Courses I’ve Played : Pecanwood : 9.5/10

More often than not most people will only play courses that are close to where they live purely because travelling can be a pain, with traffic, insane drivers, our ever courtoues traffic police and the climbing petrol price, but Pecanwood is always worth the 45 minutes it takes to get there from my house.

Upfront, let me say that the only reason this course did not get 10 out of 10 is due to the fact that it is surrounded by enough mock tuscan/balinese monstrosities to make a grown architect cry, but if you are prepared to forgive the home owners assocations obvious lack of taste in their architectural guidelines (no wonder there are still so many empty stands in the estate nearly 10 years after it opened - even Dainfern with its obvious ego pieces was full up over 2 years ago), you will find a golf course that will challenge you, flatter you and have you coming back for more.

Jack Nicklaus certainly knows how to design a golf course - this was his first completed venture in South Africa (and I doubt he needs my seal of approval), obvoiusly he has had a lot of practice but he put a course in place that never fails to give a golfer a massive amount of enjoyment irrespective of their handicap or ability.

Before we tackle the course, I need to bring to your attention the impact that good service has on the overall experience of a golf club - as you will have seen in previous reviews, a club may have a highly rated course, but if their staff treat you like they are doing a favour by serving you, it definately affects your perception of the course itself. Pecanwood, fortunately doesn't have that problem, every time I have played there (amazingly enough their rates are almost reasonable at R450 + R85 for a half share of cart as a weekend visitor, although this is a bit expensive, it is well within reason for a course of this quality) I have had a world class experience right from entering the estate, to having my clubs taken directly to the starter, through the changeroom and into the pro shop. Well done to Ken Payet and his staff (it is however a bitch not being able to organise rounds at Sun City now that he has left)

The design is very subtle in that the course layout doesn't really dictate how you need to play a hole but provides guidance in the way each fairway is shaped and how the (many) bunkers will come into to play given your shot shape. Almost every hole provides a bail-out route for the higher handicapper and a 'tiger line' for the player who fancies himself as a bit of talent. The course is long, even more so if you are straying off the fairway a lot and having to play out of the kikuyu rough, but most of the time you won't mind being there.

My favourite hole is probably the par 5, 536m (of the club tees), stroke 3 7th. The clubs website
described the hole as follows 'After an intimidating tee shot into a narrow landing zone and a long
lay up shot favouring the left hand side of the fairway, you will have a short iron into a narrow green which is well guarded by bunkers', which doesn't really describe quite how difficult this hole is if you aren't hitting the ball well and the wind is blowing (interestingly the pro tees add another almost 50m to the length of this hole). Off the tee box you are faced with out of bounds (and tall trees) down the right with bunkers short and left of the landing zone which is quite some distance off the tee.

There are very few places on this hole (and on most of the course) where the fairway is flat, so your second shot will most probably be played off an awkward lie. Keep left with your second shot to avoid even more bunkers short and right of the green (don't go to big if you are going for the green though because it is surrounded by pot bunkers and the ones behind are above the putting surface, which slopes away from you toward the front of the green and more bunkers!). The green itself is fairly narrow front to back, but quite wide left to right and has some wicked slopes to it and a bit of a false front to gather shots that fall a bit short. The greens were fairly slow (for Pecanwood) as I played them, but I suspect that the greenkeeper can make them almost unplayable if he wants to.

The other nice thing about this hole is that it is smack in the middle of one of the most challenging combinations of holes on the course, being preceded by a 390m stroke 1 par 4 and followed by a par 3 which is a stroke 5 and can stretch anywhere from 155m to 215m - if you come through these 3 holes, level par or better, then you can certainly feel satisfied with your self (although the 9th is a bit of a damp squib after these 3 holes).

I don't have a hole that doesn't appeal to me as every one seems to perfectly in its place, my only gripe would be that once the greens are full of pitch marks and many bunkers seem to be left unraked, but then I can't really blame that on the course or its management.

The course itself is in excellent condition, but then they are right next to a dam. They have a very nice lockerroom and shower facilities, ample parking, a fairly decent halfway house, a small but well stocked pro shop and a really nice driving range, although the practice green does seem to have been situated as something of an after thought.

For more information, visit
http://www.pecanwoodgolf.co.za/.

Courses I’ve Played : Pinnacle Point : 7.5/10

This is one of those courses that you will either love or hate (and I know families within which this is the case), but you should play if you get the chance (and are prepared to raid the piggy bank), just take lots of balls.

I first played the course just after it opened for public play and it was breathtaking. Some of the facilities weren't finished yet but you let it slide because you feel you had just played one of the most spectacular courses anywhere on the planet.

But as time passes, return visits are made and management changes, decisions get made with financial rewards in mind that detract from the overall experience, for instance you can now only play the course if you are staying on the estate, if you are a platinum member or you are invited by one. Whilst I can see the point (excuse the pun) and the advantages of making the experience more exclusive, the problem is though the cost of playing has gone up 50%, the cost of staying there has gone up 100%+, the cost of drinking has skyrocketed and maintenance standards have slipped; you can’t blame that all on the deteriorating economy (at least not without a smirk on your face) - there is cashing in and then there is ripping you off.

When management crows in its newsletter about being awarded a 5 Star Golf Experience Award and the members beg to differ then you know you have problems.

I have heard a number of opinions, but the one that clinches it for me is from a member (who lives on the estate) who says that no one plays on the course and she battles to find a game because she can’t find someone to play with on a weekend (and a drop in green fees of 40% hasn’t fixed the problem) - something is not right and the management probably need a wakeup call (and to fix the hole in roof with something more than a few sheets of cardboard).

But less of that and more about the golf course. Pinnacle Point is spectacular, breathtaking, stunning and all the other superlatives that come to mind, you can see the sea on every hole, the designer has gone to town with the layout, the service is great (but middling in pockets), the location is spot on, but once you've played once or twice you probably won't feel the pull to play again - let me explain why. I have been lucky enough to play most of the 'big' courses in and around the Knysna/George/Mossel Bay area and the thing is that none of them could hope to hold a professional tournament other than Oubaai (that being said I haven't played any of the courses in Fancourt or George CC but I am working on that), they are a test of your golfing ability but there is something odd about them, like someone was trying to make a non to subtle point. Of all the courses in the area, the one only that looks like it was meant to be there is Ernie Els's Oubaai (much like Gardener Ross, but I'll keep that for another review), the rest just look like someone said 'I have this piece of ground, make a golf course fit onto it'.

The funny thing is though that for all the moaning, I don't just have a favourite hole at Pinnacle Point, I have several, namely the 7th, 8th and 9th combination where you play out over the sea to greens that are tucked up against the edge of a cliff (the effect that the 7th has on you when you first play it, is almost akin to a religious experience - you come over a rise on the cart path from the previous green and are faced with what seems like a 50m plunge from the tee box to the green over the water of an a sea hewn inlet with nothing but the sea and sheer cliffs on three sides of the green).

The 7th looks to be on a par with anything I have seen (on TV) at Pebble Beach, etc. The 8th is a driveable par 4, if you can belt it 280m+ over nothing but water, it’s a brilliant hole and if you are, like me, something of a gorilla on the course, then you will relish the challenge. The 9th is yet another par 3, played over an inlet to a green surrounded on almost all sides by the sea, the trick with this one however is to figure out which way the wind is blowing and figure in how much affect the club house is going to have once the ball gets above it and then pray you have the right club and the right line (the first time we played, my partner was aiming 45 degrees away from the green straight out to sea).

The next combination I enjoy is 12, 13 and the 14th tee box - 12 is a cracker of a hole, off the back tees you probably start about 200m above the fairway (which looks tiny) with a view over almost the entire course and you are playing straight out towards the sea. If you don't trust your golf cart's brakes however, I would proceed down the hill with caution. The 13th is another par 3 where you play over the sea to a green surrounded by water and cliffs, the thing is here is that the green is the size of a postage stamp and surrounded by long grass, bunkers and rocks, not for the faint hearted when the pin is placed up against the right edge of the green!. The 14th hole is Pinnacle Points stroke 2 and as is the case with any stroke 2 par 4, is long, uphill and bloody tough buts it’s not the hole that does it for me, it’s the tee box - it is on the cliffs edge with the sea thundering 50m below you. Trust me, when you play Pinnacle Point take a half a dozen or so water balls with for nothing more than turning sideways and banging them out to sea!

This course also has some really daft holes, like the 6th for instance - it’s a short par 4, with a tee shot over a ravine that is a forerunner of things to come but the fairway is narrow to the point of nonexistent around the landing zone and the green is about 40m long and feels as narrow as 3 to 4m wide in places – the whole hole feels horribly out of place and gives you the feeling that it was an afterthought that was shoe horned in at the last minute or as a compromise.

The par 4 stroke 1 4th is really bland, to the point that it really just looks like a landing strip. I can only guess that it gets its rating because I can see it being unplayable in the wind with it being one of the highest points on the course (then again maybe it just suffers from being between 2 brilliant par 5's that look and feel really intimidating off the tee box, even for a big hitter).

The 15th suffers not from being a terrible golf hole, but by just being a little too bland after all the sights and sounds you have just played through, but my vote for the worst hole goes to the 18th, a par 5 with a hard dogleg left with 175m to go, after you have had to hit it 275m+ (at the coast) to an area of probably no more than 10 square metres, which would be challenge on pretty much any other golf course, except here there isn't a flat or even sloping lie to be had anywhere on the fairway, everything feels like you are about to fall over and the only place you can hope to hit the ball from a reasonably flat lie is covered in deep, clawing grass. Make no mistake, it is a spectacular looking hole to finish on, but to my mind it’s a little over done (and it’s certainly not a stroke 8).

There are a lot of bunkers at Pinnacle Point, but they didn't really seem to come into play (I think I only played from a bunker twice over two rounds, both fairway and greenside), more for decoration than challenge I think, and therein lies the problem with the course, it looks good, it is fun to play (especially when the wind is blowing) but you do feel a little let down after walking off, like something important was missing.

My final verdict - the views where great, the greens were amongst the best I've played and the wow factor you witness when you tell people you have played there is almost worth it - I'd play there again, but I doubt I'd pay, there are just better, more challenging and less contrived courses in that part of the world.

For more details, take a look at www.pinnaclepoint.co.za

Its all coming back to me now

I am not dead, I haven't stopped playing and I haven't moved to another site, I've just been lazy (and injured and trying to start a new business).

But thats all about to change, I have a raft of course reviews stacked up and some juicy news about one of South Africa's premier courses to share (just as soon as I can get it from the source).

I am going to try and do at least one review a week and the first one is going to be a goodie!

[Thanks to Speedcat Hollydale, HP and TonyM for giving me a kick all in the same week]

Courses I've Played : South Downs : 6/10

After playing Glenvista and writing the review, I thought that I sounded like a little bit of a snob having a slight dig at the courses in the south the way I did, so I arranged a game at South Downs Country Club with the brother and a few mates who barely get to play golf and are by no means picky about the courses they tackle, and I have to say that pleasantly surprised is probably the best way to describe the experience we had - I arrived with very low expectations as the course has previously been known as bit of a dirt track and I wasn't initially surprised to find it that way; the pro shop wasn't open yet when we got there, there are no directions to the
tee boxes and the 10th hole (a par 3) looks horrible (although it will probably look much better once the earth works are finished), although they do have nice new parking lot, new carts and their security is well organised.

The course is a classic parkland layout, with wide fairways, lots of run in winter (I will be returning in summer to compare), it has plenty of water and ditches, etc to catch you out but most holes are wide open and have plenty of room (and trees) for you to get yourself into trouble - for the most part the additional hazards are only found on the harder holes. The course will probably play a lot harder and look a lot better in summer

The greens are really good, for the most part they are consistent on the speed front and easy enough to read - expect the 18th which is all over the place and has slopes and lines I wouldn't even expect to find at Augusta it is so tricky; but thats probably my ego talking given how shocking my golf was

For me the feature hole is the par 4, stroke 5, 7th - its relatively short at only 313m but it deserves its rating - you play over a stream, between two wooded areas to a fairway that turns to the right; the stream and trees run down the entire right side of the whole and there is a strategically placed bunker on the left to catch those that don't get the line just right. Getting your drive in the fairway is only
half the fun, if you don't get it in the right place, you limit your opens going in for your second as the approach to the green is guarded by trees (again) on either side of the green, a stream across the front, a bunker down the right and a raised green that pretty much runs everything off it that is not perfectly place. If you add a nasty pin position on the crest of green, you have a nasty little hole that leaves you satisfied if you walk off with a par (and not to unhappy with a bogey if you have
bounced off the back of the green and faced a somewhat tricky recovery shot).

The halfway house is somewhat rustic but the food and service where great and the meal was reasonably priced - a trend carried through the club as a round is cheap and the bar is not at all overpriced, even if a cart cost same as clubs in the north.

Overall then the course is tough but fair, probably very enjoyable if you are a beginner - you can get a big score on a hole, but you won't loose many balls and you won't hold the experience against the course; go and play South Downs Country Club you will be pleasantly surprised; given how the parking lot was packed when we left (AND the number of very expensive vehicles) it contained, I was surprised we got a round at all!

Courses I've Played : Glenvista : 7/10

Glenvista is not one of the courses I normally rush to play, but I am generally impressed every time I do, and with the changes that have already taken place (impressive new pro-shop and half-way house, additions to the bar) and the those that are in progress (new tees) I'll probably make more effort to squeeze in a round down south.

It has always been my feeling that this course has been constrained by its location,
both because it has to make do with the space it has being in a valley and the fact that it is in the south of Johannesburg, it has suffered by the compromises required to shoe horn the course in i.e. a couple of quirky, short par fours (10 & 14) and the fact that it is not located in a glamorous part of town, although by the look of some of the monster houses that surround the course that is probably changing. Growing up in the south (Alberton), you aspired to play in the north, at Wanderers, Parkview, River Club, etc but you ended playing Reading, South Downs and Glenvista.

I have to admit though that my favourite thing about this course are its greens, they are fast but not slick, hold an approach well, are easy enough to read and true once you have a feel for them - they just feel fair. Not so good however are bunkers and tee boxes - the bunkers could do with more sand in them (and golfers with better manners) and the tee grounds need leveling, a bit more attention to detail and not quite so much water.

For me the feature hole is the par 4, stroke 1, 12th - it starts up high, almost in one of the boundary residents back gardens and played off the back tees is a mighty long way. A good drive will get you within mid iron range and if you shape your shot from left to right and start it on the right line then you will have no more than a wedge into an elevated green, that slopes from back to front and right to left, but put your shot too far right and you're out of bounds and on the left you are in the trees or the river and you are probably going to walk away frustrated.

The green has two almost pot bunkers in front of it, but its greater defense is its putting surface - its not wickedly sloped, but has a subtle shape that has you looking for (and finding) lines that are not there and if the greenkeeper is feeling nasty and puts the pin on the harshest part of the slope about two thirds of the way up the green then you will probably walk off without a smile on your face.

The front nine at Glenvista is fairly open even and doesn't present to many hidden challenges even if the holes run right next to each other and the course designer has made great use of the elevation changes on one or two of the holes such the 3rd and the 4th, but the entire feel of the course changes once you walk off the 10th green (which has never been one of my favourite holes, with its quirky long iron off the tee on a par 4 requirement, followed by another long iron) and onto the 11th tee box - the entire course closes in around you and feels almost claustrophobic as you wrestle with the out of bounds and river on either side of most holes with the valley walls and mansions towering above you.

On the bright side, it is nice to see that the Pro is now operating out of decently sized and well appointed shop after being stuck in a poky broom closet for many years, but he still does not have enough golf carts and if you take a caddie be prepared to be irritated, in fact on the day I was there they had to bring caddies in from another course and one of my fellow players caddie pitched up with a hangover to sink a battleship.

If you are looking for a challenge, don't mind navigating around the south of Johannesburg (and a lack of signposts to the club) and are looking for a nice relaxed atmosphere (the new bar is great) then I would heartily recommend Glenvista.

Courses I've Played : Oubaai : 9/10

Oubaai is an Ernie Els signature course and the benchmark (according to their advertising) so I will separate the review into a discussion about the golf course and the overall experience

First to the course itself - its brilliant, Ernie has gone for a links layout here and he succeeds brilliantly, the course almost looks like it was meant to be built into the landscape provided by mother nature. It flows with the landscape and is sympathetic to the existing terrain.

Best of all though is that it is not contrived i.e. it doesn't force you to play tough shots and dictate how you should approach the layout, the designer realised that a wide variety of players need to enjoy the course without being punished for playing it, notwithstanding the weather. Nearly all of the holes, including the low strokes have a bail out area or a safety line and a high risk/reward line for the
better player - how you then choose to play it is up to you - bravo Ernie it makes the game that much more enjoyable and I can wait to play more of your designs.

The course also reacts to the weather as you would expect a links to - it is seemingly benign when the wind is not really there, relying on the uneven lies and the slopes of the greens to keep the golfer in check, but when the wind blows it is an entirely different creature with the valleys and elevation changes creating all new challenges for the golfer as they move their way around the course.

Having played only 4 days after the greens where hollow-tined I didn't really get a good feel for them, but that being said they where better than most courses normal greens with the attention to detail of the ground staff getting them playable so soon afterwards

My favourite hole interestingly enough is not the par 3 17th toward the sea that you see in all the promotional gear, but the par 5 4th, a 490m monster (stroke 4) that looks fairly innocuous and doesn't hide anything from you off the tee, but tempts you take on a set of bunkers on both sides of the landing area for you drive and another set short of the green for those that want to go for the green in two, add that to a green that you can bump and run the ball into in true links fashion with some great big slopes from back to front and left to right with enough slope to let the ball run right back off the green on a downhill putt and you have a great links par 5, requiring you to think your way down the course of the hole, but not overly punishing you if you just want to enjoy the course and take in the spectacle of the feature holes.

Another nice feature is the fact that the course has 9's of 35 & 37, something you don't often see in newer courses

There is a bit of a downside to Oubaai though, the course may be finished and in excellent condition but the rest of the playing facilities are very much a work in progress when I played (I had to take a detour through the driving range just to get to and from the 10th tee/9th green) and the multitude of building sites (and the accompanying shouting, screaming, drilling, grinding, etc) certainly detract from the round - for the moment it is probably better to play this course over the weekend.

Even more curious is the fact that the members have their own club house that visitors can't get to but end up having their half-way at anyway, in addition it doesn't seem like there are any extra facilities that guests don't have access to
in fact it seems like there are less - maintaining two separate pro-shops must be costing someone a fortune, although the restaurant in the visitors club house makes a damn fine breakfast.

My final verdict - if I had the money for a house or just plain old corporate membership (a bit dear at R200k entry & R20k per year) I would probably spend it - this is one course I doubt I would get tired of playing, and if I was invited back I would accept at the drop of a hat.

Also, due to time of year I visited, the course was empty and I got to play entire round by myself - one of life's little pleasures.

The phantom golfer is back in the swing of things

It seems like an eternity since my last post (it was about 13 or so weeks), but now I am back and back in style playing some of the best courses in the country - expect reviews on Pinnacle Point, Simola, Pezula, Kyalami, Centurion, Woodhill and Pearl Valley over the next several days - and to kick it all off a review of Oubaai, my new favourite golf course in South Africa.

on Hiatus

Life happens - I am now studying towards a MBA and am taking up a senior post with a division of one of South Africa's largest banks - my primary hobby just changed from golf to studying.

I'll still be posting, but not quite as frequently, pretty much as work allows for weekday golf.

That being said thought, I do have a trip coming up next month where I am hoping to play Pezula, Simola, Fancourt (any one), George, Oubaai and Pinnacle Point - I am sure I can write a review or two if I can wipe the smile off my face

Courses I've played : Glendower Golf Club : 6.5/10

Almost every person I know who has played Glendower has raved about it, how stunning its looks are, how well designed it is, how much of a test of golf it is, how much it forces you to think your way around the course - quite frankly I was bored. This was not the first time I have played the course, so it wasn't like I had any built up expectations that where not being met, its just that I would be bored to tears (or purposely aiming for the trees) if this was my home course and it was all I had to look forward to every weekend.

More often than not it is the design and the conditioning of the course that gets talked about. The course is in very good condition, although I thought the greens where a bit patchy and battered, but they weren't all that hard to read and the pace was consistent throughout (not to fast or to slow). The design however is not all that exciting: Glendower is a parkland course and I suppose Parkview would be the nearest type of course I could compare it to - Parkview is far more interesting and keeps you thinking and trying to place and shape your shots a lot more than Glendower does where it is a case of knock it somewhere down the or near the fairway, avoid the bunkers (which can mostly be carried off the club tees) and aim for the middle of the green. There is not a lot of complexity to this course. The par 5's aren't overly long, the stroke 1, the par 4 4th, relies on distance rather than guile and most of the rest of the par 4's play quite short i.e. a driver and no more than say an 8 iron (off the club tees).

All you need to do is play to your game and stay on or near the fairways and away from the trees and you will do OK, not a lot of complexity there then.

I have read a review that describes the start of each nine as being really difficult, with the end of each being fairly disappointing, I would have to say I agree with the latter (kind of routine straight up par 4's), but not necessarily the former. Both the 1st and the 10th are easily reachable even if you have a bad drive and tend to drift off to the right like most golfers.

The course does have a lot of water hazards, but most of them are carries off the tee box rather than coming into play around the green (5 holes in total, 2 of which are par 3's).

The one thing I did like about this course was the bunkers, the green side ones have sand that is soft, fluffy and easy to get your club through and the fairway bunkers are just hard enough to make a shot out of them not to difficult. Even though there are a lot of bunkers on this course, it didn't feel like the amount was overly punitive.

The course surroundings are quite pleasant with all the established trees hiding most of the housing that adjoins the course, but no more so than any other Johannesburg parkland course though. However the holes that play near the N3 are really noisy (and prone to the occasional honking idiot when you are on the tee box).

Choosing a signature hole was fairly easy though as Glendower has one or two of the prettiest par 3's of the courses I have played, chief of which is the 6th. This is hole is about 160 off the club tees, playing over a small dam in front of the green, to a putting surface which slopes quite sharply from back to front - I can imagine hitting a great shot here and seeing it spinning back off the green into the water. The green itself is raised up from its surrounds such that the ball feeds off the green if you don't get your distance just right, it also has a fairly nasty bunker at its back right that is going to make any shot back down the green towards the water somewhat scary - the putting surface is fairly narrow, but quite wide and makes for some interesting, swinging lines. The hole may only be a stroke 11, but walking off with a par should be quite satisfying.

I'll play Glendower again if I was to receive an invite, but its not the type of course I would make a special effort to play again.

For more info, contact details, etc you can visit www.glendower.co.za

Ranking, rating, whatever!

I see that the one of SA Golf Digest or Compleat Golfer has issued their latest course rankings (or both, I don't know as yet) and I have written something up on what they have to say (its quite not finished yet), the problem as I see it with these systems is that they don't give all the much attention to the total experience of playing a given course - if a course is magnificent from an aesthetic perspective but the staff treat you terribly, are you going to go back? I've seen many (wealthy) golfers who are incredibly loyal to their local track, even if they have played (and paid for) one of the better courses in the country, purely because they where not made to feel welcome.

The other thing that ratings systems don't take into account is the relative affordability of courses within the ranking - how many people actually get an invite to play River Club (I wasn't all that impressed) or can afford to travel to and stay at Fancourt just to play the links (and don't get me started on the R1300 + hotel bill it takes to play Leopard Creek, even though it is probably the best course I have ever played)

To edit Dale Hayes a bit (Compleat Golfer, September 2006): 'for example, after enjoying an afternoon at [..], you leave the club thinking, "Boy, I enjoyed that!" and yet find it difficult to explain exactly why. There's that intangible magic that makes certain golf experiences stand out from the rest - and everybody can rate that.'

From the same column: 'Ultimately, there is no need to get technical when rating a golf course. Simply ask yourself - is it pretty? Is it an enjoyable walk? Does the course have its own unique character and does it blend in with its natural surroundings? Does the club have all the facilities necessary for overall enjoyment?

I truly believe it's the overall experience that counts when it comes to the decision of whether you want to return for another try on any golf course - and I firmly believe that rating this sort of experience is of more value than ranking the technical aspects of a golf course.'

Thanks Dale, couldn't have said it better if I tried!