The par-3 16th at De Zalze.
MATKOVICH’S 8 TOP 50 DESIGNS No 5 Arabella No 11 Pinnacle Point No 13 Elements No 29 De Zalze No 33 Prince’s Grant No 40 Hermanus No 41 Ebotse Links No 50 Cotswold Downs
UPWARDS DE ZALZE Course and clubhouse rejuve- nated before anniversary.
dreds of plants were introduced in an empty area left of the 11th fairway and left of the tee on the par-3 12th. Major work was done around the tee complex on the par-5 14th. Bunkers make a big difference to the look of a course. However, they require upkeep and maintenance, and reshap- ing from time to time to stay contem- porary. Working with Golf Data, their maintenance provider, and greenkeep- er Louis Jonker, all greenside and many fairway bunkers were attended to, in- stalling new drainage and sand. Some were made shallower. The value of the bunker complexes was re-assessed, and six bunkers closed on five different holes, notably the two fairway bunkers on the challenging par-5 17th which means this is now a uniquely bunkerless hole. The fairway bunkers had been set into a mound on the right side of the fairway, and this was lowered to provide better visibility of the green. The chief danger on this 542-metre hole is the river which curves around the front of the green. The clubhouse was renovated in 2023, with a new restaurant, bar, half- way house and sundowner terrace.
painted. Cart traffic management was improved with curb stones and bigger turning circles. De Zalze had had an issue with wet, spongy fairways, damp bunkers, and sodden areas which affected the play- ability for golfers, notably in winter, but also during the busy summer season when course irrigation is at its peak. Club member Martin Burger was tasked with identifying poor drainage around the 18 holes, and all stormwa- ter ditches and pipes were cleared, lev- elled, and flushed, silt removed from ditches, and some four kilometres of new drainage pipes added. A problem hole was the par-4 second running alongside the Blouklip River which flows through the estate. Here, 572 me- tres of drainage was installed. De Zalze commissioned leading landscape architect Patrick Watson to define the future look of the property with plants indigenous to the Wine- lands region. His creative eye for detail has presided over a signature change in the aesthetics. On the fourth and eighth holes, bushy trees off the fairway have been cleaned up and interplanted with flower beds around their base. Hun-
Stellenbosch golf estate De Zalze celebrates its 25th an- niversary in 2025. It is ranked
No 4 among designer Peter Matkovich’s 15 courses in the Top 100. It has climbed an impressive eight places from No 37 to No 29 in the rankings the last two years following a visionary course reju- venation project led by chairman Roy Braxton and his committee in 2021 and 2022 that transformed De Zalze’s ap- pearance and playability. The club focused on four key areas: drainage, landscaping, bunkers, and cart paths. The driving range was re- built, the number of hitting bays in- creased. And pedestrian bridges were stripped of old material, the structures sandblasted, strengthened, and re-
74 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2024
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