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Golf guide • South Africa • KwaZulu-Natal

Golf in Durban: fairways between dunes and coastal forest on the Indian Ocean

Durban, the great KwaZulu-Natal port on the Indian Ocean, offers within three quarters of an hour's drive Durban Country Club, host of eighteen South African Opens, Tom Weiskopf's course at Zimbali, the two layouts at Mount Edgecombe and Bluff National Park to the south. Golfers come for subtropical golf between dunes and coastal forest, and for the city's Indian cooking. The best period runs from April to September, the dry, mild southern winter.

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South Africa's third city and the leading port in sub-Saharan Africa, Durban faces the Indian Ocean, in a subtropical climate that allows golf all year round. The city, centre of the eThekwini metropolitan area, blends British heritage, Zulu culture and a large community of Indian origin, which gave Durban its curries and its signature dish, the bunny chow. The Golden Mile seafront runs north, where Umhlanga lines up its beach hotels at the foot of a lighthouse.

Golf here is long-established and of a high standard. Durban Country Club, opened in 1922 behind the line of dunes, ranks among the country's five best courses and hosted the South African Open in March 2025. Royal Durban, founded in 1892, is even played inside the Greyville racecourse. To the north, the Dolphin Coast brings together Mount Edgecombe and its two courses, then Zimbali, designed by Tom Weiskopf in a coastal forest reserve.

For a golf trip, Umhlanga is the most practical base: some twenty minutes from King Shaka airport, a quarter of an hour from Mount Edgecombe, twenty minutes from Durban Country Club and half an hour from Zimbali. You sleep facing the sea, play early in the morning while the air is still cool, and keep the end of the day for the beach or a Durban Indian curry.

The courses

Raised green ringed by white bunkers and birds of paradise, wooded hills and the Indian Ocean in the distance

Durban Country Club

  • Architect: George Waterman, Laurie Waters
  • Opened 1922
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Designed in 1922 by George Waterman and Laurie Waters, then refined by S. V. Hotchkin and Bob Grimsdell, Durban Country Club is the city's benchmark course, three kilometres from the centre. This par 72 threads behind a high ridge of dunes, amid dense subtropical vegetation: rolling fairways, holes framed by trees, a sea breeze that has a say in every club choice. The club claims eighteen South African Opens, including the 2025 edition won by Dylan Naidoo. A demanding course for good players that remains a pleasure to walk.

Signature hole. The 3rd, a par 5 that drops into a valley between the dunes and narrows all the way to the green, is regularly cited among the finest par 5s in the world. The 12th, a par 3 to a domed green, is just as feared.

Official website

Zimbali Country Club

  • Architect: Tom Weiskopf
  • Opened 1998
  • 18 holes

Opened in 1998, Zimbali is the work of Tom Weiskopf, winner of the 1973 Open Championship, on the Zimbali estate at Ballito, some forty minutes north of Durban and a quarter of an hour from the airport. The layout crosses a coastal forest reserve and wetlands: the opening holes, over rolling hills, offer broad views of the coast, and the closing stretch looks out to the ocean. The changes in elevation make a buggy essential. African fish eagles and herons are regular company. It is the highest-ranked course in KwaZulu-Natal according to top100golfcourses.com.

Signature hole. The 9th, a long par 3 on high, exposed ground, is almost always played in a crosswind.

Official website

Mount Edgecombe Country Club, The Woods

  • Architect: Sid Brews; Hugh Baiocchi (1992)
  • Opened 1935
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

Mount Edgecombe, between Durban and Umhlanga, has two 18-hole courses. The Woods, the older, was laid out in 1935 by Sid Brews, then redesigned in 1992 by Hugh Baiocchi: a tree-lined parkland par 70, short but precise, whose 14th, 15th and 16th form the club's "Amen Corner". The Lakes, a par 72 reworked by Matkovich Design, is longer and makes more use of water, notably at the 8th and 9th along the Pani dam. Two complementary styles a quarter of an hour from Umhlanga.

Official website

Bluff National Park Golf Club

  • Architect: Alan Barnard
  • Opened 1989
  • 18 holes

South of the city, on the Bluff peninsula, this course designed by Alan Barnard opened its first nine holes in 1987 and its full eighteen in 1989. It lies within a protected wetland: stretches of water and abundant birdlife make you feel you have left the city, some twenty minutes from the centre. Less prestigious than Durban Country Club or Zimbali, it offers a relaxed and different round, best kept for an unpretentious morning.

Official website

Where to stay

The Oyster Box

Opened in 1954 opposite the Umhlanga lighthouse, The Oyster Box is the coast's historic address, now part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Its 86 rooms, suites and villas look onto the ocean or the garden. Ask for a sea-facing room with the red-and-white lighthouse below your windows, and book one evening at the Ocean Terrace curry buffet, where Durban families come as often as hotel guests. Mount Edgecombe is a quarter of an hour away.

Beverly Hills

On Umhlanga beach, between the pier and the lighthouse, the Beverly Hills has been welcoming guests since 1964. Its 89 rooms and suites all have a sea-facing balcony, and the hotel has its own access to the beach. Ask for a junior suite: its floor-to-ceiling windows let you watch for dolphins and whales as you wake. A practical base, with a shuttle on request, for the northern courses as well as Durban Country Club.

The Capital Zimbali

On the Zimbali estate at Ballito, The Capital Zimbali is less than a quarter of an hour from King Shaka airport and beside Tom Weiskopf's course. For a group of golfers, ask for an apartment or the three-bedroom villa rather than separate rooms, so you share the terrace after the round. Swimming is not permitted on the estate's private beach; go there for a drink at the Zimbali Beach Club instead. Ideal for playing Zimbali more than once.

White columned veranda with rattan chairs and potted palms, facing a red and white lighthouse and the beach at dusk

Where to dine

The Chefs' Table

Opened in 2016 on the first floor of a small shopping centre in Umhlanga Rocks, The Chefs' Table is one of the few Durban restaurants holding a star from the South African Eat Out guide. The open kitchen works a seasonal menu built on KwaZulu-Natal produce, served on handmade ceramics. Ask for a table facing the stoves and a look at the cellar before you choose the wine. Closed on Sundays; book for dinner.

Britannia Hotel

Built in 1879 on Umgeni Road, a few minutes from Durban Country Club, the Britannia Hotel has belonged since 1983 to the Moodley family, whose family recipes made its name. People come from across the city for its fourteen kinds of bunny chow. Order the classic mutton or the "chops chutney", bone-in mutton chops, and save the last drink for the Thirsty Horse, the hotel's own bar.

Gounden's

On Umbilo Road, among workshops and warehouses west of the port, Gounden's has spent some forty years serving what many Durbanites consider the city's best mutton bunny chow. A takeaway counter and a small air-conditioned dining room, no pretensions whatsoever. It is a lunchtime address: arrive before the lunch hour, as the queue forms early, ideally on your way back from a morning at Durban Country Club.

Beyond golf

The Golden Mile and bunny chow

Durban's seafront stretches for several kilometres of beaches, promenades and piers as far as uShaka Marine World. In the morning, runners and surfers pass one another. It is also the chance to try bunny chow, born in Durban in the 1940s within the Indian community: a hollowed-out loaf of white bread, served as a quarter, a half or whole, filled with mutton, chicken or bean curry and eaten with the fingers.

Durban Botanic Gardens

Founded in 1849, Durban Botanic Gardens are the oldest surviving botanical gardens in Africa. Across some fifteen hectares, they hold hundreds of palms, a remarkable cycad collection including Wood's cycad, discovered in 1895 and now the gardens' emblem, and an orchid house opened in 1962. A shady, quiet break between two rounds, before dinner in town.

Moses Mabhida and the city

Built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Moses Mabhida Stadium raises its great arch above the city, close to the Golden Mile. Durban is also the first city in Africa designated a UNESCO City of Literature: a lively port city where Zulu, Indian and British cultures meet, to be explored between rounds.

Palm-lined seafront promenade at sunrise, beach, breaking waves and city towers in the haze

When to go

Durban can be played all year, but the southern winter, from April to September, is the best season: dry, sunny weather, average temperatures around 17°C, firm and fast courses. From October to March, summer is hot and humid, averaging around 24°C, with most of the rain, often as afternoon thunderstorms, and heavier fairways; golf is then played early in the morning.

Getting there

King Shaka International Airport (DUR) is at La Mercy, 35 km north of the centre: allow about thirty-five minutes to Durban, around twenty to Umhlanga and a quarter of an hour to Zimbali. Emirates links Durban with Dubai; otherwise you connect through Johannesburg, about an hour's flight away. Book your transfers through your hotel or through us, and hire a car if you are comfortable driving on the left.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Durban?

Durban Country Club, opened in 1922, is the benchmark: the club counts eighteen South African Opens, including the 2025 edition, and its par-5 3rd is famous the world over. Zimbali, a Tom Weiskopf design, is the region's other great course, some forty minutes to the north.

When is the best time to play golf in Durban?

From April to September, during the dry, sunny and mild southern winter. Summer, from October to March, is hot, humid and stormy in the afternoon: golf is then played at first light.

Where should you stay for a golf trip to Durban?

Umhlanga, north of the city, is the most practical base: beach hotels, restaurants, and most courses around twenty minutes away. To play Zimbali more than once, The Capital Zimbali at Ballito sits on the course.

Is it safe to go on a golf trip to Durban?

Yes, with the usual precautions in South Africa: transfers booked in advance, ride-hailing cars ordered only through the app, doors locked and valuables out of sight in the car, and no walking alone after dark. Check your country's travel advice before you leave.

Can you swim in the sea in Durban?

Yes, the Indian Ocean is pleasant for much of the year. Swim only on lifeguarded beaches, between the red and yellow flags, as the currents can be strong.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Durban

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

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