1 KAMBAKU Komatipoort, Mpumalanga Lowveld UP 1 • SCORE 51/60 Clubhouse 8 / Aesthetics 8.5 / Conditioning 8 / Design Variety 8.5 / Innovation 9.5 / Challenge 8.5 On the Mozambique border, Kambaku lies downstream from Leopard Creek on the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati rivers overlooking the Kruger National Park. Opened in 2006 as a raw 9-holer built by local farmers, designed by the late Douw van der Merwe, it has evolved into a superbly conditioned layout where golfers enjoy 14 different holes with 11 separate greens in an attractive bushveld environment. It has a spectacular new short par 4 (8 & 17) with an island green on the Crocodile River, and four unique par 3s. 2 BOSCH HOEK GOLF & LODGE Near Howick, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands DOWN 1 • SCORE 50/60 Clubhouse 9 / Aesthetics 9 / Conditioning 8 / Design Variety 9 / Innovation 6.5 / Challenge 8.5 Bosch Hoek is the only 9-holer ranked in SA’s Top 100. It enjoys magnificent Aesthetics in an English parkland setting. Once a private club it is now a destination in the scenic Midlands, offering accommodation in a luxury lodge close to the clubhouse that stands on the first tee. The original 1960s Bob Grimsdell design was given a makeover by Golf Data designer Sean Quinn in 2013, the club’s 50th anniversary. The two par 5s became more exciting and challenging holes with water guarding their greens. The Bosch Hoek dam has also been utilised as a feature of the layout.
3 METROPOLITAN Cape Town, Western Cape UP 1 • SCORE 49/60 Clubhouse 9.5 / Aesthetics 7.5 / Conditioning 8.5 / Design Variety 7 / Innovation 9 / Challenge 7.5 Adjoining the Waterfront, Metropolitan is Cape Town’s second oldest club (1895). The original layout had 15 greens. That course was lost when South Africa was chosen to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Part of the land was needed for the Cape Town Stadium, which towers over the new layout. This modern design by Mark Muller has 14 greens, beautifully constructed modern structures with slick putting surfaces. Five holes have alternate greens, and the other four have two pins in place on the green. The original double-storey clubhouse has been retained and magnificently modernised in recent years. Upstairs is one of the best 19th holes in South Africa. 4 MOOINOOI Near Rustenburg, North West Province DOWN 1 • SCORE 48/60 Clubhouse 7.5 / Aesthetics 7.5 / Conditioning 9 / Design Variety 8.5 / Innovation 6.5 / Challenge 9 The only 9-holer to have hosted a Sunshine Tour event, the Platinum Classic, for 18 years from 1996 to 2013. Louis Oosthuizen was champion in 2007. The course has matured into a parkland beauty, its narrow fairways lined with tall trees. Strong test of golf, with creatively designed greens complexes. The conditioning of Mooinooi’s greens has been consistently better year- round than the Gary Player CC at nearby Sun City. The original course designer is unknown, and the club celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024.
NUMBER 6 Noodsberg, KZN Midlands.
5 CULLINAN Near Pretoria, Gauteng North NO CHANGE • SCORE 46/60 Clubhouse 7.5 / Aesthetics 7.5 / Conditioning 7.5 / Design Variety 8 / Innovation 7.5 / Challenge 8 Cullinan has long been recognised as an outstanding 9-holer, an old Gauteng club famous for its proximity to the Premier Mine where the Cullinan diamond, the world’s largest gem-quality rough diamond (weighing 621 grams), was discovered in 1905. The interestingly designed and challenging course is in a tranquil parkland setting. The par-5 fourth hole has a unique set of tees built high on a hillside offering a magnificent view. Up there the hole is a dogleg right with one of the most thrilling of tee shots. 6 NOODSBERG Near Maritzburg, KZN Midlands NEW ENTRY • SCORE 45.5/60 Clubhouse 8.5 / Aesthetics 7.5 / Conditioning 7 / Design Variety 8 / Innovation 7.5 / Challenge 7 Only an hour’s drive inland from the KZN North Coast, and 50 kilometres from Maritzburg, this is a surprisingly unknown gem developed by the local sugar mill in the 1970s. It’s a heavily tree-lined layout which in places may draw comparisons with Augusta National with its trees and undulating land. It has firm, fast Royal Blue cynodon greens with subtle slopes. Good innovation at 7 & 16 where you have a dogleg right 5 (513) around a dam, then a 360m par 4 where you tee up on the dam wall and drive across the water to the fairway.
NUMBER 3 Metropolitan, Cape Town.
64 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
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