Sishen - Northern Cape - South Africa

1st Northern Cape - Best in Area 24th South Africa Ranking
Sishen Golf Club,
Kathu 8446,
Northern Cape,
South Africa

  • +27 (0) 53 723 1501

  • Philip Adamson

  • Robert Grimsdell

  • Not known

The mining town of Kathu, “the town under the trees,” sits in a huge Camelthorn forest at the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert in the Northern Cape. This extensive bush area, along with a number of nearby saltpans, was given nature reserve heritage status in 1994.

Sishen Golf Club is located on the edge of town and the course was constructed by the Sishen Iron Ore Mine in 1979, three years after the completion of a railway line to Sandanha on the Western Cape opened up export markets, expanding mining operations in the town.

The original intention of mine manager Solly Watson was to spend a quarter of a million rand on a 9-hole layout, but that budget was doubled, then that sum tripled before an 18-hole layout was completed at a cost of 1.5 million rand.

Sishen was the last course designed by Robert Grimsdell and its lush green fairways (thanks to a recently installed irrigation system) are bounded by stands of trees and desert vegetation – visiting golfers are often pleasantly surprised by the great condition of the course in such an arid golfing outpost.
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Description: Sishen was the last course designed by Robert Grimsdell and its lush green fairways are bounded by stands of trees and desert vegetation... Rating: 5 out of 6 Reviews: 1

Sishen. Sweet, sweet Sishen. This must be the best value golf course in the world. It is rated in the top 30 courses in SA, and costs all of 15 Euros to play. This of course, excludes you caddy fee of another 7 Euros or so… It is unfortunately located in the middle of nowhere (about 5 hours’ drive from Johannesburg) but is worth the drive. The course is absolutely stunning, with lush green fairways and perfect greens rolling trough massive thorn trees, and between blood red sand dunes – beautiful. Accommodation is easy to find, and there is nothing to do in the town but play golf – and that is all you would want to do. It is the last golf course that Bob Grimsdell designed in South Africa (he designed about 30 in total I think). The course is quite difficult for the high handicapper, but that is irrelevant given the beauty of the course and its surroundings. Kem Westdyk, Johannesburg, South Africa
5 / 6
Sishen
May 02, 2011


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