Erinvale Golf Club

The verdict

Erinvale is the Cape's grand championship test, a Gary Player design at the foot of the Helderberg mountains in Somerset West that hosted the 1996 World Cup of Golf. Half an hour from Cape Town and on the doorstep of the Winelands, it is a course of two distinct halves and one of the most scenic and demanding rounds in South Africa. For a golfer touring the Cape, Erinvale is the inland championship round that balances a coastal links itinerary.

Player routed a flat, water threaded front nine across the valley floor before the back nine climbs onto the lower slopes of the Helderberg, opening up views over Somerset West, the vineyards and the False Bay coastline. It plays to a par of 72 over about 6,506 metres, and the change in elevation and exposure to the Cape wind make the closing stretch a real examination. It pairs naturally with the Winelands courses and the great links of the Cape for a full South African golf trip.

The holes worth the trip

The character of Erinvale is the contrast between its nines. The front nine is the gentler half, played over flatter ground where lakes and streams press against the fairways and a wayward shot finds water rather than mountain. It is a half that rewards position and patience, setting up the player for the climb to come.

The back nine is where Erinvale shows its teeth, rising onto the slopes of the Helderberg with elevated tees, downhill drives and approaches played across changing ground. The mountain backdrop is constant and the views over False Bay are some of the finest in South African golf, but the wind funnels through the valley and club selection becomes a guess. The par 3s and the uphill par 4s here are the holes that decided the World Cup.

The greens are well guarded and true, and the course finishes with a demanding sequence back toward the clubhouse that asks for one last set of committed swings. Erinvale is long enough to test the better player and scenic enough to reward everyone, and a round here, with the Helderberg above and the bay below, is one of the Cape's signature golfing days.

Where to stay nearby

Erinvale has its own hotel and spa beside the course, which makes it one of the easiest stay and play bases in the Cape, and the wider Helderberg and Somerset West area offers further lodging among the vineyards. Many visiting golfers split their stay between Erinvale and a Cape Town base to combine the championship inland golf with the city and coast.

From Somerset West you are within easy reach of the Cape Winelands courses around Stellenbosch and Paarl, the links of the southern Cape, and the restaurants and wineries that make this one of the world's great golf and food regions. Erinvale anchors a Cape golf trip that can run on to Fancourt and the Garden Route.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Erinvale.