a fun addition because without it this would be just a long, flat green. The Biarritz is a relic of course design. It was a feature at a time when golfers hit low, running shots. Now it’s target golf, and the trick at the Prince of Wales is to either carry the swale if there’s a back pin or check a shot short of the swale if the pin is in front. The 18 new greens have bent grass surfaces, a strain called Super 7, for the first time at a coastal KZN course. (It is also being planted at the Zimbali Lakes project on the KZN North Coast due to open in 2025.) I’m told the greens are receptive rather than firm, and while there are slopes, the more pronounced transitions “allow for bigger pinnable areas,” maximising the surface area of the greens. The bent grass has survived the hottest and most humid weather of the summer months and should flour- ish in cooler temperatures. Some greens occupy new sites, such as 6 and 14, while others have shifted slightly. No 17 is sensational, the green extended left into a high dune with a lower punchbowl portion. What of DCC’s 18th? Club golfers will continue to play this unique finishing hole at 249m, but a new championship tee will stretch it to 292 for tournaments. The green has been realigned, and a large greenside bunker catches tee shots run- ning in from the left. TWO PAR 5S ARE TOUGHENED One of the weaknesses of DCC in the modern age of championship golf, like many older courses, has been the four par 5s. The third today, unless into a strong wind, plays as a par 4 for tour pros. This famous hole has been left largely untouched other than the greens complex. But the two back nine 5s at No 10 (525m) and 14 (519m) are significantly more challenging due to the presence of the burn. The green at No 14 has been moved 45 metres further back into what used to be a bushy area left of a new par-3 15th (tees and green), and the burn runs up the right side of the fairway before crossing in front of a raised green. Simi- larly, No 10’s new green is protected by the burn’s winding presence. No 15 is now shorter than 12, but these holes run
and 11 look more natural with cleaner lines. Gone is the “parkland” look of old, replaced by more natural wild grasses and bunkering which convey how DCC is assumed to have looked in early years. The process of thinning out the bush began years ago, and it accelerated over the past year. The view from the front of the clubhouse is one of grassy dunes and open space, with no thick vegeta- tion between the first and 18th fairways. The tees for No 1 have been relocated to the side of the clubhouse, flanked by new short-game and putting greens.
in opposite directions so will always play differently in the prevailing winds. For all the changes on the ground, though, what impressed me about the renovation was the vastly improved aesthetics around the entire property. Its scenic splendour has been revealed more than ever before by removing the denser tropical foliage (not all) and allowing an uninterrupted vista of views from hole to hole. The sight of unexpected greens, pin flags fluttering in a breeze, is thrill- ing to witness. Big trees hidden in the bush are now on display. Holes like 7, 9
88 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2024
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