Bay of plenty

MAKING a phone call on the golf course is usually viewed as one step removed from kicking your ball out of the rough and is likely to be followed by a hushed message that the secretary 'would like a quick word'.

But at St Francis Links there’s no need for concern as this local call takes place between the 9th tee and the nearby clubhouse and lasts as long as it takes to say 'two full breakfasts, coffee and an orange juice please'.

The only downside about stopping is you have to call a temporary halt to proceedings on the course. The first nine holes began as the sun slowly showed his face, with woolly hats and cups of coffee to keep warm, and ended in shorts and glorious sunshine – and this was still winter on the Eastern Cape!

The St Francis Links course, as the name suggests, is links in design and Jack Nicklaus described it as 'the finest piece of links land I have ever worked with, anywhere in the world...'.

Some statement but, after nine holes, easy to believe. Visit Kingsbarns, which was opened in 2000, and it is hard to stop wondering how you can get a course to look so good in so little time.

This has been open less than a year but your thoughts are the same.

The bunker down the left catches your eye on the 1st tee and this becomes a similar theme throughout the round – take on the carry and you will be rewarded, while a safer line will leave you a trickier second.

Despite the time of year the greens were superb, some more undulating than others, but always a test of your nerve and putting stroke, and the views are immense, particularly from the par-four 5th tee.

If you are lucky enough to play here take a moment to take a picture or two from the upper tee before trying to unleash one on to the punchbowl green.

Most of us will fail but both 'shots' are worth it. The best part of this experience though, even more than the spectacular scenery, undulating dunes or unique whiff of the fynbos, is the variety of holes.

Every tee presents a different challenge. Both the par fives require a different type of strategy, one par three is played over water while the other, 'Double Vision', has two greens depending which tee you’re playing from.

The nine closes, as it begins, with a brace of par fours, and the two hardest on the front side. The 8th, 'Eye of the Needle', is played between two dune-scapes and requires your most accurate tee-shot of the day, though a fairway wood will thankfully suffice.

Then the 9th, 'Pure', is likely to be played into the wind and will take two mighty blows to get up. Make a four here and breakfast, or a homemade pie, will taste that bit sweeter.

The camera will soon be out again at the 11th, 'Eish!', which is pronounced 'aye-sh' in the native tongue and means something like goodness me or wow.

When you reach the turn in the fairway you will understand how the hole got its name. Water comes into play at the par-five 13th, stroke index 18, and named 'Bear Claws' on the card, but it is out of reach in two and on your third you will need the blinkers on to blank out the lake.

The next, a par three played over more water, is one of the more photographed holes and the 'Get Up' title gives some indication of where the trouble lies. The 16th is the second hardest on the card and 630 yards off the tips.

It has a creek separating the fairway all the way to the green and will test your course management skills to their limit.

Then comes the 17th and my particular favourite view – the beautiful St Francis Bay with its white-walled homes, thatched roofs and intricate canals in the foreground and Indian Ocean behind.

There is just time to dump one into the water at the last, and thereby lose the match, but I shake hands buoyed by the last few hours. As golfing experiences go this was one of the most relaxing, invigorating and enjoyable mornings of my life, so much so that I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to do it all again after a quick but satisfying bite to eat.

With another 18 holes under our belt it was time to take a well-earned rest in the luxurious clubhouse. Like all the best 19th holes it is welcoming, comfortable and steeped in memorabilia which embraces Nicklaus' outstanding career.

There is a choice of venues to eat – Jack's Bar, which offers the perfect retreat to wile away the hours dissecting the round as well as sampling the local brew or even a cocktail or two in front of two huge plasma televisions.

Otherwise there is the St Francis Links Restaurant, which is perched above the course and places huge emphasis on using the freshest of produce and it's well worth trying out some of the seafood options.

And if you're in need of some rejuvenation there is the excellent spa downstairs to treat your mind, body and soul.

A few days in St Francis Bay is as good as it gets in terms of a golfing getaway – year-round sunshine, cheap green fees, a friendly environment and magical golf are four boxes that it ticks immediately.

But if you're not here with your clubs there is still plenty to get stuck into, particularly if you enjoy the outdoor lifestyle. All manner of water sports are on offer – St Francis is home to Bruce's Beauties, one of the world's best-known beach breaks which was featured in the 1960s cult film Endless Summer – or you can take things a little easier with a trip on the network of canals or down the Kromme river.

Otherwise there are walks and trails, dominated by the colourful fynbos, a commercial harbour in the port full of chokka (squid) boats and a shopping centre, while the town is ringed by a series of nature reserves.

The commanding lighthouse, now a national monument, was once described as the loneliest in Africa. Time your visit right and you can also sample the Easter Affair or popular Calamari Festival in late September.

Nothing is too strenuous and once the light drops all that is left to do is decide whether you fancy eating South African, Greek, Mediterranean or Italian. Local fresh fish and calamari are popular though you might like to try an ostrich kebab in the Big Time taverna.

I never thought I would be recommending such a dish but it was genuinely fantastic. The town, just over 50 years old, has been built on careful planning so the ugliness of some of modern-day life has bypassed St Francis.

The housing, if not thatched, will be Mediterranean-styled in appearance with terracotta tiles and the guesthouses will take the form of lodges or self-catering. Day three, the first was spent ‘acclimatising’ with a sublime hot stone treatment in the clubhouse aqua spa, and it was back to the golf course at the St Francis Bay Golf Club.

Another dawn tee-time but this time we were joined by a couple of the local caddies, Chris and George, to guide us over the par-71 holiday track. Within a couple of holes it was obvious Chris knew every little nuance of the course and every break on the marble-like greens.

On the few occasions I have been lucky enough to have a caddy I’ve always felt under a bit of pressure to perform, after having to listen to stories about their last sub-par effort, or being given over-precise information. There was none of that here, a funny look was enough to tell me I was biting off more than I could chew and a little, knowing smile confirmed that we had got something right.

By half eight we stopped for a quick coffee at the turn and by the 180-yard 14th tee it was down to shirt sleeves. It is the local custom here to have a little wager on which caddy would finish closest to the pin.

Both gripped the club 'cack-handed' but swung their mid irons with a grace that had been absent for the last two days. George hit a five-iron to 20 feet, Chris coaxed his six to four feet. There was mention earlier in the round that he played off nine, he now added after splitting the fairway at the next some 310 yards away in the distance, this time with a wink, that he won pretty much everything.

In under three hours we all shook hands and I headed to Port Elizabeth and the airport, vowing to soon return to this magical little corner of South Africa – and toying with the idea of going cack-handed for 2008.