Formerly known as Orange Free State, the Free State province – with tens of thousands of farms laid out on the relatively flat plains in the heart of the country – is known as the granary of South Africa. British Army Major Henry Douglas Warden founded Bloemfontein, the largest provincial city, in 1846 and it’s now home to a population of around a third of a million people.

The Free State Golf Union is the governing body for amateur golfers who are in membership of the 37 clubs in the Free State province. Twenty-four of the courses are 9-hole layouts whilst the fairways at Kroonstad number ten in total. The course at Harrismith was laid out in 1887 therefore it claims to be the third oldest in the nation.

The best two courses in the province are new millennium offerings that lie within six miles of each other on either side of Parys, a small town located on the Vaal River, which forms the boundary with North West province. The 18-hole layout at Parys Golf & Country Estate debuted in 2007, shortly before the Nick Price-designed course at Vaal de Gráce Golf Estate opened for play.