Royal Cape Golf Club

The verdict

Royal Cape is the historic heart of golf in South Africa, and a round here is as much about heritage as about the card. The club was established in 1885, which makes it the oldest in Africa, and it was granted royal status in 1910 by King George V. The course moved to its present home in the Constantia valley suburb of Wynberg in 1929, where it was laid out by Charles Murray and later refined, with the English architect Charles Alison among those credited with shaping the bunkering in the period.

What survives is a classic, mature parkland of about 6,121 metres, flat and walkable, framed by old trees and the backdrop of the Constantiaberg. It does not overpower you with length or theatrics; instead it asks for accuracy, clever angles and a steady touch on greens that have tested the best, having staged ten South African Opens. For the traveling golfer touring the Cape, Royal Cape is the round that connects you to more than a century of the game on the continent.

The holes worth the trip

This is golf in the old style, where the defenses are subtle rather than spectacular. The land is largely flat, so the challenge comes from the trees that line many fairways, the well placed bunkers and the angles they create into the greens. Driving position is everything: stray into the wrong half and the old timber blocks the route in, while the player who works the ball off the right side is left with a clear and inviting approach.

The greens are the heart of the test. Decades of championship golf have honed surfaces that are true, quick and full of gentle movement, so a good score is built with the putter and a sharp short game rather than with raw power. The par 3s are particularly well judged, asking for crisp iron play to targets that punish the careless miss, and the closing stretch has decided more than one South African Open.

Above all it is a course of atmosphere. Mature trees, the mountain backdrop and the quiet dignity of a club well into its second century give every hole a sense of occasion. For a traveling golfer it is a reminder that great golf does not have to shout, and it pairs perfectly with the wine farms and beaches of the Cape just beyond the gates.

Where to stay nearby

The natural base is Constantia, the leafy wine valley on Royal Cape's doorstep, where country house hotels and the Cape's oldest vineyards sit minutes from the first tee. For a livelier stay, the Atlantic Seaboard and the V and A Waterfront in central Cape Town are a short drive away and put the city's restaurants, Table Mountain and the beaches within easy reach.

Royal Cape sits at the center of a rich Cape golf cluster. Pair it with the clifftop test at Clovelly Country Club, the lush mountain layout at Steenberg, and the Gary Player redesign at Erinvale for a complete few days of Western Cape golf.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Cape Town.