Beautiful South

When visiting a country the size of France and Spain combined you are unlikely to struggle for things to amuse yourself. Throw in a beautiful climate, outdoor pursuits to suit every need, a vast collection of national parks and some of the most amazing golf courses on the planet and you're left wondering why you haven't already discovered South Africa by Mark Townsend.

Let's start with the golf. Bobby Locke and Gary Player flew the country's flag for three decades and in recent years Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have taken on the baton. Between them they have already pocketed 18 Major titles and the number could grow significantly in the next decade with the likes of Rory Sabbatini, Trevor Immelman,Tim Clark and Richard Sterne coming through.

Player has had a major hand in designing many of the country's most renowned tracks - Leopard Creek, on the border of the world-famous Kruger Park, is perhaps the best known, while The Links at Fancourt, situated on the picturesque southern Cape, played host to the most dramatic Presidents Cup clash in 2003, when the teams tied, despite Tiger Woods and Els trying to tip the balance over three play-off holes.

The Gary Player Country Club in Sun City is another that has been on our radar since the early 1980s. This is the home of the Nedbank Challenge, where Ian Woosnam landed a winner-takes-all m in 1987, and a dozen of the world's best return year after year to try and follow suit.

This year, following Sun City, the European Tour moved to South Africa for a three-week stint, stopping off at Leopard Creek for the Alfred Dunhill Championship, Humewood in Port Elizabeth for the South African Airways Open and then up to Royal Johannesburg and Kensington for the inaugural Joburg Open.

For the 2008 season the country's national Open - the second oldest in the world - will be played at Pearl Valley, based in the Cape Winelands area and it will remain there for the next three years, which is a first for the tournament. These events prove South Africa plays a big part in world golf and there are well over 400 other courses to choose from, many of them
championship standard, and the vast majority of them are likely to be stunning.

My latest experience was a recent trip to St Francis Bay to play the Jack Nicklaus signature course there and it's fair to say it was one of a handful of occasions - Kingsbarns, Sawgrass and Carnoustie being the others - where I walked off the 18th with a glow of huge satisfaction, not thinking for a minute about how I'd played.

But enough of the golf, for now. All nine of the provinces (plus Lesotho and Swaziland) offer a number of reasons to visit, though the more popular destinations are based in the east or the west. The former will be approached via Johannesburg, a lively fast-paced city which has seen recent additions to demonstrate the history of the country. The Apartheid Museum in Gold Reef City and the Museum Africa in Newtown are both worth a mention while, for the sporting fanatics, there is Ellis Park, scene of the inspiring Rugby World Cup win for the Springboks in 1995, and the Wanderers, home to the Cricket World
Cup final four years ago.

Sport plays a big part in the country's tourism and it is fast catching up after so many years in the wilderness. This year they staged the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup and in three years the world's leading footballers will gather here for the World Cup, the first time the competition has visited the continent. Rugby is traditionally the main sport in South Africa but golf is catching up - fast.

To the north west of Johannesburg is the magnificent Kruger National Park, the emblem of the country's tourism. It stretches across two provinces, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, and is a 414-kilometre drive from the north to the south gate. The best times of day for game viewing are early morning or late afternoon - like humans the animals also tend to sleep during the hottest parts of the day!

Moving down from the east, Durban is situated on the coast in the Kwazulu-Natal province and the beaches here are the most developed and surf fans regularly flock to Jeffrey's Bay on the Eastern Cape, a few kilometres from St Francis Bay. If you're very lucky, you may be joined on the waves by a few dolphins in this area.

To the west is the start of the Garden Route, a place to explore indigenous forest, enjoy South Africa's most popular hike - the Otter trail - shop, do a spot of sightseeing or try some of the adventure sports on offer. And if there was any spare time in your schedule you may want to drop by the likes of Fancourt, Humewood, Oubaai, Pezula or St Francis Links for a quick 18.

Shamwari, a game reserve 65 kilometres north of Port Elizabeth, has become a destination for the rich and famous, such as Brad Pitt, John Travolta and Tiger Woods, though the world No 1 was less than happy after news was leaked of his marriage proposal to Elin Nordegren at the reserve after the Presidents Cup in 2003.

The Garden Route and Cape Town enjoy a Mediterranean climate with the best time to visit, according to the locals, being March to May when the temperatures have dropped and the majority of the tourists have gone home. Cape Town is the country's most visited destination with Table Mountain standing proudly in the middle of the city, offering stunning views of its surrounds.

Other 'must-see' and notable attractions are Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for nearly two decades, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Point and the Bo-Kaap, one of Cape Town's oldest and most interesting residential areas.
And if wine is your passion, Winelands, within a 60-kilometre radius of the city, has over 100 estates, with most offering breathtaking scenery and, better still, free tasting, though beer indisputably remains the national drink.

Other benefits of visiting South Africa is that EU nationals do not require a visa and you can put aside most of the health fears that may be justified in some parts of the continent. Travelling around is also straightforward with well-organised public transport, a good network of internal flights and the best road system in Africa with a wide range of car rental companies.

Food, on the whole, means meat, though you could branch out from a traditionally huge steak and try ostrich or giraffe, both of which are very tasty once you get your head around what's in front of you! Finally, back to the golf. You can comfortably play at any time of the year, though their winter (our summer) can get a bit nippy, so it makes sense to take your trip during the British winter. A local caddy (or green fee) won't break the bank, and should add plenty to the experience, and the natural beauty and wildlife should be enough to inspire all of us to hit the odd good shot.