Staff WriterThe Cape Town Open is in town, and yes, the pros are here to chase trophies at Royal Cape Golf Club—but don’t be fooled into thinking they spend a whole week whispering sweet nothings to a 7-iron. Cape Town has a way of pulling even the most tunnel-visioned golfer off the range and into the real world, where the only thing more scenic than a flush driver is the view of Table Mountain when the light hits it just right.
This week’s CIRCA Cape Town Open, co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the HotelPlanner Tour, comes with a very un-golfing side quest: explore one of the planet’s most coveted cities without getting so carried away you forget you’ve got a first tee time.
From fairways to foodie finds (and the best R45 you’ll spend)
If you want to understand the true rhythm of tournament week, don’t follow the players to the putting green—follow them to the nearest food counter.
“I went to the Access Park shopping centre and there is a fish and chips shop there where you can buy a calamari and chips bun for R45. You have to do that in Cape Town. It’s like a Gatbsy (an iconic Cape Town sandwich) but it’s a bun. For R45 – it’s a bargain,” said Jaco Ahlers, a former winner of the CIRCA Cape Town Open.
That’s the thing about the Cape Town Open: it’s world-class golf in a city that refuses to be treated like a layover. Ahlers, for one, doesn’t just dabble—he does the full local routine.
“You have to get out there a bit and see the city. It feels like home to me because my sister used to live here. So we’d do Cavendish Square and Canal Walk Shopping Centre.”
George Coetzee’s Cape Town itinerary: sundowners, surf, and breakfast goals
Multiple Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour champion George Coetzee doesn’t arrive in Cape Town without a plan. Some players travel with swing thoughts; Coetzee travels with a hit list.
“The Blue Peter restaurant in Bloubergstrand is a must – sitting on the grass for sundowners with a beautiful view of Table Mountain. Then, because I love surfing, I always take in Muizenberg for a little long board session there. And the Oranjezicht Market – straight there for breakfast. Those are all of my favourites in Cape Town,” he said.
It’s a pretty strong argument that the Cape Town Open should come with an extra trophy: best work-life balance. Sundowners on the grass, a longboard session in Muizenberg, and a breakfast raid at Oranjezicht Market—then, somehow, still turning up the next morning to stripe a 3-wood down a tight par four like you haven’t just lived three holidays in 24 hours.
The classic tourist double: Red Bus and Two Oceans Aquarium
Not everyone needs a surfboard and a sunrise market mission. For Gerhard Pepler, the essentials are simple, timeless, and almost suspiciously wholesome.
“The Red Bus Tour is always fun. And the Two Oceans Aquarium. It’s amazing and an absolute must-do when you’re in Cape Town,” he said.
There’s something reassuring about that during Cape Town Open week: for all the talk of elite sport, launch monitors, and “controlling the spin window,” the best recommendation might still be a big red bus and a world-class aquarium.
Nikhil Rama wants the Cape Town Open… and then a proper holiday
For Nikhil Rama, Cape Town has been more tournament stamp than travel memory—so far. But the city is clearly working its charm, one visit at a time.
“I’ve never been on a holiday here. I’ve always just played the CIRCA Cape Town Open and that’s it. I’ve been up Table Mountain when I was younger, but I’d like to plan a proper holiday here. I love the weather here. The city feels like a mini Europe.”
And that might be the most relatable line of the week: you come for the Cape Town Open, you leave planning a return trip where your tightest schedule is deciding between the mountain, the beach, the market, or all three.
Why the Cape Town Open hits different
Plenty of tournaments offer great golf. Fewer offer the kind of city that makes players talk about calamari buns, sundowners, aquariums, and shopping centres with the same conviction they usually reserve for reading grain on a five-footer.
From Thursday to Sunday, the competitive focus will be fierce at Royal Cape Golf Club. But in between, Cape Town will do what it always does—turn a work trip into a story you actually want to tell when you get home.
Because at the Cape Town Open, the leaderboard matters… but so does the rest of the Mother City.
