Fancourt unveils new Gary Player golf experience

The Garden Route, stretching east from Mossel Bay to the forested valleys of Tsitsikamma, has long been a popular destination for both international and local tourists.

Lush farmland, wooded hills, enigmatic forests, coastal fynbos... despite fast-paced development that threatens to pave parts of this coastal paradise, it remains one of the most beautiful corners of SA.

And increasingly the region is famous for greenery of a different sort: as SA’s premier golfing destination. There are a dozen notable 18-hole courses in the 100km stretch between Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay, but for more than 30 years one word has been synonymous with world-class golfing on the Garden Route — Fancourt.

Fancourt opened in the early 1990s, and over the years has evolved into an all-encompassing lifestyle destination, complete with a boutique hotel offering 115 rooms and suites scattered across the estate, a large wellness spa, along with a menu of restaurants that range from fine-dining to family-friendly.

And, of course, there’s golf: with a dedicated golf academy and three remarkable courses designed by SA golfing legend Gary Player.

Outeniqua and The Montagu are traditional parkland courses that offer challenging yet forgiving layouts, while The Links is a Scottish-inspired course remarkable in its ambition and scenic beauty.

Player and his team transformed an old airfield and pastureland into an expanse of manicured fairways, lightning-fast greens guarded by deep pot bunkers, and grassy swales ready to swallow wayward balls.

All three courses regularly rank among the top 20 in the country, but it’s The Links that is often cited as the best in SA, and one Player has called his greatest achievement as a course designer.

So, when Fancourt owner Hasso Plattner and golf course architect Johann Jacobs were in 2022 discussing how to reimagine the former Bramble Hill course, which closed in 2008, Player was an obvious choice.

Three years and untold amounts of earthworks later, Fancourt has now added a fourth course to the line-up, with the unveiling in February of The Links Experience.

And the new course is a gift for golfers new to the game, or those looking for a taste of the tee box before tackling one of the three flagship courses.

The Links Experience has been designed as a short course experience created for accessibility and enjoyment rather than a test of golfing prowess.

“I designed this to give people pleasure, particularly elderly people, and it’s very versatile,” says Player. “It’s a thing of beauty that gives everyone a challenge, young and old. It’s a beautiful layout, lots of soft grasses and coloured bunkers, something very different.”

The Links Experience has been laid out as a slightly unusual par-34 course, featuring one par 5, three par 3s, and five par 4s. But, to bring further flexibility Player has added dedicated par 3 tee-boxes to every hole, allowing The Links Experience to also be played as a par 3 “mashie” course, and offering players the chance to stretch the track anywhere from 1,723 up to 2,433 metres.

That’s likely to tap into a growing appetite for short courses, allowing golf to be enjoyed in shorter time frame, while also offering a more accessible outing to novice players.

And while The Links Experience is certainly more accessible than Fancourt’s three 18-hole tracks, it lacks none of Player’s signature flourishes that define his course designs here.

Fancourt has always been rated for its superb conditioning, and The Links Experience is no different. Fairways are immaculate, while wayward shots will have to be dug out of the soft grasses in the rough.

Player has made excellent use of the space here too, crafting holes that require accuracy over water and a gentle touch around the greens to avoid the deep pot bunkers.

Each hole has been given a name, and with the likes of Devil’s Elbow (#4) and Mulligan (#8) to contend with there are plenty of hints that this new course is no walk in the park.

“The memories I have at Fancourt will stay with me the rest of my life,” said Player. “When I first came out here this was a cattle farm and over the years has transformed into one of the greatest golf destinations on the planet.

“I was incredibly excited and privileged to design and open The Links Experience, which will be instrumental in fostering the growth of golf in SA.”