Limpopo Province – South Africa’s Golf & Safari Capital

South Africa has long been established as a genuine golf holiday destination, yet the bulk of the focus has traditionally fallen on Cape Town and the Garden Route, where the picturesque coastline and its vineyards have long held appeal, particularly with Northern European golfers who appreciate the negligible time difference. However, in a country whose landscape looks set to transform – South Africa hosts the upcoming World Cup – golf is a growing business, with new courses and resorts emerging at a terrific pace.

And the emergence is not limited to South Africa’s recognised golfing regions; the most notable example of this is the Limpopo Province, located some 2-3 hours north of Johannesburg and easily accessed via the excellent N1 motorway. Development has continued apace in recent years, and the result is a collection of golf estates and golf resorts that deserve undivided attention. These are led by Legend Resort, a unique vision for golf and hospitality in South Africa, and joined by the regional golf estates at Euphoria, Zebula and Elements to create a truly viable international tourist destination.

There are two key factors that will help the Limpopo golf resorts to attraction international golfers: first up, the properties have formed an association to help with mutually beneficial marketing and multi-stop packages; the second factor is that Limpopo offers malaria-free Big 5 safari, the only such destination that can do so with top class championship golf options next door.

Your golf adventure in Limpopo, and the beautiful Waterberg region in which the courses are located, can naturally be tailored to specific needs and desires, but the distinct character of the various estates and their golf courses lends itself to a ‘tour’ of some sort, encompassing all or some along the way. The geography of the properties is suitable for a duration of 7 or 8 nights in total, during which groups will be able to enjoy four spectacular courses, luxury accommodation and wonderful game drives.

The most obvious way to enjoy this stunning region is by heading to the well equipped Zebula Golf Estate & Spa, approximately two hours from Johannesburg Airport, located close to the town of Bela-Bela. Zebula is arguably the most developed of the Limpopo golf resorts, with a range of accommodation options, wildlife attractions and paved roads all the way to the doorstep. Entertainment can be had with Zebula’s cheetah run, where the two cheetahs can reach speeds of 100 km/h, the countless onsite animals that include lion and tiger cubs, an aviary, crocodile pool and game drives into the neighbouring reserve, home to some of the Big 5.

From Zebula, where the resort course is an enjoyable experience for any standard of golfer, groups can either make a day trip to play at the Elements Golf Reserve, or stop for a game on route to the Euphoria Estate & Hydro. Elements is approximately 45 minutes from Zebula, and there are grand plans to transform it into an all encompassing resort with luxury hotel accommodation, but at this stage it is worth visiting solely to experience the monumental golf course.

Already ranked inside South Africa’s top ten courses and only a couple of years old, Elements is a gem of a championship track, conceived by Peter Matkovich and boasting a splendid deluxe clubhouse. Spectacular natural scenery is an added bonus to what is a testing layout, and while accessing Elements is not the easiest – expect unpaved roads that can be bumpy at times – travelling this far and not playing the course would be a real shame.

Unless you are a top class golfer, it’s likely that you will need a rest after Elements, and that is where the Euphoria Estate & Hydro comes to the rescue. This well operated resort – approximately 1hr 15 from Elements – is a place to relax, enjoy the hospitality and another fabulous golf course, spa treatments and, what must be unique among golf resorts the world over, an onsite cable car with a restaurant at the summit.

Euphoria’s golf course is the first signature design from Annika Sorenstam, and the result is a splendid layout, both relaxing and challenging, with an absence of overbearing property development, and completion at a terrific clubhouse. The accommodation at Euphoria is excellent, and the cake’s icing is without doubt the Sundowner Restaurant, a mountain top delight only accessible by the state-of-the-art cable car gondola, from which the views are incredible.

After a comfortable stay at Euphoria, it will be on to the final stop on the Limpopo sojourn – the Legend Golf & Safari Resort. Though not fully complete, the Legend Resort will realise an amazing vision for a golf, leisure, safari and conference destination in South Africa. Even before all the moving parts are unveiled, the Legend Resort is already the focal point and de facto star of the region.

Accommodation at Legend is based on a collection of superbly equipped guest rooms, which are privately owned and released back for rental purposes, but the real highlights are the onsite activities; in addition to amazing Big 5 game drives, the Signature Course is a unique concept for golf, where 18 of the world’s top professionals designed one hole each, including Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh. The course is a gem, and is played out in the shadow of the Hanglip Mountain. This stunning peak is the cornerstone of the resort, and in fact is the starting point (literally) for the most incredible experience in golf: the Xtreme 19th Hole.

It is all but impossible to describe the feeling of smashing a ball off the edge of a cliff towards a green – shaped and contoured like the African continent – that lies 400 metres away both vertically and horizontally. A well struck drive takes between 18 and 25 seconds to reach the ground, which seems like eternity when you are up there, and the ‘real’ distance translates to something like a 250-yard drive to reach safe ground. The kicker at the Xtreme 19th is that a first shot hole-in-one carries a reward of $1 million! Add to this the exhilarating helicopter transfer to the mountain peak and back and you have a once-in-a-lifetime experience like no other.

Legend is well placed for the final leg of a golf tour in the Limpopo Province, with the return transfer to Johanneburg a smooth ride of around three hours. The direct flight from northern Europe means that Limpopo is fine for a 7 or 8 night round trip, but it is also ideal for twinning with Sun City, a couple of hours West of Jo’burg, as well as both the Cape Town area and Mauritius, both of which are reachable on short onward flights.

Packaged golf holidays to the Limpopo Province, as well as bespoke and multi-centre trips, are available with Your Golf Travel. To enquire or for further information, call 0800 043 6644 or email info@yourgolftravel.com.