4 Day Sun City and Johannesburg Golf Itinerary
Two days of championship city golf, then two days at one of the great resort destinations on earth. This is the classic highveld and bushveld pairing: Johannesburg's tour proven parkland at Royal Johannesburg and Houghton, then Sun City for the mighty Gary Player Country Club, home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and the desert drama of Lost City. Here is the route, day by day, with indicative 2026 green fees and drive times.
Photograph: The Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, via Google
Who this trip suits
This is the headline South African golf break for a group that lands at Johannesburg and wants the best of the region without a long tour, combining the city's serious championship courses with the spectacle of Sun City. The Johannesburg leg delivers fast, firm highveld parkland on courses that host the DP World Tour, the kind of strategic, ball striking golf that rewards a good week's form. The Sun City leg trades the city for the bushveld and the over the top glamour of a resort built around two Gary Player designs, including the brute that stages the Nedbank Golf Challenge every December. It suits buddies trips, society groups and anyone pairing golf with a safari add on or a family base at the resort.
The trip is built around a single transfer. Play the two Johannesburg rounds first, drive the two and a half hours to Sun City, and play the two resort courses there, so the only real driving is one straightforward leg. Travel in the cooler, dry months from roughly April to September for the most reliable conditions, take early tee times if you visit in the summer thunderstorm season, and let the resort, with its hotels, casino and Valley of Waves, double as the holiday for non golfers in the group.
The 4 day plan
Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, East Course
Open on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, a long, tree lined highveld parkland that has hosted the South African Open and the Joburg Open and rewards precise, committed ball striking at altitude, where the thin air sends the ball surprising distances. It is a stern, fair introduction to highveld golf and an easy drive from the city's northern suburbs, the perfect place to start the trip while you find your range in the dry mountain air.
Houghton Golf Club
A Jack Nicklaus signature course in the heart of the city, redesigned into a modern championship test that has hosted the Joburg Open on the DP World Tour, with generous fairways, bold bunkering and slick, contoured greens. It is a polished, high end day's golf and a fine second city round before the trip heads for the bush. Play in the morning, then make the two and a half hour transfer northwest to Sun City in the afternoon.
Gary Player Country Club
The headline round, Gary Player's 1979 design and one of the longest championship courses in the world at over 7,800 yards, the bushveld stage for the Nedbank Golf Challenge, one of golf's richest events, every December. Big, muscular and beautifully conditioned, with water in play down the closing stretch, it is a thrilling, demanding test. An indicative R980 for visitors, less for resort guests, and best enjoyed from a base inside Sun City itself.
Lost City Golf Course
Finish on the resort's desert style second course, a 1993 Gary Player design routed through rocky outcrops and arid scrub, most famous for the par 3 13th, whose green is shaped like the African continent and whose water hazard is home to live Nile crocodiles. It is fun, dramatic and a little theatrical, the ideal lighter close to a big four days, with the afternoon free for the Valley of Waves or the drive back to Johannesburg.
Green fees, drive times and logistics
| Round | Indicative 2026 fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Johannesburg, East | Visitor rate (confirm) | Johannesburg northern suburbs; base in the city |
| Houghton Golf Club | Visitor rate (confirm) | In the city; transfer to Sun City after |
| Gary Player Country Club | Around R980 visitor, R830 resort guest | About 2 hours 30 minutes from Johannesburg |
| Lost City Golf Course | Resort rate (confirm) | At Sun City; no transfer needed |
Green fees and drive times verified indicatively in June 2026 from resort and course listings; the Gary Player Country Club visitor fee is around R980, with about R830 for resort guests. Rates vary by season and change without notice, so always confirm current rates and availability directly before booking. Find a base in the city or at the resort.
When to go and where to stay
Play between April and September for the cool, dry highveld and bushveld season, with sunny, settled days, cold early mornings and the firmest conditions, accepting that midwinter mornings can be frosty before they warm. The summer rainy season from October to March brings warm mornings and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, so early tee times are the safe play, and the famous Nedbank Golf Challenge fills Sun City in early December. For the first half of the trip, base in Johannesburg's northern suburbs near the two courses; for the second, stay inside Sun City, where one of the resort hotels keeps both courses, the casino and the Valley of Waves a short shuttle away. A driver or a hire car covers the single transfer easily. Always confirm rates and availability before booking.
Plan your Sun City and Johannesburg golf trip
We secure the tee times in the city and at the resort, sequence the rounds around the single transfer, match your base to each leg and can fold in a safari or a Sun City family stay. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Sun City and Johannesburg itinerary questions
What is the best 4 day golf itinerary for Sun City and Johannesburg?
Four days pairs two of Johannesburg's championship parkland courses with the two resort layouts at Sun City. Open in the city on the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington East Course and the Jack Nicklaus designed Houghton, both DP World Tour venues, then drive about two and a half hours to Sun City for the Gary Player Country Club, home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and the desert style Lost City with its crocodile guarded 13th. Highveld golf followed by a bushveld resort, in one short trip. Always confirm current tee times and fees directly before booking.
How far is Sun City from Johannesburg?
Sun City sits in the North West Province about two and a half hours by road from Johannesburg, reached via the R512 and N4 toward Rustenburg, then the R556 to the resort. The simple way to plan the trip is to play the two Johannesburg rounds first, transfer to Sun City, and play the two resort courses there, so you make the long drive only once. A planner or driver handles the transfer, which keeps the group fresh for the golf and avoids navigating unfamiliar roads.
How much does it cost to play the Gary Player Country Club?
The Gary Player Country Club at Sun City is an indicative R980 for 18 holes for non resort visitors and around R830 for resort guests in 2026, with Lost City a little less. Staying on property at Sun City lowers the green fee and eases access to both courses. The Johannesburg championship courses are typically lower again. All figures are indicative, set by the venues and subject to change, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in South Africa's highveld?
The highveld around Johannesburg and the bushveld at Sun City have a summer rainfall climate, so the cooler, dry months from roughly April to September give the most reliable golf, with crisp, sunny days and cold early mornings. The summer rainy season, October to March, brings warm mornings and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, so early tee times are wise. The marquee Nedbank Golf Challenge is played at Sun City in December. Always confirm current rates and tee times before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time releases, green fee changes and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Indicative green fees, course facts and drive times verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.