East London Golf Club played on 24 and 25 Feb 2020

This is a golf course where the wind can blow your ball away. On the other hand, it is a layout where the fairways are sheltered by silver leaf trees and shrubs, as you can see from the picture below. You do not feel the wind, but if windy, your ball sure will. It makes it a very nice course to play.

Every fairway got it’s own life and characteristics. Not one of the 18 holes are alike. Going from one green to the next tee is just an exciting walk; what is awaiting you? You do not know, before you get to the tee.

Playing the course for the first time you do not have any idea as to what is awaiting you on the next hole. And in most cases you will head for a pleasent surprice.

The sounds that you hear are all about nature. Beautiful bird songs and – maybe more surprisingly – you can smell the fragrances of the trees and the flowers.

For the long hitter, precision is essential to get the par. And the short hitter will always be able to get it in the fairway and make a decent score in according to the handicap. Then again – this is a golf course – make a mistake and you can add a stroke or two to the card.

In my opinion there are no silly holes on this golf course. There are 3 or 4 holes where you have a blind shot from the tee. But on all of them you are not in doubt of the direction to hit. You do not need to think in draws or fades. Just go straight and in some fairways – if you are a bit out of line – the slope or hillside will take your ball to the middle.

Now, I have to say there was only a mild wind the first day we played the course. But never the less, we decided to stay one day more to play it a second time. Because it is a fantastic place to play the game you love.

It is a hilly course. We walked the course with push trolleys on the first day. I liked the walk even though it was physical tiring, it was a good exercise. Though too much for Eza. Therefore, round 2 we took a golf cart.

The greens are very different in size as well as in slopes. Some greens require good reading skills – finding the right line and for some it is more about finding the right speed.

Facts about East London G.C.

East London GC was founded in 1893. The present layout was constructed in the 1920s. The course designer was Col SV Hotcin. You can find his original drawings on display in the clubhouse. Positioned in the outskirts of the city it is a home to several species of buck and bird life.

ELGC is consistently ranked as one of South Africa’s 10 best courses, and is considered one of the best Championship courses in SA and has hosted the SA Open six times. As you can see under the heading Course Record, many of the best golfers on the European tour have played the course and it is considered to be one of the best natural golf courses played by professionals. 

As said ELGC is an old club with a long history. The first competition took place on the 23rd September 1893. It was won by E. Page with a playing handicap of 35 and a net score of 72. Not impressive in our days standard. But then . . . . . it was another time

In according to the clubs general manager, Brenden Fourie, one of the reasons that the course have not hosted the SA Open since 2014 is not due to the quality of the course and facilities, but lack of sponsorships and the competition from for example Sun City and Leopard Creek. No sour grapes – just a fact.

Course record

The course record is 61 by Richard Sterne, in the 2009 Africa Open. A scorecard with 11 birdies and 11 threes. The 61 was matched by John Hahn (USA), in the 2014 Africa Open. In the same tournament there were four players scoring 62: Angel Cabrera, Louis Oosthuizen, Adilson da Silva and Emiliano Grillo.

Ernie Els was first noticed as a young upcoming SA golfer, age 16, when he won SA Amateur at East London Golf course in 1986.

On seven Africa Opens, European Tour winners have won the Championship on the course. That is: 2009 Retief Goosen (267); 2010 Charl Schwartzel (272); 2011 Louis Oosthuizen (276); 2012 Oosthuizen (265); 2013 Darren Fichardt (272); 2014 Thomas Aiken (264); 2015 Trevor Fisher (264

Eight SA Opens, from 1906, seven times on current course. Recent champions: Mark McNulty (2001), Gary Player (1967) and Retief Waltman (1961).

As you can see ELGC is a proud club with players from the highest level winning tournaments on their course.

My game

On the first round we just had a little wind and during the second round a brisk wind. The difference for me was about 5 to 10 strokes. That is from being in the area of 80 to the area of 90. I hit many good shots on the first day and not so many on the second. Best thing to remember is that I got a birdie on the second day. My excuse; I really do not like playing driving around in a golf buggy.

Evaluation of East London Golf Club played Feb 24 and 25

Short summary

East London is a very exciting and interesting course to play. For many holes, when you have finished putting and start walking toward the next hole you have not a clue as to what is awaiting you on that hole. That is; the view to the next tee and fairway are hidden by hills and trees. And then – suddenly – you stand there, and wow!!.

It a hilly course and challenging. On all the holes you need the best of your course management and shot making skills. And it is one of the most beautiful walks we have made so far here in SA. It is a par 73 hole course and even so, not that long. But still a great challenge for player of all levels.

Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome.