| St Francis Links Named South Africa’s Best Golf Course 2025 |
| St Francis Links has once again taken top honours, being named South Africa’s Best Golf Course for 2025 by the 12th Annual World Golf Awards, the global benchmark in golf tourism excellence.
This is not the first time the Links has impressed on the world stage. Back in 2021, we took home the same national title, an award earned in a year where 26 of South Africa’s finest clubs were nominated. This year, we topped the podium, setting us apart from nominees including Blair Atholl, Durban Country Club, Gary Player Country Club, Fancourt and Leopard Creek! |
| The World Golf Awards selects the Best Golf Course in each country based on a voting process, cast online. Golf industry professionals (tour operators, media, course managers, travel agents, PGA professionals) and the public / golf consumers (any golfer) can vote. Judges consider overall quality, including course design, layout and conditioning, playability and challenge, service quality, hospitality facilities and experience (clubhouse, practice facilities, etc.), and the contribution to golf tourism in the country. So it’s about being rated highly by both the golf industry and golfers as the top overall golf experience in that country. That’s what makes the title so credible — it’s peer and public validated.
National No. 1
This accolade places St Francis Links at the top of South African golf, ahead of other renowned courses in its league, which also host national and international professional tournaments.
Global recognition
The World Golf Awards are respected worldwide. This win elevates the Links’ profile as a leading destination for both domestic and international golf travellers.
Quality validated
Designed by the legend Jack Nicklaus, St Francis Links is celebrated for its championship layout, pristine conditioning, breathtaking natural setting and consistently high standards.
Tourism boost
This award is also good news for St Francis Bay and the Eastern Cape, reinforcing South Africa as a premier golf destination and strengthening the region’s tourism appeal.
Proud moment
Upon receiving the news from the United Kingdom, Jeff Clause extended his heartfelt congratulations to course superintendent Charl Blaauw and his team, as well as to the golf operations team under Norman Riley. He added that, together with the Board of Directors and homeowners, we are all extremely proud of this national recognition, especially considering the calibre of the other nominees.
Jeff, who is a United States and South African PGA Master Golf Professional, also thanked every member of the St Francis Links team who strives every day to deliver world-class golf and hospitality, saying: “South Africa’s Best — again. And proudly St Francis Bay.”
This announcement comes as St Francis Links embarks on our 20th anniversary since opening in 2006. We continue to go from strength to strength, including our recent R31 million investment in a complete clubhouse revitalisation, which will be enjoyed by national and international visitors alike over the coming festive season. |
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| And that’s not all! What a week it’s been! |
| We are still trying to catch our breath after what was a bumper weekend, even as we build up to the Fitch & Leedes PGA Championships! |
| One of the highlights of our week, without a doubt, was hosting the magnificent Els for Autism Golf Day this past Friday! What would a charity golf day be without 50km/h easterly wind to really shock the system and our visitors out of the Gauteng region.
Let us not detract from our beautiful course and how well it was presented at this day.
To top that, we had our brand-new clubhouse showcased to this audience! It was a truly beautiful setting, with the signature Ernie Els royal blues adding an element of understated class to the room! |
| We had the immense pleasure of celebrating the extraordinary work of Ernie Els and the impact he has had on countless lives through his charities and initiatives. |
| Ernie’s dedication to making a difference is truly inspiring, and it was an honour to contribute to his mission. A big THANK YOU and a massive shoutout must go to Nico and Elmarie van Rensburg – who have been years-long supporters of St Francis Links and friends to Ernie, Jeff and their two Liezl’s – for bringing the event back. What a phenomenal team!
It was also very special of Ernie to send a personal video which we played at the dinner: |
| We seamlessly transitioned from the Els for Autism into another charitable day!
The same strong Easterly was there to great our local golfers! But it did not detract from the day – Friends of the St Francis Nature Areas – FOSTER. Can you believe this fantastic voluntary organisation has been safeguarding our precious natural heritage for 35 years? That’s right, three and a half decades of dedication to preserving the breathtaking beauty of the Seal Bay, Cape St Francis, Irma Booysen and Seal Point Nature Areas! |
| This spectacular event was made even more special by our wonderful partnership with St Francis Bay! They are gearing up to host the second leg of this initiative in the coming days, further solidifying our collective commitment to improving and maintain our natural beauty.
It’s truly inspiring to see our communities come together for such a vital cause.
A heartfelt thank you must go to Debbie McCracken and her incredible team of volunteers – from gathering prizes to securing sponsors, they were instrumental in making this day a success.
It was a day filled with laughter, but most importantly, a renewed appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us. We are so proud to have been a part of it, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration and conservation with FOSTER and the entire St Francis Bay community! |
| Finally! Wrapping up two fantastic charitable events that truly showcased some great causes – we kept on rolling into something a little more serious.
Sunday brought us the prestigious Eastern Province Golf Union (EPGU) Links Trophy!
While we had 3 divisions showcasing incredible talent, the A division truly stole the show – with 36 holes of challenging golf, played entirely on foot, battling not just the course but also the elements. We “enjoyed” our third straight day of strong easterly winds; this is often considered the toughest wind to navigate on our course.
It truly separates the good from the great, and we witnessed some exceptional performances under these challenging conditions.
A massive round of applause and a hearty congratulations go out to two of our own who truly shone brightly! First, a fantastic well done to Chris van Rensburg for securing a brilliant second-place finish!
And of course, it wouldn’t be a St Francis Links newsletter without a mention of the ever-consistent Shaun Viljoen, who once again proved his mettle with a strong third-place finish! Shaun, you’re becoming a regular fixture in our highlights reel, and we love to see it!
A big congratulations to one of our locals (St Francis Bay Member) Bazil Coenraad who shot a remarkable 68 on the first round, and a closing 79 to win the event and be crowned The Links Trophy Champion! |
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| Bazil Coenraad – Our Champion (Left) and Norman Riley – PGA Professional (Right) |
| We want to express our sincere appreciation to the EPGU. Their efforts are invaluable, and we are incredibly proud to partner with them. St Francis Links is fully committed to working together with the EPGU to ensure that the Eastern Cape, and specifically St Francis Bay, remains an absolute must-play destination for golfers across South Africa! |
| Congratulations to our Knockout Champions! |
| Proudly sponsored by Kwikelec |
| What an incredible year it has been at St Francis Links with our knockouts! We extend our warmest congratulations to our Knockout Champions:
Hein Sevenster & Rian Wagenaar – for the Men’s Division! |
| This event was a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge Kwikelec’s generous contribution to the club throughout the year.
Cherise Milne & Janet McNaughton – for the Women’s Division! |
| Cherise Milne (Left) and Janet McNaughton (Right) |
| And speaking of Ladies – every Thursday we have a healthy turnout of joyful ladies playing their beautiful course! |
| Keep an eye out for the ladies awards evening during the ladies Member Member – where our ladies champions will be celebrated and awarded their prizes! |
| The two Professionals tackle the Garden Route courses, and come out on top! |
| What a fantastic showing from our very own PGA Professionals, Carel and Nazeem, as they ventured out to tackle the challenging greens of Pezula, Simola and Knysna! They truly did an admirable job representing St Francis Links.
We would like to really focus on their amazing performance at Pezula. Carel dominated the day, carding an incredible 67! That’s a score that would make any golfer green with envy.
Not to be outdone, Nazeem Goeda also delivered an impressive round, finishing with a commendable 73. Together, these two gentlemen demonstrated the calibre of golf we’ve come to expect from our professionals.
Well done, gents, on a truly great performance! It’s wonderful to see you take your exceptional games of golf on the road to other courses and proudly display what the Links has to offer. Keep it up! |
| The Front Nine vs The Back Nine: A Clash of Titans! |
| On Sat, 22 November we are kicking off an epic showdown that will pit neighbour against neighbour, front nine against back nine, in a battle for bragging rights and, more importantly, lunch!
The day promises to be filled with friendly rivalry and fantastic golf, all starting bright and early with a Shotgun Start 8h00. But before you tee off, make sure you’re downstairs for the briefing at 07h00.
This thrilling event is an 18-hole Individual Matchplay – 100% Handicap Conversion.
Leading the charge for our two formidable teams are our esteemed Captains!
Representing The Sand River Sharks is the one and only: Graham Botha
and
Representing the Hilltop Herons, we have Jannie Olivier
Both ready to lead their teams to victory.
Scoring will be a breeze with ScoreCapture. Remember to diligently record your scores on ScoreCapture even after your game concludes, as the differential is crucial for determining the overall team score.
And now for the ultimate motivation: the stakes have never been higher! The losers will be buying the winners lunch at the Prize Giving.
So, practise those putts and perfect those drives, because nobody wants to be on the losing end of that deal! |
| Remember to look the part! |
| For our Herons Team, we want to see your brightest and most bold golfing outfits. Think vibrant colours, daring patterns – have a look in the golf shop as we have some fun and vibrant shorts should you want to match it with an equally bold shirt!
As for the Sharks Team, your uniform is a classic and cool white shirt with beige shorts. Let’s make this a day to remember, both on and off the course! |
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