Course Review: Erinvale Golf Club

The past weekend's events at Leopard Creek and Australia's Palmer Coolum Resort signalled the end of competitive golf for 2012 and also the final Official World Golf rankings of the year that give the first 50 qualifiers for 2013's first Major, the Masters.

One of the few noteworthy events in the golfing world before the New Year is the 2-day Els for Autism tournament at Erinvale Golf Club starting on the 17th December. Erinvale is a top 25 ranked club that has in the past been rated inside South Africa's Top 10. Opened for play in 1995, this 6500m Gary Player design is nestled at the foot of the Helderberg Mountains in Somerset West in the Western Cape.

Erinvale was the venue for the World Cup of Golf in 1996 and went on to host the South African Open Championship in consecutive years in 2003 and 2004, both won by local hero Trevor Immelmann.

The front nine is on the relatively flat part of the golf estate property whilst the back nine winds through relatively undulating terrain that often offers spectacular views of False Bay. The parklands style layout boasts kikuyu fairways and the large Penn Cross greens are irregular in shape, offering a variety of challenging pin positions.

The round begins with a choice on the first tee – take the safe straightforward route on the dogleg right par 4, or risk going OB by cutting off a chunk of the elbow to be rewarded with a short iron to the elevated green. For championship play the 9th and 18th holes are usually swopped, giving a more exciting finish to the round. Both are par 4's adjacent to the clubhouse, but the 9th green is at an oblique angle and fronted by a sliver of water and vegetation, bringing a greater measure of challenge to the approach.

The signature hole is the par 4 17th just after a swooping downhill par 5 that is reachable in two shots for many players. Avoiding out of bounds on the right is the first challenge on the penultimate hole, whilst going too far left leaves a restricted approach. Standing on the green gives picture perfect views back up the fairway with a towering mountain backdrop.

A Golf Weather
Editorial