Golf + Wine

There are some things in life that go perfectly together. Chief among them are golf and wine – and in South Africa you can enjoy the best of both worlds like nowhere else.

There are close to 20 official wine routes visitors can take to explore its award-winning wineries. Most are in the Cape Winelands of Western Cape province, where the bulk of South Africa’s wine production is. But you can also visit wineries in other parts of the country, including the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

You’re never far from a golf course, either, so you can visit a winery after a round and enjoy a tour and a leisurely wine or pick up some bottles to take back to your hotel.

Many wineries also have high-class restaurants serving up local produce so you can enjoy a gourmet meal while sipping their fine wines. Even better, why not make the most of South Africa’s balmy spring, summer or autumn days and enjoy a picnic on the lawn of a wine estate with a bottle of their red or white? You can do that at places including Boschendal, in the Franschhoek Valley a short drive from Paarl Golf Club and Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate, or in the shade of ancient camphor trees at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West, close to Erinvale Golf Club’s Gary Player-designed course.

At nearby Devondale Golf & Wine Estate, you can play golf on its 18-hole course in the middle of vineyards; just 30 minutes from Cape Town and in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands, it is a working wine farm and has both a restaurant and hotel on-site. Stellenbosch and De Zalze golf clubs are also close by and are surrounded by wineries.

As if to prove the appeal of golf and wine, South African golf legends Gary Player and Ernie Els have their own wineries, both in the Stellenbosch area. You can visit Ernie’s winery from Mondays to Saturdays and try sample tastings from his range of Big Easy and Ultra-Premium wines. Player’s Quoin Rock boutique winery produces his Black Knight Wine range but is not open for tours or tastings.

The Constantia Valley is the Southern Hemisphere’s oldest wine-producing region, with a history dating back to 1685, and is the closest to Cape Town’s city centre at just a 15-20 minute drive away. Its 10 wine farms include Steenberg, which also incorporates a top-rated golf course and a hotel. Among other Cape Town golf courses are those at Royal Cape and Westlake golf clubs.
Take the Hermanus Wines Route and you can visit the wineries of Walker Bay’s Hemel-en-Aarde (heaven and earth) Valley, just behind Hermanus, as well as teeing it up at Hermanus Golf Club or at Arabella Golf Club.

And in KwaZulu-Natal, enjoy tastings and lunch overlooking one of South Africa’s highest vineyards at Abingdon Wine Estate, an hour from the fairways of Cotswold Downs Golf Club.

Cheers!