St Francis Links

St Francis Links occupies a distinctive stretch of coastal duneland along South Africa's Eastern Cape, roughly midway between Port Elizabeth and the Garden Route. Jack Nicklaus designed the course in the early 2000s, working with natural sand dunes and indigenous coastal vegetation to create a links-style layout that takes advantage of the property's ocean frontage and rolling terrain. The routing moves through varying elevations of dunescape, with several holes playing directly along the shoreline and others set among inland dune valleys.

The design emphasizes wide fairways and large, undulating greens typical of Nicklaus's later work, though the coastal winds and firm turf conditions provide the strategic challenge associated with links golf. The property's natural features—including native fynbos vegetation and dramatic dune formations—frame many holes, and ocean views appear throughout the round. The course has hosted professional events on South African tours and serves as a destination layout in a region known more for its beaches and outdoor recreation than for golf.

St Francis Bay itself is a small coastal town popular with surfers and holiday visitors, and the course reflects that relaxed atmosphere while maintaining championship length and difficulty. The combination of genuine links terrain, ocean setting, and Nicklaus design has given St Francis Links recognition among South African coastal courses, though it remains less internationally known than layouts closer to Cape Town.