June 18th, 2009
Sun City, South Africa
Sun City is a magnificent course, invariably well-conditioned and rarely played in anything other than brilliant sunshine.
The Gary Player Country Club is about 90 minutes’ drive from South Africa’s most populous conurbation of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Originally conceived by Sol Kerzner as a gambling mecca in the old apartheid government’s Bophuthatswana, it has in the new South Africa been transformed into a luxury resort with the Pilanesberg game reserve and its two world-class golf courses as the main feature.
‘The Million Dollar’, as it is locally dubbed, has been the most durable of the resort’s headline-grabbing spectaculars which, over the years, have included Miss World contests and world title fights. Back in the early days – Johnny Miller was the first winner in 1981 – the tournament was perceived globally as little more than a sanctions-dodging stunt. Now, though, it carries as much kudos as any tournament outside the four majors.
The signature hole at the Gary Player Country Club is the par 5 ninth – a sweeping left-hand dogleg to an island green protected by a two-tiered lake. At 600 yards off the rear markers it is, even for the big-hitting pros and the benefits of an altitude of around 5000 feet, too long to reach in two.
The drama over the first weekend in December is cranked up by the hole’s subtle abbreviation. On at least two of the four days of the tournament, the tees are brought well forward to ensure the thousands who circle the green on its grass banks are rewarded. “We’ve never played it off the back tee,” says three-time champion Ernie Els. “The hole is normally set up so as to encourage the second shot at the green which can be intimidating. I’ve gone at the green with 2-irons but if it’s 3-wood distance I back off. Even after laying up short of the lake, if the pin is cut in the back left or right, it is a tough shot. A couple of yards either way and the ball can be in the water.”
Standing high on the hill overlooking the Gary Player Country Club course is the Palace of the Lost City which dubs itself “one of the most extraordinary hotels in the world - a pure fantasy land of opulence and luxury”.
The facts are that the hotel boasts 338 rooms complete with an interior adorned with mosaics, murals and artwork while surrounding the palace is 25 hectares of botanical jungle complete with water features, waterfalls and meandering pathways. Six restaurants are on offers as well as marvelous pools while the Valley of the Waves that lies beneath it is a man-made beach complete with wave machine, slides and all the usual bucket and spade type activities to keep the kids happy.
The casino and the Entertainment Centre’s slot machines are still very much in operation but there is little doubt that the last two decades have seen the resort’s focus shift to outdoor and daytime attractions, rather than its indoor and nocturnal ones.
The second golf course at Sun City is the Lost City layout. Frankly, it’s never quite lived up to its billing and is certainly a more gimmicky and inferior design to the Gary Player C.C.; an attribute which is aptly illustrated at the short 13th where the green is shaped like the African continent and guarded to the left and front by a pit of crocodiles.
What makes Sun City such a worthwhile experience is the Pilanesberg nature reserve which borders the resort. It’s just a two-minute drive out of the resort’s back gate and into the Pilanesberg where within seconds you may find yourself going eyeball-to-eyeball with elephants, rhinos and even lions.
For all the challenges that face southern Africa, Sun City still represents an affordable, enjoyable and safe holiday. Indeed, a day that takes in 18 holes on the Gary Player; a lunchtime swim; early evening big game viewing around the Pilanesberg; all rounded off with a night around the braai (barbecue)with family and friends is nigh-on perfect.
Executive Golf readers wanting to find out more about staying in the Sun City hotel can click here to view the hotel’s website