White 6236 metres, CR72.0/127
Blue 5704 metres, CR69.5/121
Red 5259 metres, CR66.8/115
Women’s white, CR78.4/153
Women’s blue, CR75.3/146
Women’s red, CR 72.4/139
Affiliated R160 (9) & R210 (18)
Non-affiliated R180 & R230
Pensioners R90 & R120
(Mon, Tues, Thurs)
Golf cart R180 & R300
Douw van der Merwe (DDV Design) 2010
072 076 5890 or 082 457 3563
bookings@bankenveldgc.co.za
www.bankenveldgolfclub.co.za
Bankenveld is an attractive residential estate overlooking the Witbank Dam and Nature Reserve, with a modern 9-hole championship course designed by Douw van der Merwe and opened in 2010. Four of the holes are built along the banks of the dam, and the opening holes before them have impressive views over the estate. It was formerly a farm called Doornpoort.
The golf club has its own entrance, separate from the residential estate, and is easy to access. The clubhouse is on a high point of the property, and the opening hole is a reachable par 5 playing downhill which converts to a 410-metre par 4 on the second nine. A feature of the layout is the variety of tee boxes, and some interestingly shaped greens complexes.
Golf carts are the preference over walking as the opening four holes traverse rural grassland countryside over undulating terrain, away from the residential homes. A herd of various buck species can be seen here. The holes are among the longest on the course, the par-5 third being 480 metres climbing uphill to the green. On the high fourth tee golfers have superb views over the surrounding land. This is a steeply downhill dogleg left hole heading towards the eco estate and the Witbank Dam. The first time round it plays as a 410-metre 4, and No 13 is a 484-metre par 5.
No 5/14 is a beautiful par 3 played from elevated tees down towards a large green with the dam as a backdrop. Tees range in length from 110 to 185 metres. The next two holes are par 4s which hug the shoreline, No 7 being stroke 1 at 413 metres. The eighth/17th is a short par 3 played over wetlands and a water hazard.
The round ends with a strong uphill par 4 back towards the clubhouse, 356 metres at No 9 and 385 metres at No 18. There’s a wetland area on the left of the fairway and a hidden pond to the left of the green.
Construction of the course began in 2008, and it opened in May 2010. Among the first visitors a month later were members of the Italian rugby team who played a Test match against the Springboks at Witbank. The clubhouse was completed in 2014, and opened by Springbok legend Frik du Preez. It has a restaurant and coffee shop.
There is an 18-hole course in Witbank, in the old city centre, divided into two parts by the N4 highway. There have been several other proposals for golf course developments in the area over the years, in 1996 by Gary Player Design for Sun International, and most recently in 2007 for an 18-hole Ernie Els design (Lahleni Lakes) close to Bankenveld. None of them eventuated.
66 by Robbie Dirker, March 2024
2024 Robbie Dirker & Catherine Cullen
2023 Robbie Dirker & Nicola Schoeman
2022 Ryan Stenzel & Nicola Schoeman
2021 Ryan Stenzel & Nicola Schoeman
The RidgePoint Hotel (Tsogo Sun) is five kilometres away at the Highveld Mall, and there are several guesthouses outside the estate.
Extensive 250-metre range next to clubhouse with a short-game facility. Coaching available.
1/ The golf club logo consists of four roaming elephants. The reason for this is that the Olifants River runs through the Witbank Dam, and elephants are a strong family-orientated species which symbolises the vision for Bankenveld. The club has 184 members.
2/ The Olifants River Cup is a Ryder Cup-type event contested annually between golfers living on the two separate residential estates on the course. The eco estate is on the dam, and the other estate is higher up on the property. The Bankenveld Open is played in October, and the first one in 2014 was won by current Sunshine Tour player Ruan Korb.
3/ Course architect Douw van der Merwe designed 18 holes on the property as there is plenty of unused space, but only nine holes were built
4/ Bankenveld has a Par 3 course for the 9/18 holes, using forward tees, rated on HNA. It is the Orange Course, 2195 metres (18) with a CR of 50.9 and Slope of 78
5/ What is now the N4 highway from Witbank to Middelburg was one of the first concrete freeways built in South Africa in the 1960s, and the Ultra City the first petrol station built on both sides of a freeway.
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