South Africa’s debut LIV Golf event at Steyn City has been hailed as a major success by industry stakeholders with record attendance, full hotels and renewed optimism for the country’s position in the global golf tourism landscape.
According to LIV Golf, more than 100 000 fans attended the four-day tournament, making it the most attended professional golf event in South African history.
The organiser has confirmed the event will return to Steyn City from April 22-25 next year. Early bird tickets were on sale for a limited period last week. Tickets sales will open again later this year.
Carl Reinders, SATSA Golf Chapter Chair, believes the scale of support signals a turning point for golf tourism in the country.
“I don’t think South Africa has seen a golf event this well supported since the Presidents Cup in 2003. Beyond the strong local support, the event also drew a significant international television audience who would have seen some of the world’s best golfers competing in South Africa,” he told Tourism Update.
Audience
Reinders noted that the on-the-ground audience was largely domestic.
“From an attendance perspective, this event would have attracted an almost exclusively South African audience,” he said, adding that long-haul travel specifically for golf tournaments remains a harder sell for international visitors.
“Around 80% of attendees were from Gauteng, 13% from other provinces and 7% international, highlighting strong local participation while also welcoming guests from abroad,” said Steven Louw, CEO of Steyn City Properties.
Global exposure drives future potential
Despite this, the global broadcast reach of LIV Golf is expected to play a critical role in driving future inbound tourism.
“With sufficient lead time and planning, this would certainly present a future opportunity to position South Africa as a world-class golf destination,” said Reinders.
Focus should not be limited to showcasing the quality of golf courses, he stressed, pointing out that South Africa offers year-round golf but should highlight many other elements that make the country so distinctive.
“This includes our diverse cultures, gastronomy, natural beauty, remarkable people and, of course, the opportunity to experience Africa’s wildlife in its natural environment. All of this is available in a single destination,” said Reinders.
He highlighted that an event of this scale, with its potential international TV and digital media audience, presents an opportunity to showcase South Africa as a whole to the global market.
“Very few sporting events attract this many local spectators while also drawing a substantial global viewership. That should suggest that golf tourism is not as niche as it is often made out to be. It is, in fact, a sizeable global market with travellers who have a strong propensity to travel and who spend one and a half times more per day than leisure travellers,” said Reinders.
Louw is also confident that global coverage of the four-day event will generate substantial international appeal.
“Many of the players, representing countries around the world, were visiting South Africa for the first time and have been thoroughly impressed by their experience. The extensive LIV Golf teams on site have felt the same with several already indicating plans to return not just for LIV Golf but to explore more of what South Africa has to offer – from the African bushveld for the big five to the Cape Winelands, hiking trails and our stunning coastal regions.”
Hotels at full capacity
The hospitality sector naturally benefits from the event’s success.
“Steyn City Hotel by Saxon was full to the brim. Similarly, hotels at Montecasino were fully booked with LIV Golf staff, caddies and other contracted parties. The hospitality sector was operating at full capacity, reflecting the scale and excitement of the event,” said Louw.
Potential
Beyond the short-term boost, stakeholders see the event as a catalyst for repositioning Gauteng and South Africa in the global golf tourism landscape.
“The reality is that Gauteng is home to some of the country’s best golf courses. For international golf travellers, Gauteng has a clear opportunity to be marketed as a destination with an abundance of high-quality courses at very affordable rates and it should, at the very least, be considered as part of a broader South African golf itinerary,” said Reinders.
Louw noted that the province could evolve from a gateway into a destination in its own right. “We believe this is true. We are ideally positioned to cater to golf tourism,” he said, citing Steyn City’s mix of golf, accommodation and lifestyle offerings.
The event may also help South Africa compete more with established golf destinations.
“We need to capitalise on this awareness opportunity through LIV, as well as our other high-profile South African golf events televised globally, with a more focused marketing effort, said Reinders”.
“The aim should be to demonstrate how strongly South Africa can compete with other popular golf destinations outside the traditional markets of Scotland and Ireland such as Turkey, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, which are outperforming South Africa by a considerable margin despite the fact that we offer better golf at a far stronger value proposition.”
In addition to world-class quality, South Africa is “an incredibly price-competitive market,” Louw added.
“While top courses in the UK can cost upwards of GBP300 (US$400) and in the US around US$500, most of South Africa’s top-ranked courses are playable for under US$100 with only a handful approaching the US$250 to US$300 mark.”
Opportunity
Reinders and Louw said confirmation of the 2027 event provides a valuable runway for the tourism sector to convert awareness into arrivals.
“This gives the public and private tourism sectors the ideal opportunity and sufficient time to work together on a well-considered plan to communicate to a large global audience that South Africa has more to offer than any other golf destination in the world,” said Reinders.
“It’s an opportune moment for the tourism industry to leverage this announcement and engage international markets, creating packages that combine attendance at the golf event with other unique South African tourism and travel experiences,” said Louw.
