Gary Player’s private course on the Crocodile River, facing the Kruger Park.
Leopard Creek Country Club is a private members’ estate near Malelane in Mpumalanga, on the south bank of the Crocodile River. The river is the southern border of the Kruger National Park, and the club’s main gate is just 200 metres from the park’s Malelane Gate. You cannot simply book a tee time. The club releases a small number of off-peak times to visitors staying at one of its associate lodges, which range from Buhala Lodge, 10 kilometres away, to safari camps three hours’ drive or more to the north. If you are planning a Kruger safari anyway, that route is very achievable.
Visitor times exist only in limited off-peak periods, mainly on certain Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and some Sundays after 11am. South African public holidays, busy holiday periods and club events are excluded, and member bookings come first. To get one, you must stay at an associate lodge and book the golf through that lodge, not the club. The list includes Buhala Lodge, Jock Safari Lodge, Lukimbi, Olivers, Londolozi, Singita, Sabi Sabi, MalaMala, Lion Sands, Leopard Hills and Royal Malewane, with contact numbers on the club’s visitors page. Non-golfing day visits to the estate, including lunch or the pro shop, are not allowed.
Visitor green fee via an associate lodge, including golf cart and halfway house; valid until 28 February 2027.
| Hire clubs, on request | R1,850 |
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Gary Player designed the course, which was established in 1996 and is owned by Johann Rupert. It hosted the Alfred Dunhill Championship almost every year from December 2004 to 2024; the 2025 edition moved to Royal Johannesburg. From the club’s hole-by-hole figures it measures about 6,665 metres, par 72, with the back nine longer than the front. Water features run through it, and the club’s course notes say crocodile, hippo, antelope, buffalo and elephant are commonly seen on the course or across the river. The 9th and 18th greens sit in front of the thatched clubhouse. The 13th green is perched above the Crocodile River; it was badly damaged when the river burst its banks in early 2000. Sculptor Dylan Lewis made a leopard sculpture for each hole, following the animal through one day from the 1st to the 18th.
Choose your lodge first, because it decides your distance and your day. Buhala is 10 kilometres away and Lukimbi and Jock Safari Lodge about 20, while Sabi Sands camps such as Singita and MalaMala are three hours’ drive each way. The dress code is strict: recognised golf clothing, no large logos or very loud colours, and for men, long trousers in the bar and dining room at club functions. The clubhouse veranda looks over the 9th and 18th and into the park. The estate is fenced from the Big Five, but you will still see plenty of game from the course.
Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP), near Mbombela, has daily flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town and is about an hour’s drive. Skukuza Airport, inside the park, is about two hours away because the park speed limit is 50 km/h. Private and charter flights can use Malelane Airport, around 15 minutes from the club. The address is R570, Leopard Creek Estate, Malalane.
Your bed is your ticket. Buhala Lodge, 10 kilometres from the club, and Olivers, about 45 minutes away, are the practical golf bases. Inside the Kruger Park, Lukimbi (18 kilometres) and Jock Safari Lodge (22 kilometres) are close enough, which allows a game drive and golf on the same day. The private camps further north are a long way off: Londolozi is two hours’ drive, and Lion Sands, Leopard Hills and Sabi Sabi about three. They suit a safari with one round added, rather than a golf trip.
For most visitors, the real pairing is the Kruger National Park itself. The park covers 19,455 square kilometres and runs about 355 kilometres north from the river at Leopard Creek, so the morning and evening game drives from the associate lodges are the main event. If you are flying on to the Western Cape, Kruger Mpumalanga’s daily flights to Cape Town make it easy to add Pearl Valley, Steenberg or Royal Cape at the end of the same trip.
These packages have a confirmed round at Leopard Creek Country Club in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
8 nights, 4 rounds plus safari
Rounds: Steenberg · Royal Cape · Pearl Valley · Leopard Creek
Stay: 5 nights B&B at the Queen Victoria Hotel, Cape Town; 3 full board at Jock Safari Lodge, Kruger
Three Cape Town rounds with a hire car, then three nights on safari with daily game drives and a round at Leopard Creek.
10 nights, 5 rounds plus safari
Rounds: Steenberg · Royal Cape · Arabella · Pearl Valley · Leopard Creek
Stay: Queen Victoria Hotel, Arabella Hotel & Spa, Lanzerac Wine Estate and Jock Safari Lodge
Cape Town, Hermanus and the Winelands before Kruger: five rounds, transfers included, and daily game drives at Jock Safari Lodge.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
The club suggests April, May, October and November for visitors. January to March is the hottest and wettest period, with storms and temperatures over 40°C. In July and August, days are mild at about 18–30°C, but the Bermuda grass is dormant and the course plays firm and brownish. Club events and member bookings take priority, so ask your lodge early if your dates fall in the December holidays.
Explore golf by monthOnly through an associate lodge. Leopard Creek is private, and the club gives a small number of off-peak tee times to guests of 14 listed lodges, which book the golf for you. Visitors who are not staying at one of these lodges cannot book, and the estate is closed to non-golfing day visitors.
The club lists R8,500 per person, valid until 28 February 2027, at every associate lodge. That includes a golf cart and the halfway house. Hire clubs cost R1,850 a set on request. Your lodge stay is a separate cost and is usually the larger part of the bill.
Very likely. The Crocodile River below the course forms the Kruger Park boundary, and hippos, crocodiles, elephants and buffalo are often seen from the clubhouse and the holes along the river. A security fence keeps the larger animals out of the estate itself.
Yes. The club says malaria is a concern in the Mpumalanga Lowveld, including the estate. Get current advice on prophylaxis from a health professional before you travel, and use repellent even during the day.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesMountain-framed golf at the heart of a Garden Route escape.
Nicklaus fairways under the Simonsberg, a short hop from Franschhoek.
Matkovich fairways along the Bot River Lagoon, ninety minutes from Cape Town.
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