A round of golf used to be the whole trip. For a growing number of our guests, it's now the anchor for something bigger — a week that mixes championship courses with game drives, spa time and long dinners, rather than four rounds back to back and not much else.
We've watched this shift happen in our own bookings over the past few years, and it changes how we build an itinerary.
Golf as the anchor, not the whole itinerary
The guests who ask us for a golf-and-safari or golf-and-wine trip aren't looking to fit sightseeing around their tee times — they want the two woven together: a morning round at a course that borders a game reserve, an afternoon game drive from the same lodge, dinner that has nothing to do with golf at all. Leopard Creek and Legends Golf & Safari Resort were built for exactly this kind of day.
Longer stays, more varied days
Where a golf trip to South Africa once meant five or six nights and four rounds, we're increasingly building longer itineraries that mix in wine country, the Garden Route's coastline and a few days in the bush. More time means more room for the days that aren't about golf at all — a cellar tour in Franschhoek, a whale-watching afternoon near Hermanus, a full day in Kruger.
What this means for planning your trip
If you're weighing up a golf-only trip against something broader, our honest advice is to build in the extra days if you can. South Africa's courses are the draw, but the country's range — coastline, winelands, bushveld — is what makes a longer trip feel entirely different from a long weekend. We can put together either kind of itinerary, but the guests who come back tend to be the ones who gave themselves room to see more than the fairways.
Thinking about a longer, more varied golf trip to South Africa? Get in touch and we'll help you plan it →