Presenting Jamie Thom and Stuart McLean’s South Africa’s Greatest Golf Destinations

by Amanda on September 17th, 2009

Stuart McLean A lavishly illustrated coffee-table book, South Africa’s Greatest Golf Destinations presents the cream of South Africa’s greens and fairways. Here you will find a diverse array of golf courses, from Gauteng’s venerable Blair Atholl and Royal Johannesburg to Arabella and Erinvale in the winelands of the Western Cape, from Beachwood and Zimbali in KwaZulu-Natal to the bushveld splendour of Leopard Creek on the edge of the Kruger National Park, which comes with unique water hazards in the form of hippos and crocodiles.

Passionate golfer and specialist course photographer Jamie Thom and Golf Digest editor Stuart McLean have chosen the top thirty courses in South Africa, and included another twenty-nine quality and scenic courses that will be of particular interest to golfers and visitors. Information about each course focuses on what makes them exciting to play, big tournaments that have been hosted there, and what else there is to see and experience nearby.

Special features include a list of best golf holes in South Africa, a section on the four most influential golf course architects in the country, and notes about the challenges of photographing golf courses.

About the photographer

Jamie Thom set out as a mechanical engineer before indulging his passion for the outdoors and photography. During a stint as a game ranger, he turned to photography, winning a number of awards, most notably the coveted BBC/British Gas Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition in 1999. Thereafter he joined an American company producing wildlife documentaries for National Geographic and Discovery Channel before returning to his passion for photography.

Then his other love, golf, caused a change in focus. He is a regular contributor to Golf Digest and Compleat Golfer magazines and also manages the marketing and advertising for Matkovich & Hayes Golf Estate Solutions. His images have been published in magazines, calendars and books worldwide. He lives in Johannesburg.

About the author

Stuart McLean has been editor of Golf Digest South Africa since 1997. The magazine publishes an annual list of the Top 100 courses in South Africa, which he initiated in 1997, and he has played each and every one of them since then. He is also the author of South African Golf Courses: A Portrait of the Best, published by Random House Struik. He lives in Cape Town.

Book details