Playing number one

The sound of a giraffe breathing is not something you would normally associate with playing golf but then Leopard Creek is not your normal golf course.

The course that Johann Rupert built to be “the Augusta of Africa” has recently been voted into No1 spot on SA Golf Digest’s list of the top 100 South African courses.

Situated some 70 kilometres passed Nelspruit on the road to Maputo at the Malelane gate into the Kruger National Park it has already acquired a mystical aura among golfers – a magical place whose delights, like Augusta, are reserved for the privileged few.

Fortunately, sportswriters in the words of the great American columnist Red Smith being “underpaid and overprivileged,” I was recently afforded the rare opportunity to savour the delights of this marvellous place.

And that is why I now know the sound a giraffe makes when it draws air down its impossibly long neck. We were on the eighth hole when the two giraffes that are resident on the course came loping by, pausing to cast an inquisitive look at us interlopers, and passing so close to us that we could hear the gentle gurgle of their breathing.

It was an awe-inspiring, defining moment that reinforced what, for me, was an instant love of the place.

Leopard Creek is the kind of place that you take your guidebook on the buggy with you to identify birds – although I had far too many sightings of the greater African double bogey and none of the rare Malelane birdie! – and I rejoiced in the way designer Gary Player managed to build the drama from a low-key, but subtle, front-nine to reach a crescendo with the spectacular lake-side 15th, 16th and 18th holes if, like for the professionals, the normal 9th and 18th holes, the latter with its island green, are switched around to make for the toughest finish.

The 13th, with its green perched above the Crocodile River and serpentine stream guarding the left-hand side, is a truly spectacular achievement of construction and imagination and if there are many better places to feel the atmosphere of Africa than the pulpit tee of the 15th I’d like to see them.

To stand on this pinnacle, with its 360° view of the bushveld and perfectly “out-of-Africa” clubhouse, is spiritual in itself and mind-blowing when you come to the realisation that you are actually playing golf in such a wonderful setting.

It took me a while to appreciate that the course is in the lowveld and not too many metres above sea level, requiring a marked gearing up on iron shots, and I often found myself giving thanks that we were not off the back tees… such as at the formidable par-three 16th where you could have a carry of more than 200 metres over water to what appears to be an impossibly minute target.

I was fortunate to be able to play two rounds and the second enhanced my initial impression. After the first round I could easily recall each of the 18 holes – always a good test – and the second outing revealed more subtleties to test one’s skill and imagination and increased the desire to go out and play again.

Like Augusta, Leopard Creek is exclusive, expensive and beyond the reach of most club players but such are the realities of finance that it is unlikely it could have been created without these conditions.

The elitist nature of the estate and club will obviously engender jealousy and disparagement but it is easy to see why Leopard Creek has reached first place on the rankings. It is unattainable, it is mystical, it is truly African, it has unique design elements, it is in excellent condition and it is a challenging test of golf in a unique setting.

I am just happy to be able to say that I have played it and know that I will look forward to my next outing, if it ever occurs, with even more excitement than I did for my first.