Highland Gate Golf & Trout Estate

Overview: Highland Gate Golf & Trout Estate is an Ernie Els Signature course in the highlands outside Dullstroom, Mpumalanga. The routing covers 18 holes at par 72 and uses Highveld grasslands, stone koppies, streams, dams and long changes in elevation to create a mountain course with an unusually open visual field. At roughly 7,000 yards from the longest tees, it is the terrain rather than raw scorecard length that sets the rhythm. Wide fairways invite a confident start, but the land repeatedly changes the angle and elevation of the next shot, especially on the climb through the back nine.

History: The course was created as the centrepiece of a golf and trout estate and was relaunched as a destination in 2015 after Ernie Els and his design team shaped the routing. The property covers more than 700 hectares, with only part of the land developed and much of the remainder kept in a natural state. That development history matters to the course: Highland Gate was planned as a landscape destination with golf, hiking, birdlife and water features working together.

Did You Know? Highland Gate sits at about 2,000 metres above sea level and is often described as one of the highest ranked golf courses in South Africa. Its altitude and mountain climate help explain the crisp open views, changing weather and distinctive highland atmosphere.