GOLF & TOURISM in SOUTH AFRICA

To enjoy all aspects of the region, we recommend staying in Cape Town and exploring the surrounding area. Then make your way through the hinterland to visit vineyards and towns steeped in history.

**Cape Town city tour

Cape Town is the capital of the Western Cape province and the country's parliamentary capital. Here you'll find restaurants, bars and numerous stores. During the day, take a stroll through the Malay Quarter and visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. You'll discover a rich and varied flora on the paths that have been laid out for you.

Finish the afternoon with a sunset cruise to the Waterfront. As evening falls, head to Long Street for a taste of South African nightlife. Not to be missed during your stay: the District Six Museum, Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and Cape Point, the tip of the Cape of Good Hope. You can reach the lighthouse on foot or by funicular.

From here, you'll have a splendid view of the ocean and the rugged coastline. Take a break at Camps Bay, Clifton Bay and boulders beach, where you can meet the little Cape penguins.

For the more sporty, in addition to golf, try your hand at climbing some of Cape Town's most beautiful mountains: Table Mountain, Lion's Head, Signal Hill or Devil's Peak. Allow between two and four hours for the hike. Once at the summit, you'll enjoy breathtaking panoramic views...

To enjoy all aspects of the region, we recommend that you stay in Cape Town for 3-4 days and then explore the surrounding area. Then make your way through the hinterland to visit the famous Wine Region and its towns steeped in history, as well as to play a round of golf...

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Magnificent golf courses.

Home to many great golfers, from Gary Player to Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel, South Africa boasts some exceptional courses. These include the Cape region, where the favorable climate and affordable rates welcome golfers from all over the world.

**Arabella: a parkland on the edge of the Indian Ocean

Located just over an hour east of Cape Town and built in 1999, Resort Arabella is close to the town of Hermanus, a seaside resort best known for its southern whale-watching from June to November.
Nestled between sandy plains and lush green hills, this oceanfront parkland sometimes even looks like a links course. Especially on holes 9, 17 and 18, which border the Botrivier lagoon, one of the widest in South Africa. In this enchanted setting, you might even think you're in Ireland.

Arabella, designed by the famous South African architect Peter Matkovich, also offers spectacular views of the Kogelberg mountain range. If hole 17, a par 3 along the lagoon, is considered the signature hole, special mention must go to 8, a downhill par 5, or 9, a dog leg considered by Ernie Els to be the most beautiful par 4 in South Africa.
Nothing less!
The maintenance is remarkable and the course particularly varied. In addition to its ocean-side holes, it offers a beautiful stroll through the pines. Very difficult from the back tees (6,381 meters), it proves to be highly technical. Arabella was named best new course in South Africa by Golf Digest in 2008 and is one of the country's five most beautiful. While the real estate complex is rather discreet, the hotel, which includes the clubhouse, bars and restaurant, is gigantic, even excessive.
Since 2003, Arabella has hosted the Nelson Mandela Invitational Pro-Am, previously contested by Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els and American actor Samuel L. Jackson.

Green fee: €79 high season, €30 low season www.arabellagolfclub.co.za
To stay at: Arabella Western Cape Hotel and spa. www. arabellahotelandspa.com

**Erinvale: a grandiose panorama

Right in the heart of the wine region, 65 km from Cape Town and 4 km from the seaside resort of Somerset West, Erinvale was designed in 1995 by the great local champion Gary Player. Quite physical, especially on the last nine holes, it is dominated by the imposing Helderberg mountain. The course is divided into two distinct sections. The first, with its nine fairly flat holes, seems easier than the second.

It resembles an American course.The fairways are wide, the greens sometimes immense, but the numerous water hazards and delicately placed bunkers make it quite technical, but the best is yet to come and the scenery becomes grandiose. Special mention must be made of 17, a long downhill par 4 that is particularly difficult. The out-of-bounds area, close to the right-hand side of the fairway, stretches all the way to the green, and on the left-hand side of the fairway, watch out for the row of pine trees.
In short, a birdie on 17 is quite a performance. Erinvale hosted the World Cup in 1996 and the South African Open in 2003 and 2004. With a length of 6,505 m from the back tees, it has been designed as a true top-level course.

And yet it's accessible to all. Manicured and reasonably priced, it's a must-see in the Western Cape.

Green fee: €70 high season, €30 low season. www.erinvalegolfclub.com
To stay at: Erinvale Estate Hotel and Spa, www.erinvale.co.za

**Pearl Valley: a selective course designed by Nicklaus

Planted in the middle of nowhere, Pearl Valley is a recent course - it dates back to 2003 - surrounded by vineyards and the Simonsberg and Drakenstein mountain ranges. It is located near Franschhoek, one of the most pleasant towns in the Cape region. This residential complex was built on an initially flat site. Jack Nicklaus's talent as an architect did the rest. And the record-holder of major tournament successes (18) has made it particularly diabolical. Suffice it to say, don't count on making the card of your life on this particularly complex course. Water hazards come into play on virtually every hole, especially the par 3s. The driver is not recommended on every face-off either, as the narrowness of some fairways is made all the more complex by the numerous artificial mounds. 76 bunkers dot the course, with numerous doglegs and blind tee shots from the back balls. Every mistake pays off. Although the houses are quite present throughout the 18 holes, and the panorama is less grandiose than at Erinvale or Arabella, Pearl Valley represents an exciting test of golf with a maintenance worthy of the great American courses. The South African Open was held here until 2009.

Green fee: €103 (ZAR1,195) high season, €45 low season.
Accommodation: Grand Roche Hotel, www.grandroche.co.za

**Other courses

[De Zalze]: another course designed by Peter Matkovich. The last nine holes are exciting, with a grandiose finish. A true American-style golf course with numerous water hazards. www.dezalzegolf.com

[The Royal Cape Golf Club*]: South Africa's oldest course, founded in 1885 by a British general, Sir Henry Torrens, at the height of the Boer War. www.royalcapegolfclub.co.za

[The Steenberg Golf Club*]: championship course near Cape Peninsula. www.steenberggolfclub.co.za

[Hermanus Golf Club*]: close to the whaling town of Hermanus, a pleasant course at the foot of the Overberg coast.
www.hgc.co.zapearlvalleygolfestates.com

[**Practical*]:
Information: South Africa Tourist Office: 61, rue La Boétie, Paris VIIIe. Tel: 0 810 203 403 www.sud-afrique.com

Getting there: With Air France, from Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, three direct flights a week to Cape Town. All year round two direct flights to Johannesburg. Connections to Cape Town.

Conditions and health: French nationals do not need a visa: a passport valid for six months after return is sufficient. No vaccinations are required.

Advantages: No time difference with France. South Africa enjoys a warm, dry climate thanks to the ocean's softening influence. Over 65% of its territory, annual rainfall is less than 500 mm, and the country regularly experiences periods of drought.

[/Jean-Luc DUCLOS/]