Arrival at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport, where you will be met by our representative, who will assist with the collection of your air-conditioned rental car. Drive to your hotel, a comfortable 20 minutes drive t the north, to the popular holiday and residential area of Salt Rock. Your Boutique Hotel is located right on the Indian Ocean Beach, and your room offers unrivalled ocean views. Rest of afternoon at leisure.
Today you will be playing at Princess Grant, a 30 minute drive from your hotel.
The course is a links / parklands layout, designed and constructed by Peter Matkovich. Since opening, Princes Grant golf course has flourished just as the design team intended. With large greens and impressive fairways, and views to inspire, it creates a completely unique and challenging experience for any golfer. The course has constantly been ranked as one of the top courses in the country. Princes Grant consistently ranks in the Top 30 courses and Top 5 Coastal Golf Courses in South Africa, and has recently been ranked 19th in SA and 3rd in KwaZulu-Natal by the UK based company Best 100 Golf Courses in the World. It is one of 28 courses in South Africa where the golfer will receive a 5 star golf experience and has earned Platinum Status. Signature Hole – hole 15, par 5: The 15th hole is an excellent par-five with superb views 60km all the way along the coast towards Umhlanga. This fairway, which runs parallel to the sea, offers commanding views of the course and the surrounding countryside.
After golf, return to your hotel. Rest of day at leisure.
Drive a short distance (approximately 20 minutes) to Zimbali Golf Course: Offering irresistible ocean and forest views, exceptional water and wetland features and an inspiring natural setting. International golf course designer and former British and South African PGA champion, Tom Weiskopf, had to integrate a course into a residential property with dramatic elevation changes and varying eco-systems. The end result is a prestigious course that is ecologically sound, yet it maximizes the natural landscape. Having been described as "an enthralling journey through 18 holes," the changing terrain stretches the skill yet captivates its golfers. With the Weiskopf philosophy of "presenting a fair challenge to any level of play," the essence of this course is that it will reward the good shot and punish the bad. The need to retain the ecology and extensive wildlife habitats dictates the positioning, abundance and controlled maintenance of the semi and long rough areas. This ultimately necessitates some precise shot making indeed and also contributes to an entertaining challenge for all players. Return to your hotel.
A 20-minute drive brings you to Umhlali Country Club Golf Course. The 18 hole Peter Matkovich designed golf course, known as the gem of the North Coast, melts in with indigenous vegetation where friendsand fowl feel welcome. Super Dwarf Paspalum Greens in all year-round great condition and beautifully manicured fairways provides for an easy walk for the skilled as well as the not so skilled golfer. “Golf is not only about scoring, especially on an estate. It is a walk in the park; the environment and character of the course should create a natural and tranquil enjoyment of its own. The animals, insects and birds plus the growth of the trees should score as much as birdies and pars”, says golf course designer Peter Matkovich.
Signature hole: Hole 14 par 4 stroke 13: Described as a risk and reward hole, plays 274 meters from the men’s club tees. Some of the features are a water hazard left of the fairway, and a big fairway bunker on the right. A small water hazard runs through the fairway about 150 meters from the tee box. The green is protected by 4 bunkers. The average golfer will either lay up short of the water hazard or hit a longer club to just clear the water. Your better player will try and be more aggressive, take a risk and go for the green, but with all these hazards in place a precise shot will be required.
A day to relax at Salt Rock. Enjoy 180 degree views over the ocean, the sound of waves crashing metres away, and a feeling of utter tranquillity. Experience the serene environment, being served cocktails, and savour the smell of the sea breeze while enjoying culinary delights prepared by the in-house executive chef.
Safe bathing is offered by the many rock pools and coves that Salt Rock is renowned for.
Leave Salt Rock and drive to Durban (approximately 30 minutes’ drived). Today promises to be another unforgettable day of golf - at Durban Country Club Golf Course. A stunningly beautiful golf course, located a stone’s throw away from the beach and from the new World Cup 2010 soccer stadium. A course steeped in tradition and history, Durban Country Club boasts the unique claim of being the only course on the African continent to be rated in the Top 100 Golf Courses of the World by Golf Magazine USA. A combination of lush vegetation, sand dunes and stunning views of the Indian Ocean make this course one of the most unique, and challenging, in all the world. One of the defining characteristics of Durban Country Club are the massive undulations in the fairways, especially the 5th, 8th and 17th.
The course was built on large and interesting sand dunes. Signature Hole – Hole 3, par 5: The 3rd hole, a 468-metre par 5, is rated the best third in the world. It requires players to hit their tee shot from the highest point on the course, overlooking the Indian Ocean, into a valley below completely exposing their drive to the ocean gusts. Players must avoid the trees on the right of this straight-away hole, but also miss the large fairway bunker that sits in the landing area on the left. Large trees protect the green's left portion and will also punish any shot hit too long. Check in at your hotel located in Umhlanga Rocks, again – right on the beach.
A drive inland from Durban (approximately 45 minutes from your hotel) brings you to Cotswold Downs Golf Course. This magnificent 18-hole signature course, designed by the renowned Peter Matkovich, is built to USGA standards. It was rated the best conditioned course in KZN and one of the finest in the country by Complete Golfer - 2008. The Cotswold Downs golf course is a model of excellent design in which golf and nature go hand in hand. The elevation of the land provides some spectacular fairways, while the wetlands, ponds and dams create outstanding natural water features. As a finishing touch, bent grass greens create a superior putting surface. Cotswold Downs is designed in such a way that strike lines are much further than at any other golf estate, which means that homes on the estate will not intrude on the golf course and vice versa. Return to your hotel.
After breakfast, check out of your hotel, and drive to Durban’s International Airport – just 15 minutes from your hotel.
