Houghton

Houghton looking exceptional and a treat to play it in such prime condition. Greens are the most undulating in Joburg and lightning fast, so you want to avoid downhill putts. Trees and rough were tricky to navigate but the course presented a fair challenge off the back tees.

Sandor Kovacs

02 June 2024

This parkland course is protected by mature trees which frame and tighten the fairways. When rolling quickly the greens can be treacherous.

Mark Lynam

08 February 2024

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Houghton remains in good condition since the Joburg Open. Tricky greens, and the slopes and grain make putting interesting. Missing the green in the wrong place means challenging recovery shots. Mature trees framing the holes will usually penalise wayward tee shots.

Lihan van der Merwe

23 January 2024

Houghton have excelled themselves again as host of the Joburg Open. The course is in magnificent tournament condition, playing firmly and fairways running for the DP World Tour pros. Greens close to perfection in pace, bounce and roll. The maintenance team deserve every credit for getting the course this good in early summer, with little rain and plenty of hot days. This is possibly the first Joburg Open not to have been disrupted by weather delays over the four days. Houghton was par 71 for last year's Joburg Open, playing 15 as a 490m par 4 instead of a 5, and this year par 70 with now the third (downhill like No 15) reduced to a 485m par 4. There was an eagle 2 there from Nikhil Rama on day two on his way to a 62, another by Darren Fichardt on day 4. Houghton's tenth (523m) is the only genuine par 5 on the course. We witnessed a 390m drive from Thriston Lawrence on 15.

Stuart McLean

25 November 2023

The conditioning at Houghton is massively improved. Kudos to Richard Kaplan and his team. Greens are being rolled and notwithstanding the slopes are incredibly playable. A lesson to other top courses in the Joburg area that do not roll their greens. It allows for better putting and takes away the bobble factor by smoothing imperfections. Houghton's bunker improvement programme has resulted in well-presented and consistent bunkers. Tee boxes and fairways also in good nick.

David Frost

24 May 2023

The benefits of hosting a tour event (2023 Joburg Open) are evident at Houghton which is in superb condition. Attention to detail and presentation of the course is remarkable given the challenging weather maintenance teams have faced in Gauteng. The putting surfaces roll true and fast. The bunker project has paid dividends and consistency is excellent. The par 5s are interesting (3, 5, 10 and 15) and provide birdie opportunities if you can play to the correct portions of the greens. It was astonishing to watch the tour pros play No 15, a par 5 for members, as a par 4 in the Joburg Open, and hit as little as an 8-iron for their seconds. No 16 is an excellent downhill par 3 towards the clubhouse. Houghton's service levels are outstanding.

Jon James

13 April 2023

Top-class facilities with a great course to match, far removed from the original highly rated layout. I dare to say that the Jack Nicklaus redesign has improved on the old one. Expect to find strategically placed bunkering and the need to carefully plan your shots from the tee box and approaches to the green. A well-conditioned parkland course well worth a visit.

Roy Jones

07 December 2022

Enjoyed the beautiful variety of holes at Houghton watching the Joburg Open. It's a brilliantly balanced course in terms of where tour pros can attack and where to show caution. The greens were outstanding, both in condition and in their varied contours to provide edgy pin positions. I will use the remarkable length off the tee of Wilco Nienaber to illustrate Houghton's strengths and weaknesses. There were five holes that Nienaber dominated, the three par 5s (3, 5 and 10) and two short par 4s (1 and 17). He was 16-under on these holes, yet 8-over on the other 13. Both the first and 17th played a little like long par 3s, yielding 290 birdies and 2 eagles. I was pleased to see one of the club's normal par-5s (15) played as a par 4. Another par 5, either 3 or 5, should also have been a 4 for this tournament. Everyone was hitting irons for their second shots (55 eagles and 495 birdies on the two of them). They played to a lower scoring average than 15. In the highveld, anything under 520 metres should be a 4 for the pros. That would give a more realistic judge of the course's defence in terms of sub-par scores.

Thomas Souness

29 November 2022

Pleased to see Houghton back as a DP World Tour venue after being absent for almost 20 years. Their beautiful clubhouse with its modern interior will be a feature of the TV coverage. It becomes the third club to host the Joburg Open, being played for the 15th time from November 24-27. Royal J&K had the first 11, and Randpark the last three. Houghton's greens are creatively designed with their different levels and slopes, and the pros will have to putt with imagination. The course is in good condition but needs rain to green up the fairways and create definition. It will play as a par-71 layout, with the 15th, the best of four excellent par 5s, being played as a par 4 from a forward tee. The back tee at 15 is too close to the 11th tee boxes in a tournament situation. No 15 is one of six holes where water hazards guard the green.

Stuart McLean

19 October 2022

The final piece of the jigsaw is in place at Houghton, and viewing the course today it is remarkable how many changes have been implemented (including two redesigned holes) to evolve this into a far more playable layout to the one Jack Nicklaus opened more than a decade ago. Finally the members have stopped complaining about its deficiencies and irritations (the undulating greens to begin with) and started to enjoy and appreciate what is an exceptional design. Last year's bunker project by Timeless Golf was massive. The jagged edges and steep faces have been removed, the bases of the bunkers lifted as much as 30cm in height. Recovery shots are easier, as is the exit process for older golfers. There are still 64 bunkers, fewer than most would have thought looking from the clubhouse at all the sand on the first and 17th holes. The bunker complexes have softer edges and turned down grass which better suits the parkland look. Some bunkers have been shrunk, others split into two. The fairway corridor on 17 is wider. They are still an integral part of the design, particularly in terms of aesthetics, but less menacing. The course conditioning is looking at its best.

Stuart McLean

03 April 2022

Houghton has several really great and testing holes. The current positions of the fairway bunkers feel like they need adjusting for the modern game. An enjoyable experience in an attractive setting where you feel tucked away from a busy city while out on the course.

Graham Jones

29 January 2022

There are many golfers who mourn the loss of the old Houghton layout, yet the Jack Nicklaus design (or is it a redesign?) on the same property has many terrific holes and deserves equal respect. The distinctive ups and downs of the terrain still evoke memories of the classic championship course and thus its heritage can never be entirely erased. I like the way Nicklaus creatively re-aligned the flow of play, so that some new holes play in the opposite direction to how we know the holes from past years. The undulating front nine is strong and every hole an enjoyable challenge. The back nine is a squeeze in places, yet what a grand finish starting with the par-5 15th; a superb collection of closing holes. No 16 is a thrilling downhill par 3 to a green guarded by water, then comes an uphill short par 4 carpeted with bunkers. The dogleg 18th might be the best par-4 closing hole in Gauteng.

Thomas Souness

01 January 2022

Houghton is an enjoyable Nicklaus design in the heart of Johannesburg. At the time of playing the course was beautifully presented, albeit the greens were running fairly slowly at 9 on the stimp. The bunkering is intimidating and some of the carries a challenge. Scoring opportunities come on the par 5s which are all reachable by Highveld standards. The facilities are exceptional and the standard of service consistently excellent.

Jon James

09 April 2021

Greens tricky at the best of times, too undulating for a good putting round. Conditioning always good and a great facility.

Sandor Kovacs

18 April 2020

I was surprised to learn that Houghton is no longer an official Jack Nicklaus Signature design. In-house changes made by the club to the seventh and 12th greens did not meet with approval. Yet the new seventh green makes this a far superior par 3, and 12 has gone from a silly par 4 for members to one that remains challenging yet fun to play. The original undulating Nicklaus greens which frustrated golfers are now more playable. Houghton today without the Signature element is a stupendous experience.

Stuart McLean

20 March 2020

Johannesburg - Gauteng

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