The Links has always been the most demanding course in South Africa, and the refurbishment has not softened that reputation. The new greens roll truer; the redesigned bunker on eight is more punishing; and the Outeniqua wind, of course, is unchanged.
We walked all eighteen on a still morning and played them again the next day in a proper southeaster, which is the only honest way to review this course. The surfaces are the story: six greens rebuilt to the original contours but draining like new, which means the firm-and-fast brief finally holds in the wet months too. If your single round in South Africa has to count, it is still this one.
Two practical notes for travellers. Book the morning slot — the wind builds after eleven, and the par-five thirteenth into the teeth of it is a different sport. And take the caddie: the new greens look the same and break differently, and the local knowledge is worth three shots before you reach the turn.
— Graeme Harker, from the Garden Route