Captainron
Big Hitting, South African Sweary Person
South Africa is beautiful, and I mean, stunningly beautiful.
It is also blessed with some great golf courses. There‘s a negligible time difference so jet lag isn’t an issue. Couple that with a currency which isn’t particularly strong and good weather and I believe you have a brilliant golf destination!
It isn’t as dangerous as people think. Cars don’t have flame throwers as standard – that‘s an expensive optional extra. Use your common sense as you would in any foreign country and you will be fine. South Africans are very much a sporty, outdoor people and some of the friendliest you will ever meet. We love to braai, have a drink and chat.
Okay, so it’s an 11 hour overnight flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg. There are direct 5 flights a night from Heathrow (2 x BA, 2 x SAA and 1 x Virgin) and these are always full. So 1500 folk a day can’t be wrong can they? These flights if booked early enough are between £500 and £600.
They drive on the left in South Africa so there's no change there. Car hire is good value with an SUV costing around £250 per week. Fuel is also cheap at around 70p per liter.
I wouldn’t bother with staying in hotels as these are mostly in the Central Business Districts which are empty at night. I would rather look to hire a house/room in the most affluent suburb in the place you are in if in a city. This won’t be as expensive either.
Eating out is also great value. Most meals will set you back int he region of £6 a head if your’e at your run of the mill eateries. If you choose to cook for yourself you will find shopping really cheap. I found a 1kg tomahawk steak at a good butcher for £3. That’s some eating! Drink is also cheap with beer being less than £1 per pint and a normal wine costing around £3 per bottle.
South Africa has everything in terms of scenery. It is regularly ranked as the most beautiful country in the world. It has stunning beaches, deserts, mountains, forests, rolling hills and some of the most awesome wildlife on the planet. A self drive safari in the Kruger National Park costs about £60 per day for 2 people. We saw 36 different mammal species and over 150 different birds over 6 days in January this year. A really special place. There are much more expensive private options available aswell.
The vast majority of good golf courses will probably set you back up to £50 as a visitor. Sun City cost me £38 which is tremendous value. I also played at Skukuza which is inside the Kruger National Park. It’s an unfenced 9 holer where wild animals are all around you. We played on the Monday morning and there were lions on the course on the Tuesday evening! The European Tour regularly holds 5 events in South Africa every season and they normally know what they are doing.
Here is a link to a site which I know many of you peruse. This is but a small flavour of what SA holds in store for you.
http://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-courses/africa/south-africa
I am happy to help anyone with planning a trip or just answer questions should they be thinking about taking the plunge. Don’t regret it like LQ!
It is also blessed with some great golf courses. There‘s a negligible time difference so jet lag isn’t an issue. Couple that with a currency which isn’t particularly strong and good weather and I believe you have a brilliant golf destination!
It isn’t as dangerous as people think. Cars don’t have flame throwers as standard – that‘s an expensive optional extra. Use your common sense as you would in any foreign country and you will be fine. South Africans are very much a sporty, outdoor people and some of the friendliest you will ever meet. We love to braai, have a drink and chat.
Okay, so it’s an 11 hour overnight flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg. There are direct 5 flights a night from Heathrow (2 x BA, 2 x SAA and 1 x Virgin) and these are always full. So 1500 folk a day can’t be wrong can they? These flights if booked early enough are between £500 and £600.
They drive on the left in South Africa so there's no change there. Car hire is good value with an SUV costing around £250 per week. Fuel is also cheap at around 70p per liter.
I wouldn’t bother with staying in hotels as these are mostly in the Central Business Districts which are empty at night. I would rather look to hire a house/room in the most affluent suburb in the place you are in if in a city. This won’t be as expensive either.
Eating out is also great value. Most meals will set you back int he region of £6 a head if your’e at your run of the mill eateries. If you choose to cook for yourself you will find shopping really cheap. I found a 1kg tomahawk steak at a good butcher for £3. That’s some eating! Drink is also cheap with beer being less than £1 per pint and a normal wine costing around £3 per bottle.
South Africa has everything in terms of scenery. It is regularly ranked as the most beautiful country in the world. It has stunning beaches, deserts, mountains, forests, rolling hills and some of the most awesome wildlife on the planet. A self drive safari in the Kruger National Park costs about £60 per day for 2 people. We saw 36 different mammal species and over 150 different birds over 6 days in January this year. A really special place. There are much more expensive private options available aswell.
The vast majority of good golf courses will probably set you back up to £50 as a visitor. Sun City cost me £38 which is tremendous value. I also played at Skukuza which is inside the Kruger National Park. It’s an unfenced 9 holer where wild animals are all around you. We played on the Monday morning and there were lions on the course on the Tuesday evening! The European Tour regularly holds 5 events in South Africa every season and they normally know what they are doing.
Here is a link to a site which I know many of you peruse. This is but a small flavour of what SA holds in store for you.
http://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-courses/africa/south-africa
I am happy to help anyone with planning a trip or just answer questions should they be thinking about taking the plunge. Don’t regret it like LQ!
