Els Club Copperleaf

A big sprawling layout with wide fairways and large greens complexes. Conditioning has been transformed. Impressive greens and good results from the bunker upgrade. The yellow tees provide plenty to challenge the club golfer with forced carries which get your attention. The third is a brute of a par 3. The par-4 seventh allows you a go at driving the green, albeit well defended by bunkers. The stretch around the grab-n-go turn is strong, with two of the longest 4s at 9 and 10. Service, attentiveness from staff, and marshalling all good. Other estate courses could benefit from shortening the halfway stop and reduce 5-hour rounds.

Jon James

09 March 2024

The Els Club doesn't start promisingly -- an ordinary downhill par 4 at No 1 and then a hole which punishes shorter hitters with the positioning of fairway bunkers, leaving a blind second for those who cannot carry them -- but it gets better and there's quality, variety and playability from No 6 onwards. Beautiful views of the surrounding countryside on the back nine, and the long grass and wildflowers in out-of-play areas improve the aesthetics. The course does favour exponents of the modern game who play off white tees (6305 metres). It's too easy from these tees if you hit a longish ball because most fairway bunkers are redundant. The yellow tees (6681) are a better test of ability. Black (7363) are essentially only for elite golfers.

Dieter ten Haag

04 February 2024

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The Ernie Els course has had two major upgrades the last two years. The new greens are fantastic, and the bunkers have been upgraded. They look and play perfectly. The design variety makes for a fun round of golf with several excellent holes.

Thinus Keller

17 January 2024

Among the interesting design features at Copperleaf is a par 3 without a bunker or water hazard, the 14th. It comes as a surprise after the abundance of bunkering on the first 13 holes. No 14 is still a challenging hole though due to its length, tricky green and thick bushveld right of the green. A back right pin position is scary to play to. There is extreme rarity value in a par 3 without a hazard in SA, although not at an Ernie Els design. The par-3 third at Highland Gate is another, although it has enough trouble around a sloping green to compensate for their absence. The few others you find in SA are generally on long par 3s, such as the uphill second hole at Elements, and uphill sixth at CCJ Rocklands.

Stuart McLean

15 December 2023

GOOD: Greens in great nick except 17, a par 3 peppered with pitch marks. It didn't roll as well as the rest. Tees near perfect and fairways really good for winter. I liked the warm-up facility, ample parking, GPS distances displayed accurately on cart. BAD: I asked for a plaster as my finger was bleeding. No one had access to the first aid kit so couldn't help me. Terrible boerewors roll at halfway house. The wors was half the size of the bun and it was expensive. Our cart died after 11 holes. They supplied a replacement but now we were behind pace of play and pressured to catch up with the fourball in front. The bunkers had different textures and were inconsistent. VERDICT: I would still recommend the course as one to play. I enjoy the wide fairways, the many tee options and big greens.

Ignis van der Merwe

14 August 2023

Copperleaf is a bit lean on aesthetics with many of the holes framed by oversized houses, and an absence of trees, yet this is an excellent Ernie Els design (routed most pleasantly) with a particularly good back nine. I wasn't in raptures about No 10, an awkwardly difficult par 4 with an angled and raised green but loved every hole from there to the finish. The raised green at the par-5 11th is more suitable for that length of hole. Lots of width off the tee encourages a positive swing, so no problem with driving. The challenges all the way home are about the approach shots to every green, whether they be short irons or longer clubs. This is where the design comes into its own. Good ball-strikers have a big advantage. Yet missing the green does reward creativity with the short game.

Thomas Souness

28 June 2023

Interesting that on a big course such as Copperleaf, Ernie Els managed to incorporate three short par 4s. Over the hill at Blair Atholl, Gary Player found space for only one. In these days of power hitting, it's difficult to define a short par 4. Some would say 350 metres in Gauteng. I would say 330. Even from the yellow tees (6681), Copperleaf has the 340 seventh, 336 13th, and 300 16th. From the white tees they are 308, 322 and 276. A trio of fun holes, each playing differently, and they provide Copperleaf with an attractive design balance redolent of modern courses. No 16 is the best short par 4 I've seen from Ernie, and at 276 it's only 22 metres longer than the 254m par-3 third from the black tees. Both you can attack with driver or metal wood, but No 16 will leave you with a scary pitch if you miss the green. I find Copperleaf enjoyable, yet choosing the right tee markers to play from is paramount. There are five of them, but nothing from around 5900 metres. A sizeable gap between 5600 and 6300.

Stuart McLean

06 June 2023

The new greens are in superb condition and easily the best I played the past year. We played off the yellow tees (6681 metres) and on some holes there's a big difference compared to the white "club" tees (6305), particularly the par-3 third where we were faced with 240m into a breeze. Fairways and tees also in excellent condition and all aspects of service were above average.

Trevor King

18 January 2023

Copperleaf's Ernie Els design in the rolling grassland veld of Gauteng North is neither a links nor a parkland course. At first glance the absence of trees and other flora makes it appear rather bland, as if designed by a computer programme. However, an abundance of strategically placed bunkers, plus well defined and contoured fairways, does have its own visual appeal. Along with five sets of tee boxes each hole presents very well. Large greens with excellent putting surfaces, subtle breaks and runoff areas, makes shot placing a priority. Most greenside bunkers have been refurbished and are very good whilst the fairway bunkers are still to be attended to. They are not great. The range is excellent and top-notch service is delivered throughout the club facilities.

Roy Jones

08 January 2023

The Els Club is a challenging layout, both in terms of its length and visual intimidation off the tee. The first is a relatively gentle downhill opener of a par 4, but standing on the second tee I understood that my biggest challenge for the rest of the round would be to see if I could evade the bunkers, even with the generously wide fairways. They are everywhere and hard to miss being so cleverly positioned. The exceptions are the par-3 14th, the only bunkerless hole, and the par-4 sixth which has no fairway bunkers. My challenge ended early. The greenside bunkers have all been renovated with new white sand, but the fairway bunkers were not done. While the greenside sand is soft, the rest is firm, which actually makes for easier recovery shots. You're going to hit ball first. The new greens are running at a superb pace and the overall experience is a good one. The back nine was clearly my favourite; the holes on that side are that much better.

Stuart McLean

31 March 2022

My home club and favourite course. Playing more than 100 rounds a year here I am amazed at how much variation is offered from the five different tees.

Zacharias van den Berg

21 March 2022

This course has grown in over the last few years which has added more definition to the visual aspect from the tee boxes. Expect to find plenty of fairway to aim at. With five tee boxes to choose from, and a massive difference in distance between black and red tees, your playing handicap can vary significantly. The recently opened greens are excellent and on-going refurbishment of the bunkers should see further improvements to the golfing experience and playability.

Roy Jones

10 March 2022

A very long course off the tips, probably unplayable from there for the standard 18 handicap. A superb layout with tons of bunkering.

Neville Clarke

31 January 2022

The course currently has 18 temporary greens for the rest of the year following a greens resurfacing project by Golf Data. The greens were resurfaced with 007 bent grass at the end of August and will officially be opened on January 2, 2022. There is also a programme to upgrade the 114 bunkers on the course. Some bunkers have been done, and the best way forward to do the rest is still being decided.

Stuart McLean

05 October 2021

I do not think the new rating of 56 does justice to the course's current condition. Nevertheless it was a good wake-up call for management and members. Green speed is up and more consistent, there are new balls on the range, and fairways are in mint condition. The bunkers are still a work in progress. I project that Copperleaf will soon claw its way back up the ratings.

Zacharias van den Berg

12 February 2021

The course presentation is good at the moment with clearly defined playing areas (fairways, first cut and rough). The greens are good and running about 10.5 on the stimpmeter.

Attie van der Linde

12 February 2021

Copperleaf has matured in recent years. While not a fan of "cart golf" I appreciate this is a feature of most estate courses today. The course is challenging, especially from the distant back tees.

David Stratton

22 January 2021

Golf course in great condition tee to green, however the greens were fluffy and slow. Bunkers uneven in their covering.

Donovan Stoop

30 October 2020

What a test of your golfing skills! A magnificent modern layout well thought out.

Sandor Kovacs

18 April 2020

Midrand - Gauteng

Course Summary

Five tees / Par 72

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