St Francis Links Challenge

SOUTH AFRICA is a must for golfers and non-golfers alike. The size of France and Spain combined, it offers a large, diverse and beautiful backdrop for a holiday and is also relatively inexpensive, particularly in green fees, compared to Europe.

There is also year-round sunshine to enjoy and a whole host of sights and activities to explore. St Francis Bay incorporates all these attractions. A few days in this picturesque part of the Eastern Cape is as good as it gets in terms of a golfing getaway. There is the Jack Nicklaus-designed St Francis Links, which staged a Sunshine Tour event in September, while there is also the less punishing, but equally as enjoyable, St Francis Bay.

The links is a classic and certainly one to look out for in the coming years. The views are stunning and the variety of holes is just as rewarding. Each tee presents a different challenge and is framed against a backdrop of undulating dunes and the unique whiff of the fynbos, a native plant, after which the estate is named.

The 9th is the stand-out hole, in terms of difficulty as well as having a telephone box on the tee so that you can order your breakfast on the veranda of the clubhouse. The view from the 17th tee is worth the visit alone with the nearby town, with its white-walled homes, thatched roofs and intricate canals in the foreground and Indian Ocean behind.

For the non-golfer there are all manner of water sports on offer, walks and trails dominated by the fynbos, the harbour and a shopping centre while the town is ringed by a series of nature reserves which can be easily explored. You will never be rushed in St Francis Bay and when the light drops all that is left to decide is whether to tuck into a superb, succulent steak or the local fresh fish - calamari being the local specialty.

Now National Club Golfer are offering you the chance to experience the magnificent St Francis Links at first hand in a unique competition in the spring. The event will include a welcome reception, practice round and two rounds of Stableford competition which will all be followed by a gala dinner and prize giving. All the golf, including carts and food at the halfway house, is free and there will be subsidised flights and accommodation, which includes breakfast.

There are spaces available for 80 golfers PLUS partners and there will be plenty of time to enjoy the surrounds of St Francis Bay as well as the beautiful Garden Route.

More information on the course and nearby town can be found at the website www.stfrancislinks.co.za and to register your interest in this superb five-day break contact Lloyd@pinhighgroup.com

What you can look forward to
* Five-day holiday in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa
* Subsidised flights and accommodation
* 36-hole Stableford competition on the magnificent St Francis Links, plus a practice round beforehand
* All golf, including carts and food during your rounds, included
* Time set aside to explore local area

For our travel piece on St Francis Bay click here
For more information on South Africa click here