Golf can be played just about anywhere, at anytime and by anyone, which is one of the reasons it is such a fast growing pastime, both in South Africa and across the world.

So popular is the sport that it seems there's a new golf course under construction around every corner, sometimes in the unlikeliest of places - a putting green atop a tall skyscraper in the middle of a city, for instance, or a greenless course smack bang in the middle of a bone-dry desert.

But, such oddments aside, the best golfing for amateurs and pros alike should feature lush greens, pleasant surrounds and, to be perfect, great weather. South Africa's terrific temperate climate and bountiful natural beauty has helped make this country one of the great, and largely undiscovered, golfing destinations in the world.

The majority of South Africa's courses compare favourably with the best the world has to offer and, as an added bonus, they often feature incomparable views of the surrounding countryside. Where else can you play golf surrounded by wild animals one day and hemmed in by mountains and ocean the next?

Golf has been popular in South Africa for over a century with the first club founded in the Cape in 1885. There are now hundreds of courses stretching from the fairest Cape to the sun-baked Highveld, the best of which are discussed below.

Gary Player, the best known golfer to come out of South Africa, is also one of the premier course designers in the game. The most famous of his is the acclaimed Gary Player Country Club at Sun City, home of the annual Million Dollar Golf Challenge, but he has lent his skills and experience to the creation of many courses across the country.

The Gary Player Country Club that is top of the list for most serious golfers. An immaculate championship course of gigantic proportions and surrounded by the bush of the Pilansberg Game Reserve, it boasts a brilliant but daunting par-5 9th hole with an island green surrounded by a mass of water. Some of the world's top players have yet to master this one.

Player is also responsible for the breathtaking Leopard Creek Golf Course near Malelane in Mpumalanga. Bordered by the Crocodile River and the Kruger National Park, the course has magnificent views of the surrounding bush and plenty of stray wildlife wandering around - some of the water hazards are extra hazardous, containing as they do a number of hippo. It's the most expensive course to play in South Africa but also one of the best.

Situated on the banks of the Hartebeespoort Dam, Pecanwood Golf and Country Club is a long and exceptionally flat course, with some of the fastest greens in South Africa. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the course also boasts the most bunkers of any in South Africa. The signature thirteenth, unlucky for some, is particularly interesting: you play around the lake to a green that juts out onto water surrounded by shrubs, bunkers on both sides and, of course, lots of water.

The Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club is one of the most prestigious clubs in South Africa and comes complete with two 18-hole courses, both with scenic, tree-lined fairways and gently rolling slopes. The club has hosted several SA Open Championships.

The course at the Royal Cape Golf Club in Cape Town is a challenging one, especially if there's a vicious south-easter blowing. A flat parkland course with lovely views of Table Mountain, the Royal Cape has hosted the SA Open no less than 11 times and the SA Amateur Championships eight times. It is also the home of the Vodacom Players Championships.

For the complete package look no further than the stately Steenberg Golf Course on the Steenberg Wine Estate in the Constantia winelands. Widely renowned for having the best greens in the Cape, Steenberg also boasts a five-star country hotel, excellent dining and superb wines from the estate.

Home to one of the most challenging links courses in the world, Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth has consistently ranked in South Africa's top 10 for the past several years. With wide and undulating fairways, fast greens and thick coastal bush, Humewood is a must for any golfers visiting South Africa.

The Hermanus Golf Course has become one of the most popular courses in South Africa, close enough to the coast to be termed a links course but with a very definite parklands feel to it. Between July and November whales can be seen off the coast while a resident troop of baboons regularly romp across the flat fairways. Whatsmore, the coastal town of Hermanus is a delightful tourist destination.

The South African equivalent of America's famed Augusta course, the home of the US Open, Selbourne Golf Club on the KwaZulu-Natal coast is a challenge for even the most experienced players with water features coming in to play on just about every hole. With the Indian Ocean as a spectacular backdrop, Selbourne is also one of the most aesthetically pleasing courses in South Africa.

We finish off with arguably the most memorable course in the country - the Wild Coast Sun Country Club. The dramatic coastal setting has been utilised to maximum effect, affording golfers some of the most spectacular views of any course in the world, while the golf itself is never less than memorable - every hole here is a challenging gem.

For more information on golf courses visit www.suninternational.com/golf/