Fancourt

The Links at Fancourt Ranked South Africa’s No. 1 Golf Course for 2025

9th December 2025
Tom Davidson

Few courses in the world capture the imagination of golfers quite like The Links at Fancourt — and this year, its excellence has once again been recognised. The Links has been named South Africa’s No. 1 golf course for 2025 by the SA Top 100 Courses, a well-deserved accolade celebrating its design, conditioning, and unwavering commitment to providing an exceptional golfing experience.

A Modern Classic with Global Recognition

Originally crafted by Gary Player in 2000 for Fancourt owner Hasso Plattner, The Links has long been regarded as one of South Africa’s most ambitious and distinctive golf design achievements. Inspired by the great seaside links of the British Isles, it stands apart as a dramatic, sculpted landscape of undulating fairways, pot bunkers, and greens shaped with precision and imagination.

These features have earned The Links international acclaim: Golf Digest ranks it among the Top 100 Courses in the World outside the United States, and its highest position of No. 28 on the World’s 100 Greatest Courses list underscores its enduring global reputation.

Defined by Exclusivity, Precision, and Tradition

Part of the mystique of The Links lies in its exclusivity. The club maintains a small membership and is not open to general visitors-yet Fancourt hotel guests are offered limited tee times, making a round here both rare and memorable.

Every detail of the playing experience is curated to honour tradition:
A refined clubhouse atmosphere
First-tee rituals
Mandatory caddies
A renowned halfway house experience

This dedication to detail contributes significantly to its ranking, with standout scores in conditioning, playability, aesthetics, and memorability.

Fancourt

A Championship Stage with Historic Moments

Over the years, The Links has hosted several iconic tournaments, including:

  • The 2003 Presidents Cup, remembered for its dramatic tie between Gary Player’s International team and Jack Nicklaus’s United States side
  • The 2005 South African Open
  • The 2012 Volvo Golf Champions
  • The first Women’s World Cup of Golf in 2005

These events further cement Fancourt’s role in showcasing South African golf on the world stage.

A Leader in Sustainability

Beyond championship pedigree, The Links is also recognised for its environmental stewardship. Surrounded by protected grasslands and wetlands, the course functions as a natural habitat and wildlife reserve, not for large animals, but rich with indigenous flora and birdlife.

The Links spent two decades as part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programme and is now exploring new golf-centric sustainability initiatives. This continued commitment has earned it praise across the Garden Route region and beyond.

Proud Partners in Precision

CiMSO is proud to support leading hospitality and golf destinations across Southern Africa-including Fancourt-with integrated, enterprise-grade management solutions. The excellence demonstrated at The Links reflects the same commitment to precision, service quality, and operational mastery that we strive to deliver through our software suites.

Fancourt

Celebrating a South African Icon

Being voted South Africa’s No. 1 golf course for 2025 is more than just a ranking-it’s a recognition of decades of vision, craftsmanship, environmental care, and world-class service. The Links at Fancourt continues to set the bar not only for South African golf but for the global golfing community.

Congratulations to the Fancourt team on this outstanding achievement.

Contact Us

CiMSO supports clients transitioning from fragmented legacy software systems to fully integrated ERP solutions. We manage deployments in compliance with ISO90003 Quality Management Systems and PRINCEII Project Management methodologies.

Contact your local CiMSO Office or Value Added Reseller to learn more about our Integrated ERP Software Suites for Hotels, Resorts, Real Estate, Clubs, Timeshare, and Leasing Management.