Gowrie Lodge

You stay at Gowrie Lodge to play golf on a course that follows classic Scottish design principles, set on a working farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. The 18-hole course has bent-grass greens and fairways that follow the natural contours of the land, with bunkers placed to challenge low-handicap players. The lodge sits above the 18th green, with views over the dam and course.

The course was built in 2008 as a 12-hole layout, expanding to 18 holes in 2024. It takes cues from Scottish links and American courses like Pinehurst, with push-up greens and tees close to the ground. The farm itself dates to 1858, when Scottish immigrant John King established it as a dairy operation. Old photographs in the clubhouse show golfers putting on sand greens here as early as 1923.

Your room has a kitchenette and sleeper couch for children, with the clubhouse restaurant serving breakfast daily. The pro shop stocks equipment, and the halfway house at the ninth green offers light meals during play. The estate has three dams for catch-and-release bass and trout fishing, plus a 10km hiking trail through the farmland.

The course is cashless, accepting only card payments. You check in from two in the afternoon and leave by ten in the morning.