Country Club have turned their for- tunes around with a greater emphasis in recent years on not only improving the greens, but their overall presenta- tion. Making a course look beautiful and inviting to play with attention to detail is a trick that distinguishes a top greenkeeper from the next level down. The Lakes at Mount Edgecombe was outside the Top 100 in 2018, perhaps treated indifferently compared to its older sibling, The Woods, which was No 75 back then. The Lakes could to- day make a case for being the most im- proved course in South Africa since the Covid lockdown because it has climbed to as high as No 73. It is only 20 places behind The Woods and catching up fast. Knysna is another course which in 2018 existed on the margins of the Top 100. It was loved by its members but only when the club acquired a new manager in Meyer du Toit in 2021, who employed a new greenkeeper in Andre Gerber, was the full potential of this unique layout with its waterways ad- joining the Knysna Lagoon realised.
41 EBOTSE LINKS 72.3 POINTS Benoni, Ekurhuleni 6879 metres Peter Matkovich Up 1 place from No 42 42 WILD COAST 72.2 POINTS Near Port Edward, KZN South Coast 5807 metres COURSES 41-50 Robert Trent Jones Junior Down 6 places from No 36 43 SERENGETI 72.0 POINTS Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni 7096 metres Jack Nicklaus Signature Up 1 place from No 44 44 MACCAUVLEI 71.8 POINTS Vereeniging, Gauteng South 6631 metres Peck / Hotchkin / Matkovich Up 2 places from No 46 45 WINGATE PARK 71.5 POINTS Pretoria, Gauteng North 6740 metres Charles Alison Up 3 places from No 48 46 PLETTENBERG BAY 71.3 POINTS Plettenberg Bay, Southern Cape 6088 metres Fred Hawtree / Rob O’Friel Up 3 places from No 49 47 KILLARNEY 71.1 POINTS Johannesburg, Central Gauteng 6380 metres Robert Trent Jones Up 6 places from No 53 48 CLOVELLY 71.0 POINTS Fish Hoek, Western Cape 5867 metres Charles Molteno Murray Down 1 place from No 47 49 MODDERFONTEIN 70.8 POINTS Johannesburg, Central Gauteng 6737 metres Arthur Tomsett / Hugh Baiocchi Up 7 places from No 56 50 COTSWOLD DOWNS 70.7 POINTS Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal 6667 metres Peter Matkovich Up 2 places from No 52
COURSES 51-60
51 ELS CLUB COPPERLEAF 70.6 POINTS Centurion, Gauteng North 7363 metres Peter Matkovich No change from 2023 52 STEENBERG 70.4 POINTS Cape Town, Western Cape 6166 metres Peter Matkovich Down 7 places from No 45 53 THE WOODS AT MECC 70.2 POINTS Umhlanga, KZN 6008 metres Sid Brews / Hugh Baiocchi Up 4 places from No 57 54 WOODHILL 70.0 POINTS Pretoria, Gauteng North 6697 metres Peter Matkovich Down 4 places from No 50 55 GOWRIE FARM 69.8 POINTS Nottingham Road, KZN Midlands 6407 metres Guy Smith Down 1 place from No 54 56 DAINFERN 69.7 POINTS Fourways, Central Gauteng 6682 metres Gary Player Design Up 8 places from No 64 57 IRENE 69.5 POINTS Centurion, Gauteng North 6486 metres Waters / Grimsdell / Phil Jacobs Up 4 places from No 61 58 ATLANTIC BEACH 69.3 POINTS Cape Town, Western Cape 6203 metres
SA'S
ONLINE
Content and key information for all the Top 100 courses can be found on the SA Top 100 Courses website, established in 2020 to keep the rankings alive and topical following the closure of Golf Digest. Each of the Top 100 courses, plus many others, have their own page on the website, containing club and course es- sential details and history. The rankings in the three years from 2021 to 2023 are on the Criteria link, with a breakdown of the points scored by each course in each of the six criteria. There is a link to Regional Rankings, and the home page has the Top-Rat- ed Category, where a dynamic rating exists to monitor Condi- tioning and Facilities for all clubs. Golfers are encouraged to submit reviews and ratings for Condi- tioning and Facilities. There is a Review link where course reviews are stored, and a News section. www.satop100courses.com
Mark Muller & Golf Data Up 4 places from No 62 59 SAN LAMEER 69.0 POINTS KZN Lower South Coast 6104 metres Peter Matkovich Up 1 place from No 60 60 ZEBULA 68.8 POINTS Waterberg, Limpopo 6829 metres Peter Matkovich Down 2 places from No 58
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 59
MAY 2024
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