The par-5 tenth hole at Durban CC.
COUNTRY CLUB SITS OUT THIS YEAR
long whispery grass planted around the course to more sharply define holes has succumbed to the hot weather and is looking untidy. DCC was No 24 in the 2023 Top 100 before it closed for the renovation, having fallen from No 4 in 2018, and it is widely expected to return to the Top 10. It might even post a challenge for No 1. But that would be some time in the future. For now any current ranking would be speculative and not in the best interests of the club and the ranking system.
design changes to a number of holes at the far end of the course, beginning at No 6 through to No 15. It now has bent grass greens for the first time. A Country Club member made the valid point that the course requires another six months to settle properly. The fairways are growing in, and de- bris remains around the course follow- ing the extensive construction process. The DCC maintenance team still have much work ahead of them this year attending to the finer details and pre- sentation of the course. Much of the
Durban Country Club, re-opened in March after a 10-month renovation project
by Golf Data, has not been included in the 2024 Top 100. While the redesign of the course has been an unqualified success, and received high praise from members, it would have been prema- ture to include it again at such short notice. Many raters have been unable to play it and make an evaluation. DCC has to be viewed in rating terms as a brand-new course, with 18 rebuilt greens complexes and substantial
64 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2024
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