Travel: Fabulous Fancourt

Such a trip was on offer for this writer when visiting South Africa’s Garden Route and the magnificent Fancourt, home to three Gary Player-designed courses.

Once an expansive piece of farmland, Fancourt is found in George, in the Western Cape region, with Cape Town the nearest major centre at five hours’ drive away.

Sitting on the edge of the Indian Ocean, George and the rest of the Garden Route is known for stunning natural landscapes, some of the friendliest people you’d hope to meet and, thanks to Fancourt, tremendous golf.

Opened in 1990, the Montagu Course was the first golf on the property, followed by the Outeniqua in 1997 and finally the property’s pinnacle, The Links, which came into existence in 2000.

Experiencing an at-times tumultuous beginning, Fancourt became what it is today back in the 1990s when German billionaire Hasso Plattner purchased the facility with grand plans of what it could become.

Being the original course, it is no surprise the Montagu course owns the most naturally suited land for golf across the three layouts, which offer varied styles of play and difficulty to suit the range of resort guests, members and even tournament players.

Host of this year’s BMW Golf Cup World Final, the Montagu is something of a parkland/resort hybrid with multiple tees to allow the golfer to maximise their enjoyment or challenge depending on the day.

Featuring water throughout combined with expansive bunkering, Montagu is exceptionally maintained and the beneficiary of work completed in 2018 which resulted in greens being resurfaced and minor tweaks.

Some of the best golf comes early in the round, with the par-5 4th featuring an infinity green at the end of a 527m downhill excursion from the back tee, which is the first time the par-72 opens up from the tree and residence-lined opening holes.

Ending the opening nine with a winding par-5 of 541m offering the chance to earn a shot back, a refreshing beverage and bite at one of Fancourt’s three halfway houses will prepare you for an undulating second half of the round.

Opening with another par-5, the middle section of the back nine gives some respite from the water, until the most penalising hazard returns in a dramatic way at the penultimate hole.

Played downhill, the par-5 17th of the Outeniqua Course offers a chance for birdie late in the round, while the par-3 15th green (background) is surrounded by water. PHOTO: Fancourt.

Maxed out at 190m, the par-3 17th is all water carry with a trio of bunkers thrown in for good measure, followed by a straightaway par-5 where only the longest hitters will ponder whether to attack the green, fronted by water and backed by sand in two.

Ranked No.5 in South Africa’s Top-100 courses list, the Montagu sits next to the 23rd-ranked Outeniqua.

Far and away the gentlest golfing experience on the property, the Outeniqua uses water as a hazard more sparingly, while the bunkering is a less-dauting experience coupled with wider landing areas.

A fun yet challenging test, the Outeniqua is more than 400m shorter from the back pegs than the Montagu and is a perfect intermission of the two longer and more difficult courses at Fancourt.

The par-3 17th or the Montagu is an all water carry hole, and one of the highlights of an exciting back nine. PHOTO: BMW Golfsport.

For mine, the highlight of the Outeniqua experience comes at the short par-4 5th, which is driveable for longer players in the right conditions if they are willing to take on the water which runs down the entirety of the right side.

Although both highly enjoyable and worth the time to play, it is The Links at Fancourt which will leave a lasting impression on any visitor lucky enough to play it.

A private club with limited tee time availabilities, The Links has its own clubhouse accessed by shuttle from the resort and the immediate sense of something special upon arrival.

The brainchild of Plattner, and where you will find one of his South African homes as well as being host of the unforgettable tied Presidents Cup in 2003, The Links was once a flat airfield where the German and Player hatched the plan to build a course paying homage to the great links courses of the British Isles.

The par-4 15th of The Links showcases its mix of links-style golf with water hazards that make the course one of South Africa’s best. PHOTO: Supplied.

A sip of whiskey greets players on the first tee, where your lunch order for halfway is also taken, before you set off on a journey around the No.2-ranked course in the country.

Links golf may have been the inspiration, but while Player and design partner Phil Jacobs have done their best to recreate the golf, the weather and man-made nature don’t quite replicate linksland. However, it is an experience not to be missed around a course measuring nearly 7,000m, populated by pot bunkers (with water coming into play at varying stages among mounded fairways), undulating greens and tremendous conditioning.

Moving some 700,000 cubic metres of sand and soil, dunes have been created and covered in long, wild grasses which separate every hole from each other on the course, where upon reaching the 2nd tee, you first get a taste for what’s instore at The Links.

A downhill par-3 of more than 200m awaits, with par sending golfers running to the next where any pep in your step can quickly disappear.

Named “Calamity”, the par-4 3rd requires a good drive and then a deep breath before hitting a second shot to a green with water in front and dunes surrounding, with two dastardly bunkers guarding the left side.

Once you’ve enjoyed your pre-ordered lunch at halfway, you are in for a mix of short and long par-4s, broken up with scoring chances at par-5s and memorable par-3s. The home stretch might leave your ego nursing a few blows, but wanting to come back for more.

At 440m from the tips, the par-4 12th is the hardest hole on the course and perhaps all of South Africa, while the slight relief of a par-5 at the next will be quickly forgotten if you are to find the miniscule bunker named “Coffin” three holes later at the par-5 16th.

No South African trip is complete without a safari, which the Botlierskop Game Reserve provides in spades. PHOTO: Supplied.

The par-3 penultimate hole is another where par, and even finding the green from the back tee, are achievements, before an uphill par-5 concludes the round, where again The Links experience has all the bells and whistles (a staff member greets you with a peach iced tea and a cool towel, before you are whisked back to the resort to reflect on a round to remember).

While elevated when playing the exclusive Links, the overall experience of Fancourt is similar, thanks in large part to the welcoming and endlessly helpful staff, while accommodation options range from the hotel to suites and the magnificent Manor House. Meanwhile, for the non-golfer travelling with you, or for those in need of a day off, the spa offers various treatments and the four dining options cater to varied tastes, budgets and experiences, all of which makes it easy to understand how Fancourt was awarded “South Africa’s Best Golf Hotel” at the 2023 World Golf Awards.

Beyond the walls of Fancourt, there is plenty on offer as well, with no trip to Africa complete without a wildlife experience. The Botlierskop Game Reserve is just over 30 minutes’ drive away, with accommodation and dining options amongst the lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes and more.

If you’re headed towards Botlierskop, or beyond to Mossel Bay, do yourself a favour and drop into De Vette Mossel Grootbrak for seafood on the sand, which is all part of the Garden Route experience which Plattner’s involvement and investment at Fancourt Resort has helped elevate to world-class.

“Hasso Plattner took over the golf course, thank goodness, and developed an incredible, maybe the greatest golf destination in the world,” Player said.