Ebotse Links

Ebotse, with its undulating fairways, moguls and bunkering, prides itself on its unique linksy design and looks, and in the drier winter months this feature is more prevalent as the ball is running on firm fairways. However, it is thickly grassed around greens in summer, the opposite of linksy. So thick a metre left of the 18th green that the only way to find the ball was to stand on it. It is one of Peter Matkovich's more interesting designs with a variety of green shapes, some challengingly large so putts can be lengthy. The layout is a test of driving prowess because anything offline can mean a lost ball in long shaggy grass. Fortunately, the fairways are lined with red stakes so another ball can be dropped. There are also blue stakes: environmentally protected areas where you have to take a penalty drop even if your ball is visible.

Stuart McLean

15 February 2024

Ebotse Links offers a welcome change from Gauteng parkland layouts, and lower green fees on Mondays and Tuesdays are good value. The greens are excellent, and the course is a good test of shot making, particularly with the current amount of roll. The par 3s are a strength and fun to play. No 2 is a brute and requires a long iron to a well-guarded green. No 11 is a shorter shot with the dam lurking left of the green. The finishing par 5 is another enjoyable hole. A risk-reward tee shot over the corner of another dam offers options on how much to cut off. Bunkers and tees are unfortunately not in the best shape. The bunkers are poor and offer little chance of recovery should your ball roll up the powdery face of the traps. The tee boxes were showing evidence of a lot of traffic.

Jon James

10 October 2023

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Ebotse is one of Peter Matkovich's most interesting designs, and there is a wonderful array of good holes to be played. Incredibly scenic too, despite all the housing, some of which has detracted from the aesthetics, notably the high-rise blocks of apartments towering over the par-5 12th. Most enjoyable for me are all the fairway undulations and mounding on this faux links creation. There's significant movement in the land. I was surprised to learn there are 102 bunkers, especially since some holes have so few. But closer inspection finds them scattered here and there, in all shapes and sizes, and well maintained. The Sunshine Tour recently visited and always interesting to note which holes bothered the pros the most. The toughest three were Nos 17, 9 (both par 4s) and 11, a scary par 3 from the high back tee (187m) to a green perched precariously alongside the dam. Easiest was 18, at 570m the longest of the par 5s which from the back tee demands a long carry over a wetland that would intimidate most club golfers. It's a fabulous closing hole with a raised green and astounding that it yielded 30 eagles (Jbe Kruger had two) and 162 birdies over three rounds in the Fortress Invitational.

Stuart McLean

29 October 2022

Ebotse is worth visiting in winter (value for money on Monday / Tuesday is hard to beat) as this is when it most closely feels like a true links experience. The fairways have run which means a well struck iron will advance a considerable distance. The course provides a good test of driving accuracy and shot shaping. It is not a typical Gauteng layout, an enjoyable change from parkland options. The greens complexes are varied and demand an accurate approach which adds to the challenge. The surfaces are superb and running true. The mown areas are tightly knitted and provide a great response to shots. The par 3s are a highlight, Nos 2, 8 and 11 having a good memorability factor. Par on the second (often playing over 190m) is an excellent result. The par 5 closing hole (532m) demands a solid drive over the wetland area to find the fairway.

Jon James

01 July 2022

Golf has been played in Scotland on links courses for over 400 years. Golf has been played in Benoni in abandoned quarries for a much shorter period of time! You would think this would mean the Ebotse experience would be a watered down links experience. But it isn’t! From the moment you stand on the first tee you feel you’re on an authentic links with high grass blowing in the wind and very little golf course in sight due to the “rising ground,” which is what the word links (evolved from the word hlinc) means. If you haven’t visited, put Ebotse on your bucket list, and bring extra balls. She’s a narrow beast and punishes severely if you stray from the path. Links golf straight out of Benoni.

George Raubenheimer

26 February 2022

Peter Matkovich has created a "links" course that represents as well as one can expect on the Highveld. However, as an estate course the residential development does impact on the visual aspect and imposes somewhat on the course design. If you can overlook that and focus on each hole as it is presented, you could well believe you are playing a links. There are enough humps and hollows, strategically placed bunkers tee to green, and subtle slopes on excellent greens, to give that impression.

Roy Jones

03 January 2022

Thoroughly enjoyed the fast running greens said to measure 11 on the stimpmeter the day I played. And this is the speed they keep them most of the time. It has been a disruptive past couple of years at Ebotse Links. First there was a pipeline being dug through the 17th fairway, then came slippage on a bank overlooking the par-5 12th, which had to be temporarily converted to a par 3 while that work was done. Ebotse finally has all 18 holes back in play in their proper configuration. My playing partner was golf director John Woudberg, and his bold play off the tee gave me a good insight into the risk-and-reward attributes of this linksy Matkovich design. The thick bushy grasses lining the fairways can gobble up golf balls, so long drives generally have to be precise to avoid reloading. The 18th is a thrilling par 5 for those who crank their drives, and John struck his best of the day on a tiger line over the Rynfield Dam, all of 340 metres, leaving him a 6-iron approach.

Stuart McLean

09 December 2021

Great course, however the range was not open for a warmup prior to my round. Admittedly that was at 7am. The course staff were hand-watering two of the greens while we were playing our approach shots. On the one hole my ball was sprayed off the green, and on the other my partner's ball struck a hosepipe and deflected off the green.

Jitan Manga

14 September 2021

Ebotse is a challenging and well designed course that takes your breath away, as every hole is different to the previous one. The greens and fairways are well kept, although the tee boxes could be more appealing and inviting. Being a links-style course be prepared for difficult bunker shots.

konrad rontgen

14 February 2021

Ebotse took my breath away with some of the most stunning views in the East Rand. Extremely true greens.

Johnathan McClein

13 February 2021

This enjoyable and testing course has the most amazing greens, and you never get bored playing it.

Michael Meewes

12 February 2021

A true test of golfing skills, where no one hole is the same. The par-5 12th, one of the top holes at Ebotse Links, is currently closed due to a slope failure.

Hardus Maritz

09 December 2020

It has been a frustrating year for the golf operations team at Ebotse Links who have been without their full 18-hole course for most of the last 12 months. Initially the 17th was played as a par 3 for several months because of a pipeline being built through it. Then the par-5 12th, one of the feature holes, had to be closed in May because of a structural weakness in the earthworks supporting estate homes high above the hole. Fortunately no home was damaged. A new embankment had to be built near the tees, and this will only be completed in February 2021 at a cost of R6-million. The hole is temporarily being played as a par 3, and getting to the tee requires a long detour by golf cart from the 11th green via the clubhouse. New tees are also being built on the first hole after an issue with wayward shots heading into homes on the left of the fairway. Despite this the course is looking good and offers a different experience with its linksy style holes.

Stuart McLean

06 December 2020

Great layout beyond initial expectations. A true inland links (if it can be called that). Usually in top condition. Only one weak hole so lives up to the hype of playing it.

Sandor Kovacs

18 April 2020

Ebotse is in good condition but holes 16 and 17 remain under construction due to a major pipeline through the estate. The course tests your entire game and resistance to scoring is high. One disappointment is that many tees are not level.

Philip Malan

26 February 2020

Benoni - Gauteng

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Four tees / Par 72

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