Vulintaba

Vulintaba is closed for maintenance work until mid-September 2023 when the first nine will reopen. A new second nine has been constructed and is expected to open in December 2023.

This isolated country estate in an amphitheatre of the Northern Drakensberg, originally a scenically magnificent 9-holer, has expanded to 18 holes. All 18 are expected to be open for play in December 2023.

The property was first launched under the name of Dunblane in 2009 with 9 holes by Peter Matkovich. It is in a sublime pristine setting of prairie grasslands with a mountain backdrop. These holes are varied and challenging, none more so than the uphill par-5 third to the highest point of the layout. That climb set golfers up for a thrilling downhill tee shot at the superb fourth.

It is the closest Berg resort to Gauteng (300 kilometres), and this is a hidden gem with an amazing wow factor. It is situated 20 kilometres from Newcastle along a lonely tar road. There’s a 69-room hotel on site, managed by ANEW.

The course was originally designed with the intention of becoming an 18-holer, but a change of ownership in 2012 saw that scenario scrapped, as well as a change of name to Vulintaba, meaning “Open the Mountains,” from the local Zulu language. The late Douw van der Merwe of DDV Design altered some of the holes and built a variety of alternate tees so that the 9-holer played entirely differently the second time around.  It re-opened in 2013.

Owners Ni-Da Transport, based in Newcastle, then decided in 2019 to add a second nine holes, and that has been designed by Dino de Abreu, who worked with Van der Merwe.