Simola Golf & Country Estate

Overview: Simola Golf & Country Estate is a Jack Nicklaus Signature course high above Knysna, where the routing uses forested ridges, steep ground and views toward the lagoon and Garden Route. Its par-72 routing is a course of elevation and movement: some holes look across long horizons, while others turn into tighter wooded corridors before climbing again. Its parkland classification is accurate, but the dramatic slopes give the round a mountain character that sets it apart from flatter Cape courses. The interest comes from how Nicklaus fits the golf into the existing terrain.

History: Simola opened as a golf and country estate in 2005 and is presented by the resort as the first Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Africa. The course forms part of a large property on the border of the Knysna Forest, less than seven kilometres from the town and near the Knysna estuary. Its modern history is inseparable from the estate, hotel and residential development, yet the golf routing remains centred on the natural hills and forest edges.

Did You Know? Simola's name is associated with the forested hills above Knysna, and the course's elevated setting makes the town and lagoon appear below several tees. The combination of forest, ridge and distant water gives the course a layered landscape unusual for a resort layout.