Leopard Creek Country Club near Kruger National Park: Accessing South Africa's most exclusive golf

MALELANE, South Africa -- If it's not South Africa's best golf course, it's certainly in the top two or three and may be the country's most exclusive. Ranked no. 25 in the world outside the United States by Golf Magazine, Leopard Creek Country Club -- a Gary Player-designed gem -- sits on the edge of Kruger National Park, overlooking the Crocodile River where sightings of crocodile, rhinos, hippos, giraffes and elephants are as common as birdies.

Owned by the richest man in South Africa, Johann Rupert, this club doesn't have any reciprocal agreements with U.S. private clubs, but it doesn't mean you can't play it. If you stay at one of the more exclusive game lodges in and around Kruger National Park near Leopard Creek (Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, for example), you can arrange to play the course, which can play as long as 7,000 yards.(Green fees range from around $175-$200 depending on the value of the South African Rand.)

The 550-yard, par-five 13th is one of Leopard Creek's most memorable holes. The green sits on the edge of the Crocodile river, 100 feet above the water, offering great views of the river and Kruger National Park.

Player is said to be especially proud of the par-five 18th with its island green and the par-4 ninth, both of which share the same body of water and sit below the clubhouse.