This used to be the southernmost golf club in Africa, until it lost that title to Gansbaai some years ago. It also has the distinction of having a link with Masters champion Trevor Immelman. He won the Bredasdorp Open in 1997. There are some excellent holes at Bredasdorp, yet also some weak ones on flat land below the clubhouse, particularly the two par 3s. The round starts promisingly with a sweeping downhill par 4, but then come the five flat holes before a wonderful 479m par 5 presents itself, climbing uphill around trees to a hidden green. No 8/17 is a strong dogleg left 4, followed by an uphill short 4 back to the clubhouse. 34 SANDY LANE Near Kosmos, Hartbeespoort Dam, North West Province DOWN 10 • SCORE 37.5/60 Clubhouse 7.5 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 8 / Design Variety 6 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 5 Short (5 469 metres) and friendly Par- 70 layout (three par 3s) designed by Douw van der Merwe in the 1990s, with exceptionally good greens and an enjoyable mix of holes, including a superb short 4 (7 & 16). The opening and closing holes (both par 5s) are on the shores of Hartbeespoort Dam, with five holes inland among a residential estate. Good opening tee shot over water from the edge of a small boat marina. 35 WALMER GOLF CLUB Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape NEW ENTRY • SCORE 37.2/60 Clubhouse 8 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 6 / Design Variety 6 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 6.2 Walmer occupies an attractive site overlooking the Baakens Valley close to the city of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and is now part of an upmarket residential estate. An old club (1897), in recent years the membership has grown to where it now exceeds that of the city’s 18-hole courses. The fifth/14th is known as the “Monument Hole” due to an obelisk in the fairway which was erected in 1919 following the Great War. 36 VREDENDAL Vredendal, Namaqualand, Western Cape NEW ENTRY • SCORE 37/60 Clubhouse 6 / Aesthetics 7 / Design Variety 7 / Conditioning 5 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 7 Situated in the barren Karoo landscape several kilometres outside Vredendal on the R27 to Vanrhynsdorp. A feature of the layout is a wide ravine separating the first and last holes from the rest of the course. You drive over it on the second hole. Attractively designed holes, and not particularly long at 5 752 metres.
NUMBER 36 Vredendal, Namaqualand.
28 CRADOCK Cradock, Eastern Cape NEW ENTRY • SCORE 38.5/60 Clubhouse 7 Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 5.5 / Design Variety 7 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 8 Challenging and lengthy layout which gets its irrigation from the Great Fish River which runs alongside the course. There’s a canal inside the course which acts as a penalty area on several holes. The club, belonging to the Border Golf Union even though it is closer to Port Elizabeth (250km) than East London (290km), is an old one, which had a sand and oil greens course up until moving to this site in the early 1980s. Big trees line the holes, which are mainly par 5s and long 4s other than the distinctive dogleg left 8/17, a short 4 where the tee shot needs to carry the canal. 29 CERES Ceres, Western Cape DOWN 8 • SCORE 38.3/60 Clubhouse 8 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 6.5 / Design Variety 6.3 / Innovation 6 / Challenge 5.5 As you crest Mitchell’s Pass into this picturesque town, the parkland course lies below the road. It is now part of a residential estate, and some holes have been modified. There is talk that holes 6 and 7 might be lost for a future housing phase which would be unfortunate. Strong closing par 4 with a stream to be carried with the tee shot. The estate came with a big modern clubhouse. Next to it is an old railway station from which steam trains still operate. 30 RIVERSDALE Riversdale, Southern Cape DOWN 11 • SCORE 38.2/60 Clubhouse 5 / Aesthetics 6.2 / Conditioning 6 / Design Variety 7.5 / Innovation 6 / Challenge 7.5
One of the oldest clubs (1911) in the Southern Cape, set in a quiet valley away from the town. Very flat, compact, and challenging 1950s course with 11 greens. Two holes, including the long seventh, border the Goukou River flowing past. Remnants of an old stone bridge from an earlier era have been converted into a tee for the par-3 eighth. 31 HEX RIVER VALLEY Near Worcester, Cape Winelands DOWN 11 • SCORE 38.1/60 Clubhouse 7.5 / Aesthetics 6.6 / Conditioning 6 / Design Variety 7 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 6 Short par-70 layout of 5 391 metres, close to the N1, with some stunning mountain scenery and quirky, fun holes. There are three par 3s on each nine, including No 7 over a dam to a large green. The two par 5s, No 6 and 8, are the only holes of any substance for longer hitters. 32 KRIEL Kriel, Mpumalanga Highveld DOWN 10 • SCORE 38/60 Clubhouse 7.5 / Aesthetics 6 / Conditioning 6 / Design Variety 6.5 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 7 A testing challenge of 6280 metres with strong holes good enough to have once hosted the 2001 SA Senior Open where Allan Henning won on 3-over-par. An unusual feature of the design is that it has three par 5s, three par 4s and three par 3s on each nine. It begins and ends with a 5. No short par 4s, and the par 3s on the back nine play 193, 195 and 187. An hour’s drive from Benoni. 33 BREDASDORP Bredasdorp, Western Cape Overberg NEW ENTRY • SCORE 37.8/60 Clubhouse 7.3 / Aesthetics 5.5 / Conditioning 7 / Design Variety 6 / Innovation 5 / Challenge 7
68 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
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