The par-3 fourth hole (126 to 159 metres) lies in an attractive valley.
‘Golf is always about the next shot. You can’t dwell on mistakes or it will make you crazy.’ – ERNIE ELS
The first official round with Ernie Els in the field was a shotgun start, and my round began on No 14, 153 metres from an elevated tee over water, into the wind. Immediately though, I was aware of bail-out areas around the green, and this theme continued, easing my stress levels. The back nine is shorter than the front, at 2 881 metres from yellow, and the routing of the last six holes re- minded me of out-and-back links golf in Scotland, each hole following the other in the same direction to the fin- ish. Difficult into the wind, easier if it’s at your back.
the coastline. The first hole, downhill, is the lon- gest par 4 (416 yellow), but it’s unusu- ally long. There are seven 4s under 350 metres, and that’s from yellow. No 10 is 265 and No 12 is 258. The stroke 1 on the card is the 532-metre third, with water guarding the left side of the fairway from tee to green. A trend in modern architecture is to keep bunker sizes in proportion. Enor- mous tracts of sand have proved costly to maintain or upgrade at courses like Pecanwood and Simola (Jack Nicklaus), Oubaai and The Els Club Copperleaf (Ernie Els). There’s a temporary clubhouse, and the course is open five days a week, from Wednesday to Sunday, restrict- ed to 80 golfers daily. Currently play begins at the ninth tee, closest to the clubhouse, the round finishing on the par-5 eighth.
in the region with lower temperatures and less humidity. Softer winds too. This is peak season for KZN, and the mowing heights can be lowered on bent grass to achieve green speeds of 11-12 on the St- impmeter, which wouldn’t be sensible January to March, stressing the greens in that heat. The fairways are Royal Blue cynodon, a sustainable grass for the coastal condi- tions, and closely mown it looks attrac- tive and stripes well. Wide fairways suit this grass, because at Zimbali Lakes there are no “first or second cuts,” or semi- rough, between the fairway and thick veld grasses. Royal Blue doesn’t present well when it’s thicker, becoming clumpy. A hooked ball bouncing left on these fair- ways is therefore not going to have any- thing cushy to stop it, other than a narrow channel of spiky-looking grass before it disappears. From personal experience, you won’t be finding that ball.
This stretch begins with a par-5 at No 13 which I’m told is Ernie’s favou- rite, and there’s another par 5 at No 16 which demands a longish second over a wooded ravine to reach the fairway on the other side. The two 4s, 15 and 18, are short, the latter presenting the highest tee shot of the day and terrific views of KEY INFO Green fee R1 400 including shared cart and sleeve of balls. Discounts for large groups. Book a tee time online at Golf - Zimbalilakes Phone or WhatsApp 060 961 9856 Field restricted to 80 golfers a day. Tee times at 15-minute intervals from 7.30 to 12.30, starting at par-4 ninth hole. Pace of play monitored. First group of the day is expected to play 9 holes in two hours 15 minutes. Slow fourballs may be requested to skip a hole. Golf director: Thinus Rosslee Closed Monday & Tuesday.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 95
MAY 2025
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