The Links At Fancourt Ranked Number One In South Africa
Golf Digest South Africa has announced its rankings of the Top 100 golf courses in South Africa for 2011 – awarding The Links at Fancourt the coveted first place. The Links leapt into top spot for the first time, improving from third position in 2010, to surpass Leopard Creek, which had been holding the crown since 2005.
This annual evaluation of all South African 18-hole courses are scored on a scale of one to ten, based on the golf course condition, the clubhouse facilities, as well as the service offering of establishments.
Located on the Garden Route, at the foot of the imposing Outeniqua Mountains, the Links was officially opened just over 10 years ago by course designer Gary Player, and the owner of Fancourt, Dr. Hasso Plattner. Inspired by Scotland’s famous links courses, here Player and his design team created some of their finest holes to craft an authentic links test on what was once a featureless terrain, and the site of an airfield.
The unique layout, and pristine conditioning of The Links has resulted in its hosting of a number of International events, including the prestigious Presidents Cup in 2003, the Womans World Cup in 2005, the SA Open in 2005, The Berenberg Bank Master Seniors European Tour event in 2010.
During the past two years Fancourt has embarked on an intensive campaign to improve the quality of the Links golf course even further. Gary Player himself has been a driving force behind these developments since the prestigious Gary Player Invitational (GPI) tournament moved to the Links in 2008. Player personally spent more time at Fancourt, thus had numerous opportunities to play the course and consider changes to the layout.
Unique to South Africa, The Links presents undulating windswept terrain and dune-style landscape, with the tees and fairways a combination of four cool season grasses. Every hole has been carefully considered to ensure that the overall balance in terms of length, position of hazards and shot values provide the ultimate test to the low handicap player, ensuring an unforgettable golf experience.
Five of the world’s most legendary golfers are Honorary Members of The Links at Fancourt: Gary Player, John Bland, Justin Rose, Retief Goosen and Ernie Els.
The Golf Digest Top 100 also rates South Africa’s best golf courses in four different categories: coastal, parkland, golf estate and bushveld. Considering the vast number of parkland golf courses found in South Africa, Fancourt is also proud of the ranking of its other two 18-hole courses, with the Montagu course moving up one place from 8th to 7th place, and the Outeniqua course included in the top courses, at 18th place.
Acknowledged as one of the leading golfing magazines in South Africa, The Golf Digest magazine has a readership of over 150 000 golf enthusiasts and is regarded as one of the ultimate guides to the world’s best ‘holes’.