The Links at Fancourt
Gary Player and his design team conjured a links out of a flat former airfield on the Garden Route, and since opening in 2000 The Links at Fancourt has been rated the best course in South Africa more often than not. A par 73 stretching to 7,579 yards, it hosted the 2003 Presidents Cup and stays guarded behind the Fancourt hotel gates.
Photo: The Links at Fancourt via Google.
The verdict
Nothing about the site suggested links golf. The ground at Fancourt was a flat stretch of old airfield below the Outeniqua Mountains, and Gary Player's design team moved an enormous volume of earth to sculpt the dunes, swales and revetted pot bunkers that opened for play in 2000. The deception is total: it looks and plays like it has been there a century.
The Links announced itself by hosting the 2003 Presidents Cup, the famous tie decided in darkness after Ernie Els and Tiger Woods could not be separated in a playoff, and it has sat at or near the top of South Africa's rankings ever since. At par 73 and up to 7,579 yards, with wind off the mountains and greens full of movement, it is the country's sternest examination and its most coveted tee time.
The Links at Fancourt at a glance
- Opened
- 2000
- Designer
- Gary Player
- Type
- Manufactured links
- Par
- 73
- Yardage
- 7,579 yds
- Green fee
- About R6,325
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from Fancourt and leading course databases. The Links opened in 2000 at par 73, stretching to 7,579 yards from the championship tees. Play is reserved for members and Fancourt hotel guests, with the hotel guest rate about R6,325 including cart, caddie and halfway house in 2026. Fees are indicative, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Player's team shaped a routing that turns constantly against the wind, through tumbling fairways framed by shaggy, grass covered dunes and deep sod faced pots that gather anything loose. The greens are the examination: large, rolling surfaces where the wrong tier can be worse than the wrong fairway.
The land looks naturally blown together, but every contour is engineered for strategy: angles open from one side of each fairway, and the closer you flirt with the bunkering the better the approach becomes. In the wind that funnels along the Outeniquas, the long par 4s play every yard of their number.
The Presidents Cup history hangs over the closing stretch, where the 2003 singles came down the last in fading light before the captains agreed to share the cup. Walking it with a Fancourt caddie, the mountains turning gold in the late afternoon, is one of golf's great southern hemisphere days.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Members, Fancourt estate residents and Fancourt hotel guests only; no day visitors are accepted on The Links |
| Green fee | About R6,325 for hotel guests including cart, caddie and halfway house (indicative, 2026) |
| Booking | Book your round when you reserve the hotel; Links tee times are limited and fill around peak season |
| On the day | Caddies are part of the experience and included in the rate; standard resort dress applies |
| Getting there | George Airport is about 15 minutes away, with direct flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town; Cape Town is about 4.5 hours by road |
| Best months | October to April for long, warm Garden Route days; winters are mild and playable |
Fees and access verified June 2026; The Links is reserved for members and Fancourt guests and rates change by season, so always confirm directly with Fancourt before booking.
Where to stay nearby
The stay is the access: book the Fancourt hotel or the more intimate Manor House on the same estate and The Links, along with the resort's Montagu and Outeniqua courses, sits outside your door. The estate carries spas, restaurants and enough golf for a week.
Beyond the gates, George is the hub of the Garden Route, with Knysna and Plettenberg Bay an easy drive east for the lagoon and beach end of the trip. Most itineraries pair Fancourt with Cape Town and the Winelands on a single southern swing; our 10 day Garden Route itinerary maps the whole route.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near The Links at Fancourt.
Build a Garden Route golf trip
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Fancourt Links questions
Who designed The Links at Fancourt and when did it open?
Gary Player and his design team built The Links on a flat former airfield at Fancourt, near George, and it opened in 2000. The dunes and links contours are entirely engineered.
What is the par and length of The Links?
The Links plays to par 73 and stretches to 7,579 yards from the championship tees, with multiple tee options keeping the daily test manageable for resort guests.
Can visitors play The Links at Fancourt?
Not as day visitors. Play is reserved for members, estate residents and guests of the Fancourt hotel and Manor House, with hotel guests paying about R6,325 in 2026 including cart and caddie. Always confirm directly before booking.
What big events has The Links hosted?
The Links hosted the 2003 Presidents Cup, which ended in a celebrated tie after the Ernie Els and Tiger Woods playoff was called in darkness and the captains agreed to share the cup.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.