Golf guide • South Africa • Northern Cape

Golf in Kimberley: a club founded in 1890 in diamond country

Kimberley, capital of South Africa's Northern Cape, offers a short golf stopover steeped in history: Kimberley Golf Club, founded in 1890 and host of the first South African championship in 1892, and the Magersfontein Memorial Golf Estate, some forty minutes to the south, near the 1899 battlefield. Just two courses, to combine with the Big Hole and the town's museums, ideally from April to October.

Plan this tripUpdated 11 October 2026

Kimberley was born of a rush. Diamonds were found in the area from 1866, and the New Rush camp became Kimberley in 1873. For more than forty years, tens of thousands of miners dug the Big Hole by pick and shovel, until it reached 240 metres deep. The town that grew from it has kept its corrugated-iron roofs, its Victorian verandas and a singular pride: in 1882 it became the first town in the southern hemisphere to light its streets with electricity.

Golf arrived with the diamond fortunes. Kimberley Golf Club held its first competition in December 1890, on greens of sand and later of washed kimberlite gravel, and in 1897 Cecil Rhodes presented it with a trophy the members still play for. Let us be frank: Kimberley is not a golf destination in its own right. There are two 18-hole courses, pleasant and unpretentious, which you can play in two or three days.

What makes the trip is the whole. The Magersfontein battlefield, where the Highland Brigade was decimated in December 1899, lies in the same area as the second course, and the club museum tells the story of Freddie Tait, twice British Amateur champion, who was wounded on that same battlefield. Add the rock engravings of Wildebeest Kuil and the lesser flamingos of Kamfers Dam, and it makes an ideal stop on the road between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The courses

Green and flag in front of pale winter grasses, white-trunked eucalyptus and umbrella acacias

Kimberley Golf Club

Architect: Robert Grimsdell
Opened 1960
18 holes
Par 72

The club is one of the oldest in the country: founded in 1890, it hosted the first South African golf championship in 1892. The present course, designed by Robert Grimsdell, replaced the old layout in 1960 on a site of nearly 90 hectares beside the N12. It is a flat, tree-lined par 72, grassed throughout with Elliot, a grass that stays green and holds the ball in summer, then takes on a frosted, almost white tint in winter. Welcoming for every level, it is also home to the Freddie Tait museum, opened in 1990.

Signature hole. The 8th is stroke index 1 on the card: the hole the members fear most.

Official website

Magersfontein Memorial Golf Estate

Opened 2007
18 holes
Par 72

Opened in 2007, the Magersfontein Memorial Golf Estate lies some forty minutes south of Kimberley, near Modder River and the battlefield whose name it bears. It is an 18-hole par 72 of just under 6,400 yards from the back tees, with water features, well-placed bunkers and gently undulating greens, on barely rolling ground. Have your tee times confirmed before setting off. Pair it with a visit to the battlefield museum.

Where to stay

Kimberley Anne

The Kimberley Anne is a small hotel of sixteen rooms with contemporary interiors, in the residential district of Royldene, south of the centre. Ask for a room with access to the inner courtyard, which the house allocates on request, and try one of the many wines poured by the glass at the bar. Parking is in a secure basement, which matters when travelling with golf bags.

The Kimberley Club

Founded in 1881 on the model of the London clubs, the Kimberley Club was the haunt of Cecil Rhodes and the diamond magnates; during the siege of 1899-1900, the "grilled prime veal fillet" on its menu was in fact horse. Today it lets twenty-one rooms furnished with the club's original pieces and period furniture. Pack a jacket: dinner at the Rhodes Grill is still a fairly formal affair. The historic centre is within walking distance.

Paved courtyard of a small hotel with a pool, loungers, potted olive trees and dark shutters in the evening light

Where to dine

Kimberley Anne Restaurant

The Kimberley Anne's restaurant gives South African cooking a refined, contemporary turn, in the dining room, on the terrace or in a private room. Its wine list, recognised by the Diners Club Wine List Awards, is preserved with a Le Verre de Vin system, so fine bottles are opened by the glass: pick a different pairing with each course. Dinner Monday to Saturday; Sunday lunch is held only once a month, on request.

Star of the West

Opened in 1870 opposite the Big Hole, the Star of the West is among the oldest pubs in South Africa: wooden bar, original ceilings and staircase, photographs of the diamond rush on the walls. Legend tells of a tunnel, now sealed, that linked it to the mine. Order the eisbein or a grilled steak and settle under the lapa, often with live music. The natural stop after a visit to the Big Hole.

Beyond golf

The Big Hole and the diamond city

Dug by hand from 1871 to 1914, the Big Hole yielded some 2,700 kilos of diamonds. Partly filled in, it still plunges to around 215 metres. A viewing platform overlooks the crater, and the site recreates the early mining town, with its museum. A heritage tram, back in service since 1985, runs through the centre. The McGregor Museum, founded in 1907, covers the natural and cultural history of the Northern Cape.

Magersfontein and the Boer War

On 11 December 1899, British troops marching to relieve besieged Kimberley ran into the Boer trenches at Magersfontein. The Highland Brigade lost 747 men. Among the wounded was Freddie Tait, the British Amateur champion, killed two months later at Koodoosberg. The battlefield museum, open daily from 8am to 4pm, is some thirty kilometres from town along the airport road.

Rock engravings and lesser flamingos

Sixteen kilometres out on the R31, the Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre, on land belonging to the !Xun and Khwe San, preserves more than 400 engravings on a small sacred hill; an 800-metre boardwalk links them, with commentary from community guides. On the edge of town, Kamfers Dam hosts up to 60,000 lesser flamingos, the species' only breeding site in South Africa.

Old open-pit mine with reddish walls plunging to dark water, corrugated-iron buildings and a headframe at the edge

When to go

Kimberley has a semi-arid climate, at 1,200 metres above sea level. From April to October, the air is dry and the skies clear; in June and July, days climb to around 19°C but nights drop close to freezing and frost delays the first tee times. From November to March, summer is hot, around 32°C in January, and thunderstorms bring most of the rain: golf is played early in the morning.

Getting there

Kimberley airport (KIM) is about 6.5 kilometres from the centre, some twelve minutes by car. Airlink and CemAir link it to Johannesburg and Cape Town, where long-haul flights from Europe arrive. Once there, a hire car is essential to reach Magersfontein and the surrounding sites.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Kimberley?

Kimberley Golf Club, a flat, tree-lined Robert Grimsdell course opened in 1960, is the local benchmark. The club, founded in 1890, hosted the first South African golf championship in 1892.

How many golf courses are there around Kimberley?

Two 18-hole courses: Kimberley Golf Club, on the edge of town, and the Magersfontein Memorial Golf Estate, some forty minutes to the south. Kimberley therefore suits a stopover of two or three nights rather than a golf week.

When is the best time to play golf in Kimberley?

From April to October, during the dry season. Summer, from November to March, is hot and stormy; in midwinter, mornings are cold and often frosty.

What is the link between golf and the Battle of Magersfontein?

Freddie Tait, twice winner of the British Amateur Championship, was wounded at Magersfontein in December 1899 and then killed at Koodoosberg in February 1900. Kimberley Golf Club devotes a museum to him, and a course bears the name of the battlefield.

How do you get to Kimberley from Europe?

By long-haul flight to Johannesburg or Cape Town, then an Airlink or CemAir domestic flight to Kimberley airport, some twelve minutes from the centre.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Kimberley

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

Fairway lined with umbrella pines and eucalyptus at the foot of a flat-topped mountain with sandstone cliffs, late in the day

Western Cape