MIND / COURSES M
Beachwood was one of SA’s premier seaside courses. Now reduced to 10 holes as it awaits development.
Census shows SA now has 414 courses 53 new courses opened since 2000, but 50 have closed. T he millennium has seen 53 new courses opened in South Africa, 43 with 18 holes, and ten 9-holers. Nearly all opened in the boom years between 2000 and 2010, and the golf course design and construction industry has been comparatively inactive since then. Yet there has been an equivalent loss of courses in the same period, more 9-holers than those with 18. Some belonged to the mining industry, while remote locations proved problematic for costly-to-maintain 18-holers. Several city courses shut, either bankrupt or selling their land for development reasons. Two of those 53 new courses, Legend (resort in Limpopo) and Bushman Sands (residential estate in Eastern
9-holers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, an 18-hole Par 3 Course at Hazendal estate in the Western Cape, the 9-hole Sedge Links in the Garden Route, with a mix of par 3s and short par 4s, and 9-hole Penn Valley on the KZN South Coast. Affiliation figures We remain a small golfing nation in a big country, 129 118 affiliated men and women as at the end of 2022. The national 2023 figures have not yet been confirmed by GolfRSA. And that’s after the Covid boost to golf, which saw affiliation jump by 5 329 from the 2020 total of 123 789. Disappointing though remains the number of women golfers, just 14 228, which is 1 500 down from 2017. There has been a notable decline in numbers at the Central Gauteng, Gauteng North and Ekurhuleni golf unions, which make up the greater Gauteng region. From 46 704 golfers in 2017 to 40 756, a drop of nearly 13% over five years. And 8 000 of those members are at four clubs, CCJ, Bryanston, Randpark and Royal Johannesburg. Central, once having the biggest membership of the 14 provincial unions, has seen its latest 2023 affiliated numbers plummet to under 20 000, which puts it a distant No 2
Cape), were among the casualties. Their remote locality proved a liability, as it did for Fish River (Eastern Cape resort) and Leopard Park (residential estate in North West). Two other far-flung estate courses were built and never opened for play due to the downturn in the economy after 2008: Nondela in Northern KwaZulu-Natal (Ernie Els design) and Tsitsikamma at Storms River in the Garden Route (Golf Data). Nondela is being rehabilitated, and is expected to finally open in 2024 or 2025. Course closures have long been part of the golfing landscape, but the last 25 years has seen an average of one a year when it comes to 18-holers. Cherished layouts too, such as Kensington, King David, Fish River, Crown Mines and Hans Merensky. Fortunately the latter is likely to be revived under new ownership, which is welcome news. A census by the SA Top 100 courses website has revealed that 414 courses currently have affiliation to GolfRSA, a breakdown of 195 with 18 holes and 219 with 9 holes. That includes a unique 13-holer at Ladysmith in KZN. The 9-holers include extra nines at two 27- hole facilities, Hermanus and Paarl. There are additional courses which have no affiliation, among them two
The Legend resort course in Limpopo closed in 2019. It features the “Extreme 19th” from the top of Hanglip mountain. There are plans to revive it
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 15
NOVEMBER 2023
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator