. There are also three pros and a driving range to help improve your game.

Hans Merensky Hotel & Spa

Right up against the boundary of northern section of the Kruger Park, this wonderful golf and spa resort offers the perfect opportunity to get in a game and a game drive at the same time. It also has a spa and a host of other activities on offer. You share the course, designed by Bob Grimsdall, with resident giraffe, zebra, crocs and other wild residents, so tuck a camera into your golf bag.