A Detailed Guide to the Vulintaba Golf Course in Newcastle, KZN

Vulintaba Amenities

• Golf Shop: The golf shop is fully stocked with the latest golf equipment and apparel. You can also find a wide variety of souvenirs to take home with you.
• Chipping & Putting Greens: There are two chipping greens and a large putting green available to use.
• Golf Carts: Golf carts are available for hire.
• Halfway House: The halfway house is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat or a drink after your round.
• Driving Range: The driving range has 11 targets, making it the perfect place to practice your swing.
• Restaurant & Bar: The on-site restaurant and bar offer a wide variety of food and drink options.

About Vulintaba Newcastle

Surrounded by the stunning Drakensberg mountains in northern KwaZulu-Natal, ANEW Resort Vulintaba is a beautiful countryside getaway near Newcastle.

The surrounding area of ANEW Resort Vulintaba is a must-see for nature lovers. The landscape surrounding the resort is breathtaking, with some local attractions located on the premises. 

ANEW Resort Vulintaba is the most magical wedding venue in South Africa, as well as a popular spot for family vacations and honeymoons in the region’s stunning backdrop of the Drakensberg mountains.

Operating Hours

Hiring Golf Carts

Cost of playing a round of golf

Hole #1:

The first hole is a 370m long, gentle dogleg to the right. You are hit by crosswinds coming from the left that push your ball towards the rough. Even if you drive well, you will still be left with a long iron or hybrid shot to the middle of the green.

Later on, when you play this hole as the 10th, your tee shot will be from a different angle which makes the hole straighter but also 20m longer.

Hole #2:

Hole 2 will take you up the hill towards the mountains. Reaching the green protected by a bunker to the left and short of it will require two well-hit shots into headwinds.

When playing it as hole 11, your angle changes slightly from the other set of tee boxes, adding an extra 25m to its length.

Hole #3:

The 3rd hole is another dogleg to the left, and it’s a tough one at 425m. The mountains loom in the distance, and you have your work cut out for you. This is stroke two for good reason; there are three potential landing areas, so going big isn’t too risky. However, your lengthy approach shot needs to clear a mid-sized gully to reach the raised green.

The 12th is a completely new game, playing a lot straighter as a 460m par five. If you must play it as a three-shotter, the gully might come into play as your second shot’s landing area. So your strategy will either be to lay up and leave about an 8-iron in or fly the gully and take a lob-wedge.

Hole #4:

The valley provides a chance to relax on the stroke-18 4th, which is only 318m and can be easily completed with just a drive and a wedge.

However, playing it as the 13th hole during your second round presents much more of a challenge at 444m, rated as the hardest hole on the course.

Hole #5:

The 5th is your first par five on the front nine, and after two solid hits, you’ll have about 120 meters to a raised green. It’s not an option to come up short. On your back nine, it’s a par four that can be played straight down the valley with a wedge or 9-iron in hand. The hole is rated three because the green is so small, making it more difficult for long hitters to reach.

Hole #6:

We’ve now arrived at the sixth hole, which is the first of the par threes. The elevated tee is only 120 meters from the center of the green, but club selection makes a huge difference. Short is a no-no because of the hazard, but long puts the big bunker in play. It gets much more difficult to choose a club on your second nine since it is even shorter at 89m.

Hole #7:

The 7th hole is a fairly straightforward downhill shot when you play it as the 16th, but from the white tees (or 75m back on the gold tees), it shortens to 282m with a very different angle into the green. The front bunker will most likely become the target for bigger hitters.

Hole #8:

The 8th hole is a par three, and at 190m, it’s much longer than the 6th. It also goes straight back into the headwinds, making it difficult to reach the green even with a 3-wood.

When you play this hole as the 17th instead, the tee box is about 20m left of where it is typically located and only 5m closer to the green; however, by then, the wind had become stronger and my driver shots were still falling short of the green.

Hole #9:

On your final hole, a 520m par five, the wind will be blowing across from the right. If you avoid hitting the bunker in the middle of the fairway and one more on the left side, you’ll only need a short iron to get over the gully to reach the raised green. When played as hole 18, it is of similar length but appears much easier.

• 9-hole Grassland Links styled golf course played from alternate tees to make up the full 18 holes
• 72 tee boxes
• Tees are planted with a mix of Rye, Tall Fescue, and Kentucky Blue grasses
• Course setup ranges from 6821m to 5527m
• Greens constructed to a modified USGA specification
• Green sizes range from 400-650m²
• Putting surface is a bent grass, known as Mackenzie creeping bentgrass
• There are 50 bunkers on the course amounting to 9026m²
• There are a total of 1264 tons of silica in the course’s bunkers.
• A total of 13,6 hectares of manicured Kikuyu fairways
• 6 of the 9 holes have water in play
• Holes 3 and 5, play both as par 4’s and par 5’s

• The longest hole is the par 5 ninth, playing 568m long
• The shortest hole is the par 3 fifteenth, playing 109m
• The continuous concrete cart path/jogging path measures 6625m
• The driving range has 11 target greens
• The target greens are surfaced with A1/A4 bentgrass
• The practice tee, at 2100m², is planted with Rye, Tall Fescue, and Kentucky Blue grasses
• The chipping green is 1049m², surfaced with Mackenzie bentgrass
• The putting green is 797m², also surfaced with Mackenzie bentgrass
• The prevailing wind is a north-westerly wind direction, with speeds up to 70km/h
• Water usage on the course is 425m³ per day on average, supplied from a fully automated irrigation system

Estimated Road Distances:

• Durban: 355km
• Pretoria: 365km
• Mbombela: 381km
• Bloemfontein: 513km
• Kimberley: 634km
• East London: 930km
• Gqeberha: 1,053km
• Cape Town: 1,513km

By Road – From Newcastle CBD

Head north-east on Murchison St towards Allen St. Continue to Airport Industrial. Turn left at the first cross street onto Allen St. Turn left onto Memel Rd/R34. Drive for about 19km to Vulintaba.

From King Shaka Airport

The Vulintaba Golf Estate is about 383km from the King Shaka International Airport. The drive will take approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes via the N3, R74, and N11.

GPS Coordinates

Latitude: 27°46’27.9” S

Longitude: 29°46’51.2” E

Street Address

D 96 District Road, Vulintaba Estate, 2940

Car Rental Companies

Need to get to Vulintaba from the airport, here are some rental companies for your perusal.

• Avis
• Thrifty
• First Car Rental

Side note: When you book a rental car, be sure to check and take photos of all parts of the car (just an additional layer of protection in case anything goes wrong)

Alternative Activities

In addition to golf, there are a number of other activities available around the Vulintaba Golf Estate. Some of the activities include:

Mountain Biking

The Hidden Valley basin creates wide trails with sweeping turns through gently sloping grassland, which is easily accessible and has been received with acclaim to create a world-class all-terrain mountain biking trail.

Hiking & Running 

Trail walkers and runners are spoilt for choice at ANEW Resort Vulintaba Newcastle. Fun-filled routes of hiking paths and mountain biking tracks, for an all-terrain experience.

Spa Treatments

Submerge yourself in luxury treatments from the Sanctuary Spa. With couples treatments and other specials, you can take full advantage of your countryside escape.

Book your spa treatment by getting in touch at spa@vulintaba.co.za