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Quite why my boss would figure that watching Sergio and Paddy tussle for the Claret Jug or mingling with Swedish waitresses should play second fiddle to a golf tour along the R62 with a hunk of metal strapped to the back of a bakkie was beyond me, but being the diligent golf crusader I am, I packed up the clubs, a few clothes and my darling and headed for Tygerberg Caravans, not quite sure of what to expect. The thing is, I had done a fair bit of caravanning in my youth, but those were in the days when it took 12 people just to carry the tent and setting up camp took the best part of a morning. Yet here I was, writing a golf travel feature about a caravanning trip along Route 62 – the alternative route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. Bizarre – certainly, interesting – hell yeah.

Any lingering ideas I had that we would be roughing it were completely destroyed when I was presented with the keys to a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser. “This will be your baby for the week,” explained a smiling Nico Pretorius, sales and marketing manager of Jurgens Ci. “Look after it!” Having hit the jackpot with the wheels, I was interested to see which of the caravans would be attached to the back of my shiny, new vehicle. Turns out it was a spanking new Sprite Splash, one of the smaller, but no less comfortable vans in the Jurgens fleet, and we hitched up in five minutes flat before hitting the tarmac as part of a convoy of four caravans. Having not had much towing experience, I was very happy to have former South African driving champion Basil Mann in the lead car, although the Land Cruiser was offering very little indication that it was actually pulling along a fairly sizeable weight behind it. First stop was Goudini Spa, the hot springs resort in Rawsonville, a little town that is just a chip and a putt away from Worcester.

An early tee time at Worcester Golf Club was just about the only thing that could have dragged me out of what was a very comfortable sleeping arrangement, and as our fourball of caravanning golfers stood under the snow-covered mountains adjacent to the Gary Player-designed course, I began to get an idea of what this was all about. From Worcester we made the great trek through to Oudtshoorn, stopping by Ladismith Golf Club – with its oil greens and less-than-stifling greenfees of only 20 bucks – for a quick nine holes and a beer with the legendary Oom Piet in the bar afterwards. If you’ve never enjoyed the experience of playing on oil greens, courses such as Ladismith represent a golfing excursion into the past and should be part of the ‘must do before I die’ list of any true golfing enthusiast. If the greens at Ladismith were tough to master, a brief knock about on the sand greens of Prince Albert Golf Club would prove to be even trickier. Both clubs are a tribute to the resilience of golfers despite tough conditions and the justified pride that the respective members have in their club is inspiring. Each course survives on a shoestring budget, with takings from the bar going a long way towards covering the costs of running the golf club.

The capital of the Klein Karoo, Oudtshoorn, is an underrated golfing venue. Only 55 kilometres from George and with the typical endless sunshine of the Klein Karoo, it certainly makes for a great spot to call home for a few days. It also has the excellent Oudtshoorn Golf Club, a layout which is soon to be redesigned and revamped into the Karoo Heritage Golf Estate. Unfortunately, Oudtshoorn also signified the end of my alternative golfing trip, although a follow up in 2008 is certainly on the cards. Where will the 2008 trip take me? Well, as long as I have a road ahead of me and a caravan behind me, the country is my oyster – with only one remaining question to be settled. Do I plan it as a golfing trip with a caravan in tow, or will it be a caravanning trip with the golf clubs thrown in?

Route 62, from it’s start in Cape Town, winds its way through fruit and winelands and the Klein Karoo to Oudtshoorn and on to PE. Although it started life as the original road connecting the Mother City to the Friendly City, the completion of the N2 highway in 1958 caused the route to suffer economically as fewer cars passed through its numerous small towns. These towns have remained perfectly preserved as many of them are hubs for wealthy farming communities, and nowadays Route 62 is a popular tourist route – laying claim to being the longest wine route in the world! As a more scenic alternative to the N2, Route 62 offers magnificent landscapes of towering cliffs, scenic passes, rivers, vineyards and orchards. From Worcester, Route 62 chugs its way through the grapevine havens of Robertson, Montagu and Barrydale with spectacular mountain scenery all around. These towns are stunning getaway spots with plenty to offer visitors, from wine tasting to outdoor activities like hiking, rock-climbing and mountain-biking. Further along the R62 is the town of Ladismith, followed by Calitzdorp before one reaches the ostrich capital of the world, Oudtshoorn. Soon one enters the Eastern Cape, closing in on the final destination of Port Elizabeth.

While in the area, and for those brave enough to give it a try, a trip to the Gamkaskloof (nicknamed Die Hel) is recommended. Between 1787 and 1830, the fist settlers discovered Die Hel when tracking their cattle who had wandered into the valley. A few years later and Pieter Swanepoel had acquired the first title deed for the area, quickly followed by others who had heard of this peaceful paradise. At its peak, Die Hel had a population of 200 people, all farmers who lived subsitently, farming dried fruit. Due to the difficulty in accessing Die Hel, the citizens lived a very isolated lifestyle. When the road to Die Hel was built in 1962, it signalled the end for the village, as younger people started moving away to nearby towns to attend schools, rarely returning. Today, the area is owned and managed by the Cape Conservation Trust and many of the homes have been beautifully restored. Brings on a whole new meaning to the term ‘to hell and back’, doesn’t it?

◊  WORCHESTER GC – 023 347 2542 'Die Wilde Weste Worcester' Golf Club, designed by Gary Player and only an hour from Cape Town on the N1, is considered by many to be one of the country's hidden gems. The course overlooks the Breede River Valley and its Karoo bushveld-lined fairways make for a test of accuracy off the tee and some pretty spectacular views. It's generally in great condition and is also fairly easy on the wallet, so it is well worth a visit. ◊ SILWERSTRAND GOLF AND RIVER ESTATE – 023 626 1235 Silwerstrand, the newly revamped Robertson Golf Club, is expected to be completed later this onth, although the front nine has already been open to the public since December 2007. By all means, the course is a fantastic improve improvement on the old nine-holer in the wineproducing town of  Robertson.

◊ MONTAGU GC – 023 614 2040 ontagu is a typical country course, with its not overly challenging and rather charming layout. It's ot a friendly clubhouse atmosphere and its condition was surprisingly good, a tribute to the dedicated members and grounds staff. ◊ LADISMITH GC – 028 551 1765 Ladismith is referred to as the 'jewel of the Klein Karoo' and the golf course does have a certain shine to it. With the towering Klein Swartberg mountain range as a backdrop, the course has some quirky holes which add to the effect of the oil greens and make for an interesting round of golf.

◊ OUDTSHOORN GC – 044 272 4201 At the time of writing, Oudtshoorn GC was about to transform into the Karoo Heritage Golf Estate, an ambitious golfing estate complete with a boutique hotel, restaurant and shopping complex. The original Oudtshoorn course is a lovely 18-holer and if all goes according to plan, the new course will be even better. What more could one ask for? ◊ UNIONDALE GC– 044 771 1032 This quaint nine-holer is another shining example of country golf, Karoo-style. With sand greens and fairly barren fairways, it's a golfing experience in stark contrast to the big-budget estate courses that keep cropping up. If you enjoy all types of golf, then Uniondale is certainly worth a visit.

No 1: Caravans are rickety old hunks of metal, complete with leaky tents and blow-up mattresses, held together by a combination of rust and stubborn stains.
No no, you’ve been looking through the wrong brochure, my friend. Turn the page to 2008 and you will see that these days caravans are equipped with just about every creature comfort you could ask for. Toilets, kitchenettes, gas stoves, fridges, microwaves, cupboards and double beds seem to come standard in most models, meaning that once you’ve located the plug point, set the feet and popped up the roof, you’re all set. It’s that easy.

No 2: It’s a second-rate alternative to hotels and B&Bs.
Actually, these days, caravans are pretty much hotels on wheels – without the stinky ashtrays and squeaky beds. And people who choose to spend their holiday in a caravan generally prefer to do so over staying in a hotel. Sure, you will save yourself a small fortune by staying in a campsite rather than a hotel, but I suspect that one of the main reasons caravanners prefer ‘roughing it’ is for the comfort of having their own bed to
sleep in.

No 3: Caravanning can be a lonely experience.
Heck no. In fact, you’re infinitely more likely to make friends around the campsite than in the hotel bar. You see, the caravan itself is often simply a place to sleep or seek refuge from the wind and rain, but as for the rest of time, it is best spent on a camping chair getting to know your fellow travelling party. As I was to find out, travelling in convoy is a great way of getting to know people, as you generally end up sharing meals, bottles of wine and great stories around the fire.

No 4: Towing a caravan  severely limits your ability to travel.
Wrong again. You see, with a caravan on the back, you can actually go just about anywhere. Obviously I  am not talking about 4x4 trips (although I am told they do make such caravan varieties), but the beauty of having your house travel with you is that you are able to stay in more remote places – all you need is a campsite. Of course, it is easy enough to unhitch the caravan and do some exploring sans the house as well.

No 5: Caravanning is unsafe.
Nope, it’s a pretty safe way of holidaying, which is why so many people do it. Campsites tend to be very secure and campers are the type of people who keep a lookout for anyone who might look a bit suspicious.

Get sexy
Ask any well-travelled tourist and they will more than likely have visited Ronnie’s Sex Shop, a pub located between ...... and ........ on the R62. The story goes that Ronnie had decided to convert an old cottage into the farm stall and had proceeded as far as writing ‘Ronnie’s Shop’ on the outside wall. Under a cover of darkness, vandals with a sense of humour inserted the word ‘Sex’ and spot became an instant hit for curious tourists. He then followed a suggestion to turn the stall into a pub and the rest is history...

Get wet
Although Barrydale is renowned for it’s great service industry and fine foods, a trip to the Tradouw Pass is a must. Thomas Bain was the engineer who somehow managed to build a pass through the treacherous terrain without the use of modern machinery and it is here where one will find spectacular scenery and inviting natural pools along the river. If the cold water is not your scene, then why not check out the natural hot springs along the R62.

Get slick
Modern golf courses tend to be measured by perfectly manicured fairways and greens but if it’s character you’re after, you need to try out some of the impressive nine-holers dotted around some of the more obscure parts of the country. Many of these courses operate on minimal budgets and, as such, still have oil-based greens. Scoring well on these greens is an art form, so don’t rush into a bet with a local player, even if he tells you he is playing off a 24...

Get s-porty
OK, so virtually the entire Western Cape province is dedicated to wine-farming, but certain areas are better suited to certain grape varieties.  The warm weather and hardier grapes around the Calitzdorp area combine to produce numerous fine sweeter wines, specifically in this case, ports. If you’re in the area during July, keep an eye out for the annual Port Festival – any other time just pop in and sample some of the superb local brew.

Get underground
If you have never visited Oudtshoorn, you may well be surprised to learn how much there is to do. The Cango Caves, South Africa’s oldest tourist attraction and a historical monument, is certainly a must-see, with its 5 kilometres of underground natural sculptures and caves, as is the Cango Crocodile Farm, where the massive reptiles are bred and can be viewed by the public. The more adventurous may be inclined to.