HUGE CAVEAT - THIS IS MY HOME COURSE AND AS SUCH YOU CAN EXPECT SOME BIAS!
With that out of the way, the one thing that regularly irritates me about Dainfern is that it never rates as highly as it should in the annual Golf Digest and Compleat Golfer rankings and for the life of me (and those of many, both members and non-members who have played the course) I cannot figure out why.
The course itself is pretty much always in magnificent condition, all of the staff are courteous and helpful, the facilities are in top condition, the atmosphere about the club is generally really relaxed (it is a country club and estate after all) and the layout is one of the more sensible Gary Player designs of late (no cuteness or architectural masturbation like Blue Valley, etc).
I play there at least 3 times a month (12-15 in a holiday season month like December) and always find it to be a challenge to get round with a decent score (I think my best is a 74). I think that the only weakness that course has it that it is a little to manicured and that the rough is not always that punitive - but I suspect that this is to cater for the on-estate members and corporate visitors. That being said though it can be really nasty when setup for club champs, the sunshine tour and various other club competitions throughout the year, but it should be remembered that golf is a game to be enjoyed and if the course is to punitive all the time (are you listening Eagle Canyon) then it is no fun at all.
If you want a signature hole, then you should look no further than the 410m Par 4 16th, voted one of the top 18 holes in the country by Compleat Golfer in 2005 - this monster requires a huge drive from a tee elevated about 100m about the fairway with a carry over the Jukskei river avoiding the same river running down the right hand side of the hole, out of bounds on the left and bunker covering about 40% of the driving line - then you still need to hit a medium iron uphill, round a corner to a green guarded by trees, bunkers, punitive rough and the river (again!). And once you are on then you have to content with the putting surface itself and all the subtle breaks that it contains. Any time I walk off the green on this hole with a par, I know I am playing well.
The last 3 holes on the course (16, 17 & 18) are in my opinion also one of the best set of finishing holes you can play (you have to carry the river twice on the par 5 17th and avoid it and 6 bunkers going up the 18th) and I look forward to playing them every time I tee it up.
Visitors will pay R180 during the week and R250 on weekends for 18 holes excluding competition fees, levies, etc (members only pay R10 to play anytime, which is nice).
Have a look at a Dainfern Golf Map, for more detail on the course itself.
I'll be playing a few new courses and revisiting an old favourite over the next few weeks, so look out for reviews of those as well as a look back at my rounds at Pinnacle Point, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous course near Mossel Bay/George that should be on everyone's to play list.
UPDATE (2007/01/02) I have just played the course again (hey, its a slow week) and I feel I need to take off the rose-tinted glasses (to a certain degree).
Upon closer inspection and taking advantage of being in a two-ball and having the time to play slowly and observe the course closely, there are plenty of clues as to why Dainfern is ranked as it is by the various magazines - cart paths have been installed over the last few months, but prior to that there would be cart tracks everywhere (there still are, so much for that then), the pathways that where in place before the new tracks are in need of repair in quite a few places, there are quite a few tee boxes that need to be leveled, the bunkers are generally crap - the sand is overly hard and rough, not deep enough (to get a club under) and they don't handle rain at all well and the clubhouse is not as grandiose as you might expect it to be (I suppose being an estate course, you don't really need large locker rooms, cart and bag storage, etc). As a member. the one criticism I would level at the club is that we loose to many playing days per year to closed competitions other than the club champs.
In the courses defense, you can't really blame it for some of the design 'masterpieces' that it winds it way through, although many do find the massive sewerage pipe bordering the course to be somewhat of an eyesore and distraction.
That being said, from an architectural perspective the course just feels right, no hole feels out of place, the hole ratings are almost spot on, the course is challenging for the low handicapper and enjoyable to play if you have a high handicap (I have asked) and the it is generally always in immaculate condition and after all Dainfern is a country club in the true sense of the word. I enjoy seeing people taking walks, hearing children play and making use of the rest of the facilities myself, if you don't then maybe joining a golf club is a good idea.
Hell if the course is good enough to host a sunshine tour event then it is good enough for me.
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