Back home

Now we are back home after a wonderful holiday in South Africa. Annika and Tiger are very happy and cute - and are around us all the time. The last10 days of our trip after our visit to Holger Jensen was just perfect. In nine days we played nine of the Top 30 courses in South Africa - rated by Golf Digest, March 2011 - se the whole rating here 

Clubhouse of Zebula

 From Pretoria we drove 2 ½ hours north via Bela Bela to a lodge - Botse Botse, located at Zebula golf course. We came out on the golfcourse just after noon, and had a round where we were almost alone - it was Sunday afternoon and most of the locals had played in the morning and was on their way home to Johannesburg/Pretroria. The last 4 holes it with as fenced greens – protection against the many animals, such as giraffes - zebras, wildebeests, warthog and impalas in the area.

Elements Hole 18

The next day we went to the Elements Golf Course, which is a fantastic and amazing course, and a  course we must play again. Our lodge Botse Botse were not quite as good as it sounds on their website - the room was OK, but we looked straight out into a railings, and that despite the fact that the lodge is situated in a magnificent wide natural area.

We left Botse Botse 18th January morning and drove on the normal roads – not the motorway via Pretoria - to Sun City where we had made a good deal at the Palace of Lost City. We have stayed there before and it's just a great experience.

That afternoon we played Garry Player course. You can only walk, mostly with a caddie. Niels plays brilliantly with caddy while Anne finds it very difficult.

Garry Player Hole 9

  
The day after Anne took a day off from golf and Niels played again Garry Player, and came out with 3 well playing South Africans. 2 nights at The Palace, it was check out time.
 
Next day we played "Lost City", which Anne likes much better. And it is a good course, but/and there are no caddies! Both courses are very good.

Lost City Hole 9 & 18

 After the round we drove to Hartbeestpoort where we had found a lovely B & B with the possibility to dine, and where we had a wonderful room with a huge balcony with a 270 degree view to Hartbeestpoort Dam. We had a nice evening where we saw a few episodes of "Mad Men".

Next day we went out on Pecanwood Golf Course - a supreme course,  which is surrounded by houses, but delicately done, as there were lots of trees and bushes covering the houses. We got an offer - 720 ZAR for 2 green fee including buggy. It was a beautiful day. And later we had another wonderful evening with an early dinner, which was prepared especially for us and then afterwards some sections of the tv serie Mad Man.

Our balcony with this beautiful view

     

   

Pecanwood Golf

 

Saturday 21st Jan. we drove south of Johannesburg to "Eye of Africa" a complete new course made by Greg Norman, and which has been rated as the best new course in SA in 2011, and it is also Greg Norman's first course in SA. A super nice course, but unfortunately there is being built some - in our opinion - rather ugly house around it. Lets hope they also will be covered by trees.

Eye of Africa - Hole 18

After the round we drove towards Kempton Park - about 10 km from the airport in Johannesburg - where we through Tripadvisor had found a small boutique hotel, where - if you booked within 2 days before arrival - for ZAR 1800 had B & B & D - and what a dinner. It is long time ago we had such a delicious dinner - and what more it was only us at the hotel. The place is called African Rock Hotel, and the chef is named Christina.

Our room that was a bit dark - we have found out that we want rooms with great view. - next time Room 2

  
The following day - Sunday 22 January - we had again been given time on the Serengeti and this time we managed to play all 18 holes. The course is gorgeous and also a course that must be experienced again.

Serengeti Hole 8

Unfortunately we came out with 2 weeks guys, one definitely could not play golf.Serengeti is a Jack Nicklaus course and won The Best New Course in 2010 and the opening drive was made by Jack Nicklaus. Serengetti housed South African Open in November 2011.

 The afternoon was spent repacking so everything could be compressed to be something suitable to air transport.
 
Monday 23 November we had to fly home at 20:12, but we had just reached a round at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Course - East Course, where a week earlier had been the Johannesburg Open. Lovely old track, which definitely also a track to be played again, but otherwise not it one track where you need to run around.

Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club

 You can read more about the courses in South Africa - see rating, green fee, accommodation etc - at this link

The trip home to F went fine even though we were 1 hour late from Joeburg due to air conditioning problems in the plane and then we also had a more than usually sour and poor service on the plane - we sat on the top floor of the 747. Maybe BA will soon get some new planes and some younger stewardesses ... Anne also had time to get a sore throat and have had to stay in bed for almost a week.

When we got home we had great weather - it had not rained since the first December, but now the 29th of January 2012 it rains.

While we were in Gauteng (JoBurg area) the area around the Kruger Park had heavy rain - so much rain that the roads and bridges was washed away - and Idube was closed for a few days. (345 mm in 3 days!) But we were out a few days before the rain. The picture is from the camp we stayed at the last night in Kruger.

Now we are really looking forward to the next golf vacation, which in March go to the southernmost Spain – golf school - and then to yet another African journey, as we celebrate Anne's 60th birthday in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya in August 2012.

No more planning for now.
All the best Anne and Niels
29.01.2012