Stop five: Pinnacle Point
On the following morning came two big surprises. First, instead of driving to the next course, I was hoisted there by helicopter. Second, the course itself.

Roughly 25 miles southeast of Fancourt, on a stretch of cliffs 600 feet above the Indian Ocean, sits the most spectacular course I have ever seen. Less than a year old and the creation of South African architect Peter Matkovich, Pinnacle Point is destined to do for South Africa what Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers have done for New Zealand. It simply must be seen and played.

The only places I can begin to compare it to are Pebble Beach and Ireland’s Old Head. But it’s set on more jaw-dropping terrain than Pebble and is a much better course than Old Head. This is extreme golf, to be sure, but it is also honest golf. There are no unreasonable assignments, no silly holes—just engaging, exhilarating ones.
 
The course is also home to 264 species of flora—more than in the entire U.K.—so there’s ample opportunity to stop and smell the flowers. There are also two private beaches, a hotel and a casino on site. The casino, in fact, came first and the property’s non-golfer owners had no idea what to do with the land before someone suggested golf. Today, regulations forbid building this close to the sea, so South Africa will never have another course quite like this one.

Pinnacle Point will ultimately be a private club with an international membership, most of whom have bought lots near the course. For now it’s open to guests of the Pinnacle Point Hotel. I urge you to find your way there.