Durban Country Club played on 2 March 2020

We went from the very unusual Robert Trent Jones Jnr. Wild Coast Sun Country Club to a nearly 100 year old golf course and club.

And what a contrast.

From a course squeezed into a very hilly terrain in no way ideal for a golf course. Up and down, over lakes and valleys, right and left and many km to walk from green to the next tee. That is; from a very unusual golf course to a golf course placed in more classic golf course terrain.

We went from Port Edward in the morning and had a tee time at Durban around 12.30.

Durban Country Club is one of the courses mentioned in the book of the 50 courses you should play before you die. It is recommended by Gordon Turner who grew up in Durban.  He now oversees SA operations for Perry Golf.

The following is a short resume of what he is saying about the course. It came into being largely in 1922 due to the misfortunes of Royal Durban, a priori course prone to flooding. Royal Durban was the site of the 1919 South African Open. A waterlogged mess, and town fathers feared their city would be overlooked on the national tournament circuit if changes weren’t made. Their response was to convince George Waterman and Laurie Waters (a champion player of the day) to design the Durban Country Club on a spit of dunes land overlooking the Blue Lagoon estuary and Indian Ocean.

The course was dry enough — and challenging enough — to host the 1924 Open and fifteen more since, more than any other club. It was here that Gary Player won his first South African Open in 1956. And almost all of the country’s golf luminaries have passed through since. Player returned in 1990, this time to refurbish the grande dame as she approached seventy.

“It’s a hard course to characterize, as it’s not exactly links. Not exactly parkland. It’s somewhat akin to the kind of terrain you find in the Melbourne Sandbelt. The greens and fairways use a hybrid grass that was created just for the club. The green sites are generally small, flat, well bunkered, and perched in precarious positions”.

When arriving you are not in doubt that this is one of the older and more traditional clubs. The clubhouse is grande and built in the style you see in many former British colonies. The clubhouse might as well has been built in Singapore or India.

You can walk the course, but as guest you cannot rent a push trolleys. So you either carry your clubs on your shoulders, rent a golf cart or ask for a caddie.

We chose a caddie and that, it would show, to be a  good decision. And for the first time I found a driving range. A bucket with about 20 ball is part of the green fee. Not many but enough to get the body going – just a little.

Many pictures and signs in the clubhouse tells the story of an old club

The course saw Gary Player’s first South African Open success in 1956 with a score of 286. He returned in 1969 (having won the title another five times in the interim) to score a 273, which included a then record round of 64 (the Course record now is 62, held by John Bland).

SIGNATURE HOLE – HOLE 3, PAR 5 The par five 468-metre 3rd hole is rated the best 3rd in the world, featuring a narrow fairway lined with dense bush. A well-placed bunker on the left-hand side combines to make for a very tricky hole, making the 3rd one of most popular holes on the course.

Hole 12, par 3, 124m. Especially known as the hole where the Prince of Wales, at that time Prince Edward is said to have taken 16 shots on the hole in 1924.

Hole 12, par 3, 124m. As it look like today.

The course is set along the cost on one side, with the city to the other. See photo below.

Fact about Durban Country Club

Par 72. Course rating from the back tees is 72. From club tees 70. Ladies tee is 73.

Established in 1922 and refurbished by Gary Player in 1990.

Course record is 62, held by John Bland.

My game:

I tell you, the first nine was great. 40 with 2 silly double bogeys. After that it went down the drain. I think that the good first half was due to the fact that I had a little warm up at the range. But on the last nine, I went totally out of energy.

I don’t remember ever haven been so drained for energy. Very happy that I had a caddie to carry my clubs. Maybe too much golf in a short period and the very humid conditions. The night before I slept like a baby 10 full hours in a row. Exhausted. A bit sad because that course is a good walking course deserving a better effort. 

Evaluation of the Durban Country Club played on 2 March 2020

Short summary

Durban city is the third biggest city in SA with 3.5 mil inhabitants and 10 golf courses in the area to choose between. Durban Country Club is the second oldest. By some also called “The Grande Dame”. The name country club gave meaning when it was established along the cost outside the city in beginning of the 1920’s.

Today the city have now surrounded the golf course and made it part of the city. Now, unfortunately, between the coast and the golf course, runs a highway. Resulting in a constant noise audible on most of the course. And that is one of the few things that draws in points. It is a great golf course. One or two holes looks links like, others is more park land. A couple with elevated greens, making it a great layout with a good variety in design of fairways and greens requiring that you are using all the clubs in your bag.  

After your game give yourself time to take a  look around the club house. Really old colonial style and inside with a lot of memorabilia.

Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome!