Best golf courses: Johannesburg

Johannesburg: the table below provides brief details about the top golf courses in and around this city. Each golf club has been visited and/or researched by Where2Golf. Click on the course name below to discover more. The course ratings below range from 5 highest, to 2 lowest. They attempt to provide an indication of the golfing experience you might expect at the course (based on its design, condition and surroundings). Hover your cursor above the Rating Key below for the rating definitions.
4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors on application
Johannesburg
Player, Gary

Visitors?

Visitors on application

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Gary Player

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Player, Gary

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

A Gary Player Signature Golf Course

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Not Saturdays
Johannesburg
Alison, Charles Hugh

Visitors?

Not Saturdays

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Charles "Hugh" Alison, long-time design associate of Harry Colt.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Hawtree, Martin

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Current layout by Martin G. Hawtree (1992). Design later upgraded by Golf Data.

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Hawtree, Fred W.

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Current layout by Frederick W. "Fred" Hawtree (1968). Design later upgraded by Golf Data.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Matkovich, Peter

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Peter Matkovich

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Els, Ernie

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Ernie Els

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Tues thru' Fri
Johannesburg
Player, Gary

Visitors?

Tues thru' Fri

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Gary Player

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Matkovich, Peter

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Peter Matkovich (of Matkovich & Hayes).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors on application
Johannesburg
Matkovich, Peter

Visitors?

Visitors on application

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Peter Matkovich

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Alison, Charles Hugh

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Designed by Charles "Hugh" Alison, long-time design associate of Harry Colt; construction supervised by South African professional golfer Arthur Tomsett.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Not Saturdays
Johannesburg
Nicklaus, Jack

Visitors?

Not Saturdays

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Original layout by Arthur M. Copeland (the club's first professional). Course completely redesigned as a Jack Nicklaus Signature course in 2008.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Jones Sr, Robert Trent

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Current layout designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr (1969).

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Tomsett, Arthur

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Arthur Tomsett

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Check status
Johannesburg
Riddle & Van de Merwe

Visitors?

Check status

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Overall design by South African designers David Riddle and Douw van de Merwe (of DDV Golf Design), with specific design input coming from 18 of the world's top professionals golfers on their respective assigned hole. Extreme 19th conceived by Graham Cooke and built by David Riddle.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Peck, Hotckin & Matkovich.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Original design by George Peck (1926), with later modifications by Col. Stafford Vere Hotckin (1929) and Peter Matkovich (1998).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Not Saturdays
Johannesburg
Tomsett, Arthur

Visitors?

Not Saturdays

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Arthur Tomsett. Upgraded and redesigned by Hugh Baiocchi in 1990.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Robert "Bob" Grimsdell. Later upgraded by Golf Data.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Nicklaus, Jack

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

A Jack Nicklaus Signature course.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Not Saturdays
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Not Saturdays

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Original design by Robert (Bob) Grimsdell. Updated and re-bunkered by Gary Player in 2005.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Original 12-hole course designed by Arthur Tomsett (early 1940s). Current layout designed by Robert "Bob" Grimsdell (1954).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Brews, Sid

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Sid Brews

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Originally designed by Robert "Bob" Grimsdell, with later improvements by Rob O'Friel (1998).

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Current course laid out by the then club professional Robert (Bob) Grimsdell (1935). Upgraded by Mark Muller (1998).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Waters, Laurie

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Original course at this location laid out by Laurie Waters (1909), which has evolved into today's West Course with several revisions and upgrades along the way.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Player & Kirby

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Co-designed by Gary Player and Ron Kirby

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Nicklaus, Jack

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

A Jack Nicklaus Signature Design

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Matkovich, Peter

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Peter Matkovich

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Robert "Bob" Grimsdell

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Nicklaus Design

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Nicklaus Design (lead designer Sean Quinn).

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Player, Gary

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Gary Player

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Johannesburg
Player, Gary

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Gary Player

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Robert "Bob" Grimsdell. Upgraded in 1999 by Rob O'Friel.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Alison, Charles Hugh

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Charles "Hugh" Alison, long-time design associate of Harry Colt.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Not Saturdays
Johannesburg
Matkovich, Peter

Visitors?

Not Saturdays

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Peter Matkovich

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Wkends restrictd
Johannesburg
Grimsdell, Robert

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Johannesburg

Designer

Robert "Bob" Grimsdell. More recently upgraded by Peter Matkovich.

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Tournaments

124th US Open: the No.2 Course at Pinehurst once again plays host to this most illustrious championship (June 13-16). Wyndham Clark defends his title, having won at Los Angeles CC in 2023.

79th Women’s US Open: the second women’s major championship of the season gets underway at Lancaster CC in Pennsylvania. It’s the second time the championship has been held here.
(May 30-June 2).

Who's Who

Nelly Korda: won the Mizuho Americas Open (May 16-19) at Liberty National GC, continuing her extraordinary form in LPGA events. This was her sixth win in seven starts in 2024.

Xander Schauffele: recorded his first major championship win, and second record-equalling low score of 62 in a major. Only he, Branden Grace, Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry have achieved this feat in a men’s major championship.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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