Hermanus Golf Club

The verdict

Hermanus is one of the Western Cape's most likeable courses, a mature par 72 set in the Fernkloof fynbos with the Kleinrivier mountains behind and Walker Bay below. The club was founded in 1907, Robert Grimsdell remodelled the eighteen in 1952, and in 2006 and 2007 South Africa's foremost architect Peter Matkovich added nine new holes and upgraded the original layout, giving the club a 27 hole spread of East, North and South courses.

It plays through proteas and milkwood on sandy, free draining ground, firm and honest, with the southern right whales often visible in the bay from August to November. Less than ninety minutes from Cape Town along the coast road, with an international green fee around R990 for eighteen, it is superb value and a natural pairing with Arabella and the courses of the Garden Route on a wider Cape trip.

The holes worth the trip

Hermanus is fynbos golf at its most appealing, the fairways threading through proteas, milkwood and indigenous bush on sandy, free draining ground that runs firm and true. The Kleinrivier mountains rise behind the course and Walker Bay glitters below, and from August to November the southern right whales are often in view from the higher holes.

It is a fair, honest test rather than a brute, the Matkovich holes adding length and water to a Grimsdell layout that always favoured placement over power. The greens are bent grass and roll well, the kikuyu fairways give a clean lie, and the wind off the bay is the main defence on a still scorecard.

With three loops of nine to mix and match, the club offers real variety, and the championship eighteen builds to a satisfying finish back toward the clubhouse and the mountains. For the value, the setting and the wildlife, Hermanus is among the most enjoyable rounds in the Overberg.

Where to stay nearby

Most visiting golfers base themselves in the town of Hermanus itself, strung along the cliffs of Walker Bay, with its guest houses, seafood and the best land based whale watching in the world a short walk from the first tee. The wine farms of the Hemel en Aarde valley sit just inland for a relaxed evening.

It is an ideal region to build a Cape golf trip around, pairing Hermanus with Arabella across the bay and the great courses of the Garden Route and the Cape winelands within an easy drive. A Hermanus base keeps the course close and the wider Overberg within reach.

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