What makes a great golf course – The Golfing World according to Andrew Hart
The good, the bad and the ugly…
Having now played six rounds in the 2013 edition of the SOS Golf Tour, we have experienced a range of golf courses, some beautiful, and deservedly ranked among the top in the country. Others, while maybe not ranked up among their illustrious brothers, still prove to be a good challenge to all levels of golfer and provide a beautiful Sunday afternoon walk.
So having played, or at least attempted to play, these courses, leaves me asking the question, what is that makes one course more enjoyable than the other and what really defines a ‘classic’ golf course? Is it simply a great course layout, beautifully manicured greens and fairways, the tenderness of the chicken breast at the halfway house or is it just simply how well you manage to play on the day that decides the courses fate in a player’s eye? Is there such a thing as a course that is too challenging or maybe even too easy (if such a thing exists)?
To answer some of these vexing questions let’s have a quick look at some of the courses we have graced with our presence and try and decide if they deserve their plaudits or are they hidden gems?
The Underdogs
There are numerous courses in Johannesburg that do not receive the same recognition and praise as some of their more illustrious and recognized cousins. The SOS Tour has visited some courses that would fall into this category, namely Glenvista and Modderfontein.
Both of these courses, particularly Modderfontein, is not a course to be taken lightly and offers a stern test to all levels of golfer – yet still is an extremely enjoyable course to play. Glenvista and Modderfontein were established 1975 and 1935 respectively, with the latter certainly providing that ‘old world’ charm with beautiful old trees lining many of the fairways.
Johannesburg has numerous courses that would fit into this category and really do offer a superb golfing experience often at a fraction of the cost. Play these courses with an open mind, maybe overlook one or two small snags here and there, and you will without doubt be coming back for more. These underdogs punch well above their weight and I am sure they will continue to be stalwarts on the SOS Tour for many years to come.
The Posers
As a South African golfer you are spoilt for choice when it comes to playing great golf courses, with a new course seeming to open at the blink of an eye. Residential golf estates are unquestionably the flavour of the day, offering the sought after combination of security and lifestyle. While the country has seen some magnificent estates developed over the past couple of decades, there are also a few that seem to be missing the mark from a golfing perspective.
One such course in my opinion, which the SOS Tour recently visited, is the Greg Norman designed Eye of Africa. The course, while beautifully nestled among the hills South of Johannesburg, offers a stern, yet sometimes seemingly unfair challenge. The greens undulate to such an extreme it’s sometimes like playing adventure golf…with a few of our members struggling not to putt the ball into the greenside bunkers!
If the greens don’t get you on this course, rest assured, the rough will! Dare to stray off the fairways on this course, and it’s bye-bye ball. Some tour members initially tried in vain to search the thick veld grass, but the futility and ‘Beware of Snakes’ signs quickly put those adventures to an end.
The Eye of Africa is beautifully manicured but it just doesn’t seem to tick all the boxes. However, The Great White Shark need not despair, if his golf course design business doesn’t pay the bills, he can always take to selling second hand golf balls lost in the brutal rough.
The Showstoppers
So far the tour has taken us to two of Joburg’s best, namely Royal Johannesburg and Kensington (the beastly East course) and the ever picturesque Glendower. One doesn’t really need to go on about these courses, their respective rankings of 8 and 12 in the country speak for themselves.
So what makes these courses so enjoyable to play? Let’s be honest, both courses offer a serious challenge to all levels of golfers, and yet the even those of us who felt the full wrath of both of these courses, would undoubtedly go back swinging for round 2!
So what is the secret? Well, it’s a combination of so many elements. Both courses are beautifully established, RJK having been established nearly 130 years ago and Glendower having opened in 1937. This can be seen by the beautiful trees lining the fairways, some tour members hit so many they can consider themselves qualified arborists (look it up!). Both courses are also immaculately conditioned and more importantly, offer a fair challenge to all, a characteristic of great course design. Testament to this is the tours Nick Rebello, playing off a 27, managed to tame the RJK east course with an impressive 35 points!!
Yes they are expensive to play, and yes you may have to sell a kidney to afford lunch at Glendower’s halfway house, but all-in-all, these Joburg legends will impress and keep you coming back again and again.
The Little Touches
Whether you are a complete hacker dealing in freshies and snap hooks, or the single figure handicapper booming 300m drives, I think all will agree that there are certain little touches that can make your round of golf that much more enjoyable. While we all love a well-manicured green to three (or even four) putt on, 100 year old trees to hit our balls into and beautiful club houses to drink beers in, it’s the following little touches that can take a golf course from good to great…so all club captains out there take note…
Little Touch Number One: My first, and most important, word of advice too all courses is too have distance markers, the more the merrier!! Firstly, one on every tee box and secondly on the fairways, and not just 200m, 150m and 100m markers…no one enjoys having to at scrutinize every sprinkler head on the course to find a distance only to realise they don’t exist, and then air mailing an ill-selected club into the awaiting hazard…golf is difficult enough without having to play the lottery everytime you pull a club from the bag.
Little Touch Number Two: Now let’s be honest, that little red fellow on your left shoulder always tells you to smash a driver on every hole…280m carry over water, with a bit of a draw around the trees into the wind…no problem! However, every now and then the wise, albeit boring, little chap on the other shoulder whispers those two little words into your ear…course management. Now to make this job a bit easier courses need to provide you with some information, how far is it to that water hazard, how much does the hole dogleg to the right etc. This can be a simple hole layout on each tee box, or the brilliant Pocket Caddie, which courses like Glendower and Royal Johannesburg and Kensington have invested in.
Little Touch Number Three: Sometimes when you are having a really long day out on the course, the highlight is that pie and gravy at the halfway house!! While cold towels are a great touch, all most golfers want is a decent breakfast or lunch, maybe a cold beer and most importantly not to have to re-bond your house to afford a Bar One. Golfers and golf courses alike should not under estimate the importance of a decent break at the halfway house… we have all experienced it, somehow that pie can miraculously change your equilibrium and you come out swinging like a legend!
The Conclusion
We would all love to play courses on a weekly basis that replicate Augusta, with fillet mignon served at the halfway house, but let’s be honest, in South Africa we are truly blessed with a multitude of magnificent and easily accessible golf courses. Maybe not all them tick every box but ultimately when it comes to deciding what makes a great course it comes down to personal taste and more importantly the experiences you have on the course with great friends.
Every course, from the good, to the bad and all the way down to the ugly provide you with a new experience, and different challenges…which is what makes golf and playing on the SOS Golf Tour such an adventure!!