Leopard Creek, located on the edge of the gigantic Kruger National Park, is one of those courses on which few amateur golfers have played, but which millions have seen on the small screen during retransmissions of the Dunhill Championship.
This course is also one of the golf courses selected for the 3rd and 4th round of the prestigious pro-am of South Africa.

  • © Philippe Heuze
When for the first time I had the chance to enter the grounds of Le Opard Creek, I felt a certain excitement to play on the course classified n ° 1 in South Africa; like any golfer I have my own sensitivity and am above all a lover of scenic courses, in the wild and natural environment and possessing the patina of great courses.

And there I was immediately won over by discovering the sublime thatched clubhouse which faces the greens of 9 and 18.

© Philippe Heuze

© Philippe Heuze

The warm tones, the many photos that decorate the paneling of the walls, the dark wood of the parquet floors, the details in the decoration… all suggest that this achievement by Gary Player has been there for a century when this large Leopard Creek is an inaugurated teenager in 1996 !

After having paid his green fee at 2200 rand (around 250 €!), You are considered one of the 400 members of the club (including Jack Nicklaus, Catherine Zeta-Jones, the Els family and many others ...) and we are heading towards the start of the 1 which looks at a mountain range located at the end of the park.

The interview is manicured and the game starts with pleasure on this savannah garden where you can meet giraffes and antelopes on the edge of the terrible roughs!

Obviously, it is better to forget the score card and not get depressed because of your game; Leopard Creek is a long and demanding course which will very often get the better of the players who face it; but, like any journey resulting from the pencil stroke of Gary Player, it is a fair and fair course.

If the first 9 holes may seem slightly monotonous, Leopard Creek reserves the best on the return!

The green of 12 with a view of the Crocodile River is a typical example and certainly the point of view most filmed by the producers of the PGA European Tour.

The thatched roofs of the villas hidden by the forest let imagine splendid residences, when one approaches the 14; holes 15 and 16 are formidable with their gigantic bodies of water where some crocodiles have taken up residence, the 18 is a superb par 5 which brings you back to the clubhouse after having crossed the last water obstacle of this essential course a collection of the most iconic golf courses in the world.

Philippe Heuzà ©

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Find the article on Pinnacle Point, the first stage of Pro-Am from South Africa here

Also find the article on Fancourt, the second stage of Pro-Am from South Africa here