Life’s a beach in South Africa. The Rainbow Nation has some of the best beaches in the world along its 3,200km coastline – and around 40 of them have Blue Flag status. Another 30 have been given a pilot ranking, the first stage to full recognition.
South Africa was the first country outside of Europe to gain Blue Flag accreditation for its beaches, recognising water quality and environmental management, when it adopted the programme in 2001.
You can find Blue Flag beaches throughout the coastlines of Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. There are golf courses close to all of them, so golfers can relax and chill out on their pristine sands after a round.
Known for its endless stretches of golden sands lapped by the warm Indian Ocean and long, warm summers, KwaZulu-Natal encompasses the most northerly of South Africa’s Blue Flag beaches. Several are north of Durban, where golf is on offer at places including Prince’s Grant Golf Estate and Umhlali Country Club.
South of Durban, the 120km of KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast bekons with another slew of Blue Flag designated beaches, from inviting sands minutes from the golf courses of Selborne Park and Umdoni Park golf clubs to a cluster between seaside town Margate and the Eastern Cape boundary that includes two alongside golf resort San Lameer. Just over the border in Eastern Cape, 20 minutes from them, the Wild Coast Sun Resort has a testing Gary Player course.
Eastern Cape’s other Blue Flag winners past and present are spread along its southern coast from Hamburg, west of East London, to surfers’ favourite Jeffreys Bay, close to Port Elizabeth. Humewood Beach, one of two gold Blue Flag award holders in South Africa, has been recognised every year of the programme and is just 5km from the challenging links of Humewood Golf Club. There is also golf close to flag-holding beaches at Fish River Sun and St Francis Links.
Western Cape has more accredited beaches than the other provinces combined, at well over 20. The Garden Route, which stretches for more than 200km, has a dozen Blue Flag beaches alone, the highest concentrations being around Mossel Bay and Plettenburg Bay.
There are also fairways aplenty here, including at Pinnacle Point Beach and Golf Resort, Fancourt, Oubaai Hotel, Golf & Spa, George Golf Club and Plettenberg Bay Country Club.
Grotto Beach at Hermanus is South Africa’s other Blue Flag record holder and gold award winner and there are two other flagged beaches in the area. Golf is right on the doorstep at Hermanus Golf Club and Arabella Hotel & Spa.
Cape Town also weighs in with seven Blue Flag beaches of its own, among them Camps Bay, below iconic Table Mountain, and Boulders Beach, famous for its resident colony of penguins. Nearby golf courses you can tee it up on include the Metropolitan, Royal Cape, Steenberg and Westlake golf clubs.
You may not be happy if your ball finds the sand traps on South Africa’s golf courses, but you’ll love finding yourself on its award-winning beaches.
Knysna
