OLD WORLD CHARM OF GOLDFIELDS WEST Private ownership keeps the club thriving.
shop has been modernised, yet he kept the theme of the original dark indoor bar, restoring its furniture and features rather than gutting it. Outside there’s an attractive thatch-roofed deck, and a modern fleet of carts to cater for the modern golfer who is missing out on a nature walk. Like most clubs of its age, the first tee is a few strides from where you park your car under shady trees. Grimsdell liked to give golfers a comfortable start- er, and the 359-metre first does exactly
that era of subsidies ended, most with- ered, and died. Without Vierra’s love and passion for the club and course, and deep pockets to meet the many challenges, that would have likely been the fate of Goldfields. The long straight entrance road to the club, off the R501 near Carleton- ville, is not one to put you at ease. Pot- holes, speed humps, derelict-looking buildings. Then you drive through an open gate into an utterly different and orderly world. Goldfields is as
There are few genuinely isolated and undisturbed rural 18-hole courses in SA which
are not in a town nor have a residential component. Which makes Goldfields West a singular destination for golf. And due to its tranquillity in the bushveld, we’re fortunate it’s still open. Seven years ago, it could have closed its doors for good after entering liquidation. Today, this relic of the gold mining industry is thriving and in impeccable condition. It has a private owner, Hans Vierra, who has invested heavily in reversing the fortunes of what could be described as one of SA’s “heritage” courses. This is an original Bob Grims- dell design from circa 1950 largely left untouched over the decades. As has its surroundings. It’s a step back in time which can be savoured by young and old. Goldfields was one of several out- standing North West courses owned and managed by the gold mining industry from the 1940s to 1990s. When
that without being served up on a plate. But then follows a succession of strong holes which examine your game. The 447m second is one of a trio of long par 4s – the oth- ers are 10 and 18 – that must have been brutes to play in the days of persimmon drivers. Goldfields doesn’t have one hole that grabs your attention, although the downhill par-3 sixth over
scenic and peaceful a course as you will find, an hour’s drive from Johannesburg. Low hills frame one side of the property, and golf holes gently undulate through the bushveld trees and veld grass around a centrally situ- ated clubhouse. Small herds of buck roam here and there. Vierra has generally kept the clubhouse as it was. But smart and clean, with friend- ly and efficient staff. The pro
SA’S BEST BUSHVELD COURSES 1 Leopard Creek 2 Sishen 3 Elements 4 Gary Player CC 5 Zebula 6 Mbombela 7 Lost City 8 Euphoria 9 Goldfields West 10 Jackal Creek
78 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2024
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