Round the cape

Richard Gillis tests the South African 
course that challenges even the best pros

Pearl Valley Golf Estates sits to the north of Stellenbosch in the heart of Cape wine country, where vineyards run for miles in the shadows of the Drakenstein mountains. Close by, one of the 20th century’s defining moments took place, when Nelson Mandela walked free from Victor Verster prison after 27 years in captivity. The jail is now a regular stop-off on the wine trail that cuts through this stunning piece of land. 


The course and accompanying real estate was recently bought by aggressively expanding Dubai company Leisurecorp, which believes that the prospect of golf and wine will bring a stream of buyers to the multi-million rand homes clustered around the course – a business model borrowed from its other project, Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Property-driven deals such as these have turned Leisurecorp into one of the powerbrokers of the world game. The company’s influence extends to Scotland, where it bought Turnberry, the course that hosts the 2009 Open Championship, for just shy of €65m. It is also funding the European Tour’s new €20m season finale, the Dubai World Championship. 


The success or failure of projects such as Pearl Valley is crucial to professional golf’s future. If the wealthy stop buying houses on courses, the money stops flowing into golf, particularly top-end multi-million dollar new builds. Currently the money is rolling into Pearl Valley. The South African Open will be hosted for the foreseeable future and more luxury accommodation is being added ahead of next year’s World Cup, when it will host some of the teams playing in the tournament. 


On Leisurecorp’s vast payroll is Greg Norman and his new wife Chris Evert, who regularly arrive by private jet. A new 18-hole course is being built, designed by Norman, and Evert will open a tennis academy.


The existing Jack Nicklaus course stands 6,801 metres off the back tees and is a tough test for the even the best pros. Only a couple finished under par during this year’s South Africa Open. But from the members’ tees, the length ranges from a more friendly 4,685 to 5,876 metres. 


Nicklaus’s courses are renowned for their extensive bunkering but here, while numerous, they are not frightening, offering an easy exit in most cases. Driving is important, as is the ability to play in the wind, which whistles through the mountains and across the vineyards. 


The final four holes are long and treacherous, a mix of 400-yard par fours and a card wrecking par five to finish. There’s water, sand and that wind. Get through that lot in par and you’ll be doing very well indeed. If not, well, there’s always the scenery. And the wine is good too.

Need to know before you go


Pearl Valley Golf Estate and Spa 


Green fees: R300 (€25) for 9 holes, R500 (€40) for 18 holes. R180 (€14) for a golf cart (no caddies allowed).


Contact: +27 21 867 0761, 
www.pearlvalley.co.za


Further information: Smart/casual golfing attire. No trainers or above the knee shorts. Membership is compulsory with purchase of property. The current structure of membership is comprised of two main categories: Golf and Leisure. Leisure members currently pay a small fee for a round of golf in addition to their annual fees.


Getting there: The course is about 40 minutes by car from Cape Town airport.

Iced tee

You might think Scotland is bit chilly this time of year. And it is. But that means you can have Gleneagles all to yourself, says Brian Viner

Perthshire is not the most obvious choice for winter golf. Perth, Australia, might be a more logical destination, or indeed South Africa (see page 100). But that rather depends on whether you are a fair-weather golfer or not. To any true aficionado of the Royal and Ancient game, I could not recommend Gleneagles more enthusiastically at this time of year. And getting there from any European city is a lot less effort than flying to the other side of the world.


The green-fees are reasonable too, compared with high season. But more importantly, the courses are not over-played, they are no less beautiful than at the height of the summer and the double Glenfiddich afterwards in the clubhouse will never taste so good. Moreover, I have often made the mistake of heading to Gleneagles in July and August in the hope of fine weather, and being forced, by the second tee, into waterproofs and even a bobble hat. In the winter, it is surprising how often this equation is reversed, with layers coming off under an admittedly weak sun. 


What, though, of the King’s Course, to my mind the finest of the three 18-hole courses that the venerable resort has to offer? My first tip is to take a caddie. He will not only shave half a dozen strokes off your card by helping you through the many blind shots and reading the line of your putts, he will also add immeasurably to the whole experience. The glorious glen itself, I was told by a character called Archie, is named not because of a preponderance of eagles, but because there is an ancient church there, and the name was anglicised from Glen Eglise. 


Archie, or someone very much like him, will also put you at your ease on the first tee, which can be unusually intimidating not because it is difficult but because it is Gleneagles. I once heard of someone, a keen golfer, who simply turned tail, saying he couldn’t cope with the pressure.


Once that shot is behind you, it is almost impossible not to relish four hours or so on the King’s Course. For low handicappers, in truth, it is not a huge challenge; even off the white tees it measures less than 6,500 yards, and most of the par fives are comfortably reachable in two. This is why the 2014 Ryder Cup will take place over the more arduous, less scenic PGA Centenary Course. But the King’s plays longer in the winter, and whatever the season it remains one of the masterpieces of architect James Braid, whose ingenuity 90 years ago is best enjoyed on the 13th, a terrific par four which Braid considered the pick of the 18, hence its name, Braid’s Brawest. This might be amended to Braid’s Rawest when you play it on a bracing day in February, but you won’t forget the experience. 

Need to know before you go


King’s Course, Gleneagles


Green fees: £70 (€80) per person, between November and February. A caddie costs £43.50 (€50).


Contact: 0800 704 705 (UK) or 
+44 (0) 1764 662231


Further information: Until 30 April, 
excluding Easter, there is a reduced B&B 
price with rates starting at £230 (€265) per room, per night.


Getting there: Glasgow and Edinburgh 
airports are about an hour’s drive; the hotel can arrange transfers. By train, Gleneagles station is on the main London-to-Inverness line, about five hours from the central London railway station King’s Cross. By road, the hotel is just off the A9.