166 - Highland Gate

Location: Dullstroom, South Africa

Rating: 8.6

Highland Gate is set in a very special location at what feels like on top of the world just outside Dullstroom. It is a golf & trout fishing estate and the ideal location for those who like both.

The round starts with a gentle par 4, uphill, weaving to the right as you get a sense of what to expect of the course. It is in fantastic condition, sadly the greens had recently been hollow tinned so didn’t get a true appreciation of how good they could be but everyone else was fantastic. It is not a course with a huge amount of trees, the fairways are generous and once you miss those you are then into thicker bush and I’m sure the odd snake or two.

Throughout the round you find yourself stopping to take pictures of the surroundings with stunning mountain backdrops and beware, at this altitude, you’ll find your ball going further than you’d expect so compensate for that. I loved almost every hole apart from the par 5, stroke index 1 which I think is just far too difficult for the average golfer. A 580 meter, narrow as hell par 5 with the likelihood of wind coming straight across you, it’s an absolute nightmare to play.

I couldn’t recommend playing at Highland Gate more highly. I think it is around R1,000 for a visitor and as a foreigner visiting that is an absolute bargain.