Stellenbosch Golf Course played on 13 Feb 2020
We truly enjoyed the day.
Flow of play was great, even if the course was packed with players. All the tee times were taken. We started our 2 ball around 13.20. We played behind a 4-ball with several 3 and 4 -ball’s in front of them. Even with a halfway house break of 15 minutes we played the course in 4 hours and 15minutes.
I think it was partly due to the fact that the fairways are broad and even if you are way out of the fairway you can still find your ball, and also because the players in front did not spend a lot of time considering their next shot, taking practice swings, reading greens and so on. The layout favours the flow with short distances from green to the next tee.
Furthermore approaching the green we were never in doubt of where to put our bags to get the shortest distance to the next tee. Though we would have liked a better posting from the 6th to the 7th green.
Playing here for the first time, you can easily choose the wrong direction. Also I think that the flow was due to the fact that it is a walking course. Most players were carrying their golf clubs or using a pull trolley. At a course like Stellenbosch 2 golfers in a golf buggy will not promote speed and flow of play.
I do not have any statistics to back me up, but it was my impression that maybe 50% or more of the golfers playing that day were members. Which I also think is a factor when it comes to the speed and flow of play. It is a members club with a tradition of regular club tournaments and club championships. Guest are very welcome, but the club life is dominated by the members. Adding to the authenticity and ambience
The course in general is very well maintained. As you can see from the pictures, bunkers were neatly cut and grass was not allowed to grow over the paths. Greens were basically flat and a bit slow, so finding the right speed was the biggest challenge. Which of course also added to a good flow.
The wow factor is only due to the mountains surrounding the golf course.
One hole though is giving you a little kick. That is the par 3 hole 7. About 120 meter short downhill. Guess that the green is about 30 meter lower than the tee box. With a fantastic view of the mountain in the background. You play the course because you like the atmosphere and ambience, not because of a fantastic layout.
All in all, we had a very good day at Stellenbosch. We had a good talk with Monde Mpompo, the Golf Operations Supervisor who helped us with information about the course record and the like. Also we had a good talk with some of the members about the course and other not so well know courses in South Africa that we should go a play.
And finally, a minor detail for some golfers, the restaurant was full of people and no one of them had a cap on. To me that is style and a part of good golfing culture. When revealing my surprise, a member replied. “That’s the way we show respect for other people”. I liked that. Having people eating with a cap on is not good style.
Facts about Stellenbosch Golf Club
Stellenbosch Golf Club is the 4th oldest golf club in South Africa founded in 1904. The first clubhouse at SGC was built in 1906, with a budget of only £50. The course changed from a 9-hole course in 1953 to today’s classic 18-hole parkland golf course.
The club has hosted some of South Africa’s most prestigious golf tournaments, including the 1999 South African Open which was the last South African open held before the start of the new millennium.
Stellenbosch Golf Club has hosted the South African Masters (1986-1990), the PGA National Championship as well as amateur golf tournaments such as the women’s Espirito Santo trophy and the men’s Eisenhower trophy.
Course record
Stellenbosch Golf Course hosted the 2019 Vodacom Origins of golf. It was at this tournament that the course crowned a new course record holder. A great score by Jean-Paul Strydom, gross 63 (9 under Par). The record round secured him a second place in the tournament. Strydom is from Durbanville Golf Club. Turned pro in 2013. Currently number 428 on the world ranking list.
My game
Considered that I have not played for 2 months I got around in a decent score, but lost a lot of strokes by hitting my driver to the right. Why? On the range I found a swing starting with my hips to get away from the swing path and accumulate speed – and a more strait trajectory. But you know, I am the green type of golfer. Always experimenting, thinking that if I just do this or this I will improve. I know that when you swing, you should not think or at least you should have just one simple swing thought. But me – oh-no. One idea follow another and the another. All in the hope to get more distance and more control. Which of course only results in inconsistency.
The only thing that saved me from a more disastrous score was the fact that I could find my ball each time and getting it back onto the fairway. And having a few good approach shots for a one put. It was however good enough not to pay for the beer after the round. Guess who had to pay ???
My mental training should be to stay away from being the Developer golfer when on the course. But that is not easy. You do not change personality walking from the practice area to the golf course. Albert Einstein once said it like this:
“Insanity is trying to solve a problem with the same approach that created it”
Leave the experiments to the range and when you get it right, practice it on the range again and again and then go on the course with only one swing thought.
Go to a short introduction to learn more about green golf. https://golfaroundtheglobe.net/a-short-introduction-to-focus-golf/
Evaluation of Stellenbosch Golf Course played on 13 Feb 2020
Short summary of the course
Stellenbosch is an old traditional park land course with tall trees framing the fairways, doglegs left and right and water areas to negotiate. Shots to the green can be a challenge for all levels of golfers. In that sense it is a risk and reward course, take too big risks at the wrong places and you will be punished. It’s a great walking course with a good flow, though in a few places it would have been a help for green fee players with a clearer signposting for the next tee. Be sure to get time to enjoy the after golf in the club house
Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome!
