George Gholf Club played 17 Feb 2020

After playing De Zalze, which as you read is a relatively new course with focus on the estate business and the golf course as an attraction to potential buyers and golfing tourist, we got to the George Gholf Club. Remark the “h” in Gholf, indicating that this is an old Afrikaans club established in 1904. As you can see from the picture of the price cabinet it is a club with members playing in all possible tournaments.

It is a members club welcoming green fee players. The course is very well maintained and exciting to play. No holes are alike. There is a variety of holes with doglegs right as well as left. With downhill as well as uphill fairways, though not to a degree where you have blind shots. It is a parkland like course with fairways framed by big trees and a bit of wild life.

The course is having an interesting variety of holes on gently undulating terrain. It is not an easy course on which to lower your score. But on the other hand, if you play it safe you will not go a lot higher.  

The course is not long by modern standards – it has never hosted any of the big tour tournaments – but the course is not easy to subdue with its modern greens where pins can be tucked in tricky positions. Shot-making skills are an essential requirement.

I think one can play this course for a lifetime without finding it boring. It is an unusual setup of holes on each nine. The front nine has 7 par 4s, one par 5 and one par 3, while the back nine has three of each. Three of the par 3s come in the last six holes. The finishing stretch from 16 to 18 features three of the best holes on the course, a dogleg par 5, long par 3, and a magnificent long par 4 playing towards the mountains. The only minus is a bit of noise from the traffic on holes 5, 8 and 9.

One thing about etiquette that I like a lot was written on the scorecard. Paragraph 5 said: “Slow play is not tolerated on this course, keep up or move aside. PLEASE PLAY READY GOLF.” The following point said: “4h20 per 18 hole round including half way house is requested.” There was even a sign board on the first tee to remind the players about keeping up with the ball in front.

Great. We did the first nine in the recommend time. Spend 15 minutes too much on the last due to a 4-ball with two players who, due to lack of golfing skills, played slalom golf.

In the clubhouse restaurant there was a board informing us about the speed of the greens and the weather. Another good service. Though, as a member said: don’t trust the weather report, what’s on there is too old. He was partly right because on the round we actually got a bit of drizzle.

We finished our round around 17.00 and on our last 3 or 4 holes we saw a group of black youngsters playing. Except on Albertinia we have not seen that before. After the round I asked the golf manager that I was surprised to see so many young black players on the course.

Here is her answer: “The youngsters playing is part of a development program that has been running at the club for a very long time, they make use of the facilities and are couched by one of our members, Joseph Booysen. It is a way to introduce them to the game and keep them in a safe environment after school. We have had some great success stories with this program.” Sandra Lennox. Club General Manager. I like that.

If I had to choose a club to become a member of among the clubs we have played so far (and very many of the courses I have played in my golfing life) I would definitely choose George. The only thing I would miss is a driving range and a short game area. There are no such facilities on George. Only a net to the right of the first tee and a little pitching green in front of the club house.

Fact about

The history of the course is long. If you choose to visit George, I recommend you to look at their web page. Here is a some of the info you can find: 

“1886

It really started a hundred and twenty years ago. Laura Dumbleton, after visiting England in that year, not only brought home a husband for her sister, Cecil, but also managed to squeeze some clubs and balls into the “must take back to Africa” bag.

At Oakhurst (near Hoekwil) a three-hole course was quickly constructed and few visitors to the Dumbleton family escaped without first being initiated into the game being described, as legend has it, by the Chinese over 200 years ago, as the “torture of the thousand slices”.

On the farm, Lancewood some 10 miles away, Mr William Robertson soon followed suit and built his own three-hole course. No records exist to confirm whether reciprocity existed between the neighbors.” Go to: https://www.georgegolfclub.co.za/index.php/about-george-club/history for more facts about George Golf Club.

Course record

The course record is a round of 63 played by the home club member Jovan Rebula at age 15 in 2012. I cannot find a lot of information on Rebula. His peak so far seems to be that he won the 2018 British Amateur Championship, as the second South African golfer in history, and now play college golf at Auburn University. For the gossip; maybe he has been inspired by his uncle Ernie Els.

My game Actually an ok round. I am still playing green and red golf. That is developer/creative golf combined with result-oriented golf. You know; if I can hit it straight this way, I try to swing a little harder and if I need to get it over that water to get it on the green in 2, I take the chance. Sometimes the reward is a par or even a birdie and sometimes a lost ball. Next round, that will be on Mossel Bay Golf Club, I will try to play grey – baser golf. Wish me good luck.

Evaluation of George Golf Club played on 17 February 2020

Short summary

George is a golf course you must play, at least twice. It is a beautiful walk on an old park land course with many great and challenging golf holes. Playing to your handicap calls for your best shot making and course management skills. An exciting course for low as well as high handicappers. Great service and information about green speed, weather forecast etc. before start as well as a competent starter. Be sure to enjoy the service in the club house. I especially like the atmosphere of traditions in the club house and the professionality by which all the daily operations seems to be managed

Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome!