De Zalze Golf Club - Golf in the middle of Stellenbosch's vineyards

South Africa has long been firmly established on the Gulf map. This is partly due to its geographical location in the southern hemisphere, which makes the rather dull fall and winter months the ideal time to travel, and partly due to the excellent price-performance ratio. The championship course designed by Peter Matkovich with its 18 holes is no exception. The golf course, which is integrated into the Stellenbosch wine region, costs around 100 euros in the high season, with prices falling by more than 50 percent in some cases in the low season. Tee times can either be booked online directly with the club - or as part of a golf trip through a tour operator.

De Zalze Golf Club in front of the Helderberg Mountain Range

The course shines with magnificent views of the Helderberg Mountain Range, which repeatedly borders the view on the horizon. The Par-72 course plays between 5,074 and 6,361 meters, depending on the tee you choose. As a single player or as a couple, you will often play the course together with members, as De Zalze is a classic South African members' club. Due to the often high temperatures in winter, guest players in particular like to use a cart for the round, but you can also complete the course on foot.

Elevation differences and water characterize the golf course

In addition to the views of the mountains, the front nine brings another design element into play: the very successful combination of slight differences in altitude and water. This is first noticeable on the third hole, a Par-3, with trees, rocks and water defending the flag. The designer has also integrated some challenging bunkers into the course, which should be avoided if possible - whether on the Fairway or around the green. The first Par-5 brings the water into play even more clearly, with the wet element extending over almost the entire second part of the course - and as the surrounding mountains tend to bring wind into play in the afternoon, you should choose a precise lay-up here. The first part of the round ends with a beautiful Par-3, which runs slightly downhill and is bordered by a lake on the right. As the green covers two levels, the Putt can also be very exciting. Then it's time for a South African Traditions: the halfway. Golf in South Africa attaches great importance to this snack, and at De Zalze a small buffet even awaits the golfers - and you should take this 20-minute break to enjoy a piece of local golf culture.

The choice of tea box is crucial

Then it's off to the second part of the round. After the par-3 on hole 12, which is again peppered with bunkers and water, the signature hole awaits: a par-4 less than 300 meters long as a dogleg left, which is also considered the easiest hole. The special feature: you tee off from small islands on the water - a design element that Jack Nicklaus also used at Al Zorah in Ajman or Great Northern in Denmark. A varied and challenging layout awaits golfers on the following holes - and you quickly realize whether you have chosen the tee box that suits your game; if in doubt, it is better to tee off one tee box further ahead. In addition to the longest Par-3 with more than 200 meters on hole 16 (here you should avoid the trees on the right), the final hole will remain in your memory. It is considered one of the best finishing holes in South Africa. The rather short Par-4 starts from a significantly elevated tee. Precision rather than length is required here, as a small river runs diagonally to the left in front of the green around 100 meters before the green. You should therefore play rather defensively and leave yourself a short Iron or full Wedge into the green in order to have another chance at Par at the end.

De Zalze is a very hospitable club, which is also easily accessible from Cape Town. After the round, you can sample the various wines of the region in the club restaurant - or continue on to a wine tasting directly at the wine estate, as Stellenbosch, together with Franschhoek, forms the wine center of South Africa.