Vulintaba

This isolated country estate in an amphitheatre of the Northern Drakensberg has a magnificent 9-hole course originally created by Peter Matkovich when the property was first launched under the name of Dunblane. It is in a sublime pristine setting of prairie grasslands with a mountain backdrop.

It is the closest Berg resort to Gauteng (300 kilometres), and this is a hidden gem with an amazing wow factor. The green fees are excellent value. There’s a 69-room hotel on site for visitors, as it is 20 kilometres from Newcastle along a lonely tar road.

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 one 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 course plays entirely differently the second time around. These tees are adventurously situated on the fourth and seventh, providing two short par-4s to go alongside two long ones.

The holes are uniformly excellent, varied and challenging, none more so than the uphill par-5 third to the highest point of the layout. The climb sets you up for a thrilling downhill tee shot at the superb fourth. The round ends with a strong 550-metre par 5.