Gary Player Country Club vs Leopard Creek
Two Gary Player masterpieces, two completely different days out. Gary Player Country Club at Sun City is brawny resort golf and the home of the Nedbank, a course built to test the world's best. Leopard Creek is exclusive safari golf on the very edge of Kruger. Here is the honest head to head, with our verdict up front.
Photograph: Leopard Creek Country Club, South Africa, via Google
The verdict
For the round of a lifetime and the most beautiful setting, Leopard Creek wins, if you can get on. Gary Player's course at Malelane runs along the boundary of Kruger National Park, with the Crocodile River framing several holes and game often visible from the fairway, and the par 5 13th, its green set high above the river, is one of the most photographed holes in golf. It hosts the Alfred Dunhill Championship and sits among the very best courses in Africa. The catch is access: it is a private members club, expensive and hard to play unless you are invited or staying at an affiliated lodge.
For spectacle you can actually book, Gary Player Country Club at Sun City is the answer. It is a brutally long, dramatic championship course, the home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge billed as Africa's Major, and it comes wrapped in a full resort of hotels, a casino, a water park and the Pilanesberg game reserve next door, all an easy two hours from Johannesburg. Choose Leopard Creek for the setting and the exclusivity if you can arrange access, Gary Player Country Club for the famous test, the easy access and a resort that suits a group or a family.
Head to head
| Gary Player Country Club | Leopard Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Designer | Gary Player, at Sun City; a long, muscular championship course | Gary Player, opened 1996; a beautiful, strategic safari course |
| Location | Sun City, North West province, about two hours northwest of Johannesburg | Malelane, Mpumalanga, on the southern edge of Kruger National Park |
| The setting | Bushveld resort beside the Pilanesberg, with the Sun City complex on site | The boundary of Kruger, the Crocodile River in play and game on view |
| Card | Par 72, around 7,980 yards, one of the longest championship courses in the world | Par 72, around 7,250 yards, with the famous par 5 13th above the river |
| Tournament | Hosts the Nedbank Golf Challenge each December, long billed as Africa's Major | Hosts the Alfred Dunhill Championship, co sanctioned since 2005 |
| Access | Resort course, open to visitors and hotel guests; book a tee time as part of a stay | Private members club; play by member invitation or as a guest of an affiliated lodge |
| Green fees | Premium resort green fee, indicative and best confirmed with the resort for 2026 | Among the highest in the country, indicatively around 6,300 rand including a cart in 2026 |
| Who it suits | Groups, families and bucket list golfers wanting a famous course and a full resort | Golfers chasing a once in a lifetime setting who can arrange access in advance |
Course facts and indicative fee ranges verified June 2026; fees and access rules move with season and policy, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Who should pick which
Pick Gary Player Country Club if
You want a famous course you can actually book, inside a resort that does everything. Sun City pairs a genuine championship test, the host of the Nedbank, with hotels, a casino, a water park and the Pilanesberg game reserve next door, all a comfortable drive from Johannesburg. It is the easy, all in one choice for a group, a family trip or a golfer who wants to walk where the stars play in December.
Pick Leopard Creek if
You want the most beautiful round in South Africa and can arrange access. On the edge of Kruger, with game on the fairways and the Crocodile River in play, Leopard Creek is as scenic as golf gets, and the par 5 13th alone is worth the trip. It is exclusive, expensive and best combined with a safari, the connoisseur's choice for a once in a lifetime day rather than a casual tee time.
Plan your South Africa golf trip
Sun City and the Nedbank course, Leopard Creek and a Kruger safari, or a wider South African golf tour. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge arranges the access, tee times and game drives and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Gary Player Country Club vs Leopard Creek questions
Is Gary Player Country Club or Leopard Creek the better course?
Both are Gary Player designs and both are ranked among South Africa's finest, but they offer different experiences. Gary Player Country Club at Sun City is the brawny, world famous host of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, easy to access as a resort course. Leopard Creek, on the edge of Kruger National Park, is the more beautiful and exclusive, a member and resident guest course with one of the great settings in golf. For pure spectacle and access, Sun City; for the setting and the round of a lifetime, Leopard Creek.
Can you play Leopard Creek as a visitor?
Access to Leopard Creek is restricted. It is a private members club, and visitors generally play by invitation of a member or as a guest staying at one of the affiliated lodges nearby, rather than simply booking a tee time. Green fees are among the highest in the country, indicatively around 6,300 rand including a cart in 2026. Always arrange access and confirm rates directly well in advance.
What tournaments do these courses host?
Gary Player Country Club hosts the Nedbank Golf Challenge each December, one of the richest events in golf and long billed as Africa's Major. Leopard Creek hosts the Alfred Dunhill Championship, a co sanctioned Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour event played there since 2005, famous for its setting on the boundary of Kruger National Park.
Are Gary Player Country Club and Leopard Creek close together?
No. They sit in different parts of South Africa. Gary Player Country Club is at Sun City in North West province, around two hours by road northwest of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Leopard Creek is at Malelane in Mpumalanga on the southern edge of Kruger, roughly four to five hours east of Johannesburg or a short drive from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport. They suit different itineraries rather than a single trip.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.