23

Fancourt Outeniqua

George - Garden Route

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Director of Sports and Recreation: Ryan Reid
Golf director: Bevan du Plessis
Superintendent: Moses Khumalo
Resort Superintendent: Gerhard van Rooyen
Club captain: Dave Mouton
CRITERIA SUMMARY: Total points 75.6 out of 100
Conditioning15.6 / 20
Playability14.8 / 20
Aesthetics12.0 / 15
Design Variety11.8 / 15
Shot Values11.0 / 15
Memorability10.4 / 15

Course Summary

Five tees / Par 72

Protea 6301 metres, CR73.9/143
Springbok 5986 metres, CR72.0/141
Galjoen 5603 metres, CR69.9/138
Yellowwood 5099 metres, CR68.4/131
Blue Crane 4953 metres, CR 66.6/126
Galjoen women, CR76.2/140
Yellowwood women, CR74.4/135
Blue Crane women, CR72.1/130

Visitor green fee

High season, Nov 1 to March 31
Hotel guest R1275 (includes halfway)
Low season, April 1 to Oct 31
R1155; Cart hire R575
No day visitors allowed

Course designer

Gary Player 1997.

Contact

044 804 0030
www.fancourt.co.za

Previous ranking

20 (2022) & 18 (2021)

Fancourt is South Africa’s premier resort experience, a major conference centre, and a winner of numerous international awards. The Garden Route region has much to offer golfing visitors, and Golf Digest voted it South Africa’s No 1 golf destination. 

The resort offers guests two magnificent 18-hole courses, the Montagu and Outeniqua, which are ranked in South Africa’s Top 20. Under Covid-19 protocols, both courses are only for the use of members and hotel guests. No day visitors are permitted.

While both are challenging layouts on gently undulating terrain, the Outeniqua is the shorter of the two courses from the men’s back tees, and most golfers tend to find scoring easier there. The Springbok markers (men’s club tees) are 5 986 metres (6 546 yards) compared to 6 324 metres (6 916 yards) on the adjoining Montagu course.

What these two courses have in common is superb conditioning, and fast-paced firm greens which put a premium on the short game.

A round at the Outeniqua begins in front of the outside deck of Monet’s restaurant, and the undulating opening hole, a short par 4, gives a good impression of what lies ahead. There are water hazards on 11 holes, and the course is well bunkered from tee to green. The Outeniqua, unlike the Montagu, is an out-and-back layout through the Fancourt residential estate, and only returns to the clubhouse after 18 holes. There is a separate halfway house. 

The terrain is constantly changing, with notable elevation changes in places, particularly along the tree-lined boundary of the property.

When golfers leave the 13th green they enter into a beautiful parkland arena of five holes gathered around water hazards which constitute a memorable closing stretch. There are two strong par 4s, a par 3 with a peninsula green extending into the water, a downhill par 5 reachable in two yet with water closely guarding the green, and a shortish par 4 to finish.

Fancourt has a strong local community caddie programme, and golfers playing the Montagu or Outeniqua can either employ them to carry bags or serve as forecaddies for golfers using carts.

Additional Course Facts

Course Record

Fancourt has no official records, but 61 was scored on the Outeniqua in the 2020 Dimension Data Pro-Am by Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the winner that year.

Feature Holes

The Outeniqua has an outstanding variety of holes so that every tee box offers a new experience. The par 3s each offer a different challenge, and the fourth is regarded as the most fearsome, with water guarding the left half of the green. The fifth is a fabulous short par 4, water running along the entire right side of the hole from tee to green. The 11th is one of South Africa’s best par 5s, a cleverly constructed dogleg right hole which has a stream curving through and around the fairway all the way to a water hazard left of the green. Any ball missing the green on that side runs down a slope into the water.

Accommodation

Guests staying at Fancourt have a range of luxury accommodation to choose from. There are 113 guest rooms and suites, either in The Manor House (18 suites) or elsewhere on the estate. Its facilities include four restaurants, a spa, gym, hair salon, business centre, four swimming pools, tennis courts, a leisure centre with Kidz Club, cycling, hiking and jogging trails. There is a discount on green fees for hotel guests.

Practice Facility

There is a full-size range and warm-up facility with multiple bays close to the first tee of the Outeniqua, with a large short-game area, separate greens for putting and chipping.

Did You Know

1/ Each tee marker represents national emblems. The Protea is the national flower, Springbok the national animal, Galjoen the national fish, Yellowwood the national tree, and Blue Crane the national bird.

2/ Pace of play is monitored by marshalls. Golfers are given four hours 30 minutes to complete a round. The halfway house is included in the green fee.

3/ Southern Africa Hall of Fame member John Bland lives at Fancourt, and joins members and guests for the weekly roll-up on a Monday on either the Outeniqua or Montagu courses. His wife Sonja is an 11-time club champion at Fancourt.

4/ A separate practice facility, close to Fancourt Links, is home to The Academy at Fancourt, which is managed by Doug Wood and Garth Milne of Wanna Be A Champion Golf & Fitness Academy. The Academy utilises the latest technology. Val Holland is the head coach.

5/ Fancourt regularly hosts Sunshine Tour events, beginning with the Hall of Fame tournament in 1991. The Presidents Cup was at The Links in 2003 and Women’s World Cup in 2005.

6/ Since 2010 the resort has hosted the Dimension Data Pro-Am in February. 156 professionals and 156 amateurs play in betterball teams over all three resort courses.

7/ The Heritage Classic, last played in September 2019, has been cancelled.

Club Champions

2023 Henk Geldenhuys & Gia Raad
2022 Henk Geldenhuys & Gia Raad
2021 Morris Schiefner & Gaby Gramm
2020 Kyle de Beer & Sonja Bland*
2019 Ben van Wyk & Annelie Swanepoel
*Won 11 club championship titles

Course and Facilities Rating
Conditioning Ratings
Greens
Bunkers
Tees
Fairways
Presentation
Overall Conditioning
Facility Ratings
Pace of Play
Practice Facility
Halfway House
Pro Shop
Service
Locker Room
19th Hole
Course Etiquette
Course Reviews
A strong but very playable course, becoming tougher with some new trees tightening the driving target areas. Always in good condition.
Mark Lynam
16 November 2023
Outeniqua greens at Fancourt Senior Open were quick and smooth for putting, 11-12 on stimp. There was placing on the fairways due to mud collecting on balls after all the rain. Overall attention to detail was good.
Henry Trevena
05 June 2023
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When the name Fancourt comes up you expect a world-class experience, and that is what you get at this fabulous resort. Tough though for the Outeniqua course to be competing against the other two Fancourt courses, Montagu and The Links, as world-class courses. But Outeniqua always welcomes you with its best.
Theunis Spangenberg
27 May 2023
The parkland Outeniqua is considered the most forgiving of Fancourt's courses, enjoyable to play with generous landing areas, excellent design variety and superb putting surfaces. The sloping greens provide a sound defence, testing putting lines and pace. The Sunshine Tour recently visited so conditioning is pristine and the greens running true. The fourth is an interesting short par 4 offering options off the tee. Water lurks right of the green and a large bunker protects the left. The downhill par-3 seventh is another fun hole, with six tee boxes available to change the line of the shot. Bunkers guard a narrow green. The finishing stretch from 15 to 18 has water in play at each. No respite to a potentially weary golfer. The gem that is Fancourt continues to set the standard in conditioning, presentation and service.
Jon James
28 February 2023
Outeniqua is set in lovely surroundings and replete with holes that offer great design variety and challenge. Highlights are the par-3 fourth, short par-4 fifth (tricky!), downhill par-3 seventh, long par-5 11th, while the finishing stretch of 14-18 alongside the lake are a pleasure. Curiously the greens were not at their best, poorer than the Montagu, inconsistent in surface and covering. I was perplexed by the different variety of sand between fairway and greenside bunkers, which does not add to the visual appeal even if making little difference to play.
Hamish Houston
09 January 2023
Fancourt continues to set the benchmark in service and offers world class golf in a stunning setting. Outeniqua is an interesting layout, with superb greens and design variety which catches your attention. The par-3 4th is a striking hole, a good test of accuracy and plays to its stroke of 7. It is followed by two short and demanding "risk-and-reward" par 4s. Longer hitters can boldly go for the small targets but will be punished if wayward. The downhill par-3 7th is another beauty, having a narrow green well-guarded by greenside bunkers. The course conditioning and presentation is superb. Excellent putting surfaces and the true roll you expect at Fancourt. Playability and enjoyment factors are high for this Gary Player design.
Jon James
19 October 2022
No doubt about Outeniqua being a quality course. The greens are excellent and pure in consistency and speed, fantastic to putt on. Bunkers have good quality sand and are consistent. Placing was allowed on the fairways but there was no need to. The course tests your game.
Henry Trevena
10 June 2022
Outeniqua has a great variety of holes offering different shot options. After the recent flooding the course was in magnificent condition with minimal signs of damage. The greens are excellent, firm and running fast. Some newly planted trees will impact on future shot options which will add to the playing experience.
Lihan van der Merwe
04 December 2021
Outeniqua is a beautiful walk offering good design variety on both nines. I enjoy the par 5s, particularly the eighth and 17th which provide interesting shot options and are a good test of accuracy. No 8 has a significant bank on the right hand side which needs to be negotiated in order to avoid a sidehill lie for your approach. No 17 has water lurking left for an errant shot. The recent changes to the par-3 15th make for a daunting tee shot with limited margin for error. The par 3s are a strength of the course. The general conditioning, specifically the greens, and the overall presentation is excellent.
Jon James
30 November 2021
A few interesting changes on the Outeniqua which will enhance an already popular course. Most striking for me is the removal of the prominent greenside bunker on the right front of the par-3 15th. This feature hole has a long peninsula shaped green jutting out into a lake, and the bunker looked out of place. The hole is more attractive without it. On the par-4 third the water hazard adjoining the green right has been given gentle sloping banks and the water level raised so that the hazard is more visible further back in the fairway. There's a new tee box on the elevated par-3 seventh further to the right which gives a different angle to the green.
Stuart McLean
12 September 2021

A pleasure to play in beautiful surroundings on a well maintained course. Greens quick and smooth, bunker sand consistent, fairways well covered and no need for placing.

Henry Trevena
13 June 2021
Enjoyable course that gets much of Fancourt's traffic and wear and tear. Also geared for cart play and sadly not ideal to walk.
Jamie Thom
15 January 2021
A pleasure to play. Easier than the Montagu course but quite different. The par-3 seventh is a challenging but beautiful golf hole.
Anton Bezuidenhout
23 October 2020
The Outeniqua course is beautifully presented at the world-class Fancourt resort. The hole variety, fairway sloping and greens complexes provide a solid test for golfers of all levels. Off the back tees the course will test all aspects of your game and provide challenges aplenty. The hospitality, conditioning and memorability of the Fancourt experience make this a "must play."
Jon James
14 October 2020
The Outeniqua is a favourite of many who visit Fancourt. It's more player friendly, yet still challenging with its numerous hazards. What I like about Fancourt is that the Outeniqua and Montagu are contrastingly different designs. There's no repetition. You never get the impression of holes being similar.
Stuart McLean
21 February 2020
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