Your Golf Travel - Extraordinary Golf Experiences - Flipbook - Page 22
Safari Golf: Birdies And Buffaloes
For adventure seekers and wildlife enthusiasts,
no trip to South Africa would be complete
without sampling the thrill of catching sight of a
pride of lions basking in the sunshine, a herd of
elephants marching in line through the bush, or
a family of rhinos rolling about in the mud on a
riverbank. Here you can do just that in the wild
and at numerous well-managed game reserves,
many of which feature golf courses nearby.
‘Safari Golf’ is a game of its own, with the
qualities particular to this version including
having to occasionally move your ball away
from sizeable animal droppings, navigate your
way around ants nests, watching out for spitting
cobras when searching through the rough,
while keeping a keen eye open for hungry
crocodiles when playing near water. Along with
these rather novel hazards, there is also the
opportunity to view some of Africa’s finest wild
animals while hunting for birdies and eagles of
your own on a variety of stunning golf courses
carved out of the Bushveld.
For those set on seeing the ‘Big Five’—lion,
elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros—a
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visit to the province of Limpopo (formerly
Northern Transvaal) is highly recommended.
Serving as the border between South Africa
and Zimbabwe, this region is home to 80 per
cent of the country’s private game reserves,
as well as a growing number of five-star golf
resorts, such as Koro Creek Golf Estate,
Elements Private Golf Reserve, Zebula Golf
Estate and Spa, and the daddy of them all,
Legend Golf & Safari Resort.
Built on a grand scale, with a huge game
reserve surrounding the manicured estate,
Legend boasts a luxury hotel, plus a number
of private lodges, and a 7,100-yard golf course
that features 18 signature holes designed
by some of the game’s top players of today
and yesteryear, including Justin Rose, Luke
Donald, and Sergio Garcia. Although it’s a
superb course in its own right, its fame is
mainly due to the launch of its ‘Extreme 19th’,
a loosely designated par-3 hole which requires
a helicopter ride to the top of a mountain, from
where you are required to launch a tee shot over
the edge of a 400-metre escarpment to a green
shaped to look like Africa on the valley below.
yourgolftravel.com // 0800 193 6628 // South Africa
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