Kyalami

One of my favourite Gauteng courses. At Kyalami you can be forgiven for thinking you are out in the country rather than close to urban areas. Several holes have greens fronted by water, and these are a pleasure to play as they are as challenging as they are scenic. Two that come to mind are the par-3 third and par-4 15th. All aspects of conditioning were up to their normal high standard.

Trevor King

01 February 2024

I often play at Kyalami. A true parkland layout that rewards hitting fairways and punishes those missing them. Not particularly long but miss a fairway and you are behind a tree. Pros: Undercover parking for the most part; friendly service; well-organised between check-in, starter and marshall. Opportunity: Tees are not well defined (perimeter cut); and bunkers can do with more sand. A great course I always recommend, with excellent service.

Ignis van der Merwe

23 November 2023

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A feature of Kyalami which might go unnoticed by visitors is the abundance of tee boxes positioned throughout the course. They add to the variety of clever ways in which each hole can be set up. The golf director could have fun with a composite layout now and again. The par 3s are particularly blessed with choice, tees spaced so far apart that you approach greens from vastly contrasting angles. At No 3 with its large water hazard left of the green the normal tee has ample bailout right. But there's a tee on the left where you go directly over the water to the pin. The same applies at No 17. And No 14 has tees approaching the green from 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock. As the course firms up during winter the sloping fairways take greater effect, and present challenges as the ball bounces towards trouble. The greens are outstanding and running at a superb pace. Thankfully slower than the practice green with its treacherous slopes.

Stuart McLean

28 June 2023

Kyalami is a good test of accuracy off the tee. The tree-lined fairways are narrow by Gauteng standards – so bombing away is not a sensible option. Taking an iron off the tee is often the smart choice, with position preferred over length. The par 4s are demanding with strokes 1 (No 5) and 3 (No 8) well-shaped. The putting surfaces were excellent and running at 11 on the stimp. The bunkers have received attention and were consistent. The finishing stretch from 15-18 offers great design variety. The par-3 17th is a demanding hole with water lurking left. The finishing par 5 should present a birdie opportunity but needs to be navigated with caution as trouble lurks off the tee and for the approach. The 19th has excellent service and a relaxed setting away from the bustle of Johannesburg. Worth a weekday visit when pace of play is acceptable and the country setting idyllic.

Jon James

26 May 2023

Impossible that this course ranks so high. There are many better courses in Gauteng. We played on February 26 and the conditioning was average. Fairways must have just been cut, grass was all over the fairways. Bunkers were dismal, greens were par.

Craig Louw

08 March 2023

Kyalami is demanding off the tee. Many of the landing areas are narrow and well-guarded, with the par-4 16th a good example of how accuracy is key due to the fairway bunkers. Kyalami has seen a steady improvement in its ranking, so the expectations and benchmark is now set at that level. Unfortunately, the basics appear to have slipped, with poor tee boxes, attention to detail lacking, and the greens not running true when I played. The course is not in the condition you would expect from a Top 25 layout.

Jon James

10 January 2023

Kyalami is in great condition. The course staff had set some alternate tee placements on the feature par 3s. These tees completely change the angle to the greens at 3, 6, 14 and 16, making them almost feel like different holes. The course played well, fairways and greens were consistent and the service at the club is friendly and good. Pace of play was slow with some groups not sticking to the general timing. The marshalls were supportive though and we played through two groups at halfway.

Chris Wood

14 December 2022

There's an abundance of water at Kyalami. This course must be green all year round. It was gushing through the course on the day I played, flowing strongly from one sizeable dam to another. It's an attractive feature of what is an especially scenic parkland layout. Even with all this aqua though there are more holes without it than with it. While most of the hazards are in view, where I didn't see one was right of 18. It's up against the edge of the green, about the size of a large bunker, and not visible from the fairway on an uphill approach. It makes this par 5 a different proposition to the way it looks back in the fairway. Memorable for me were the number of excellent 4s, nothing bland about any of them. No 16 was my favourite, with the fairway bunkers squeezed close together, and a long green.

Dieter ten Haag

07 November 2022

Kyalami is a great test irrespective of the season. The layout hasn’t changed much over the years relative to other top Gauteng courses, which in comparison has resulted in a bit of stagnation. Kyalami favours placement over length on most holes and a solid short game. The greens are consistent if not excellent.

Chris Wood

28 January 2022

The day before playing Kyalami there was a deluge of rain and I was certain the course would be closed. To its credit the rain though damaging didn’t stop play. There were areas of runoff water in the low lying areas but none were on the playing surfaces. Greens and fairways were good, bunkers reasonable and well drained, but taking over five hours for 18 holes was a bit much even for a course that always plays tough and long. The marshall seems to have been overwhelmed. Chaos on the first tee was surpassed by the fact we took almost 3 hours for nine holes and halfway house. Despite reserved times everyone was doing their thing on the first tee and the marshall didn’t have the capacity to deal with it. On the stroke 1 (No 5) two groups were waiting on the tee, with other groups on the green and fairway. It says a lot for Kyalami's popularity there was so much traffic on a Tuesday afternoon. Kyalami is a course where accuracy is demanded and golfers will only be rewarded with the right amount of aggression and circumspection.

Sabelo Ndabazandile

31 December 2021

There was a time when Gauteng courses were generally closed on a Monday. Not these days. Kyalami has become a popular Monday venue for visitors, and it was busy when I played there in mid-morning, although the pace of play was excellent for a twoball. We began on the tenth to speed things up. Kyalami has had a record-breaking year with 50 000 rounds set to be played in 2021. That's a remarkable figure but not surprising when you consider the quality of the golfing experience at this tranquil "countryside" venue. It's a strong challenge for a wide range of golfers -- the fairway bunkering is excellently positioned for longer hitters -- and yet playable for those who stray off the fairways. Good quality greens, attractive aesthetics, a welcoming club, what's not to like about a day in the country.

Stuart McLean

23 November 2021

Kyalami has been in great condition. It's a well-balanced layout with variety in the shots required.

Leon Bevan

06 July 2021

A memorable golfing experience and startlingly excellent design considering this parkland course comes from humble beginnings without the benefit of having a "name" architect behind it. It has one good challenging hole after another on naturally flowing land. Undoubtedly the best course in SA never to have hosted a big tournament, possibly because the club kept a low profile for many years and is situated out in the "countryside." Saying that, there are two relatively weak par 3s in comparison to everything else, the sixth and 17th. This latter hole with a green alongside a dam is tough and slightly unfair for most golfers because of its length and bunkering, and there is much room for improvement.

Stuart McLean

05 May 2021

Kyalami has seen better days. Tees and greens were well below Gauteng course standards and have definitely gone backwards. Course and surrounds were really poor, rough was unkempt. There really has been very little improvement to the course over a long period. Everything needs a haircut!

Jamie Thom

25 March 2021

I enjoyed Kyalami, with the fairways running firm and fast and the conditioning lovely and green. That was prior to the big rains in Gauteng. The course throws length and accuracy to challenge you on every hole.

Chris Wood

14 January 2021

The better you drive the ball the more you will enjoy Kyalami. There's a real thrill to splitting fairways here. Gauteng is blessed with a wealth of wonderful parkland courses, and this is among the best in the region.

Stuart McLean

27 February 2020

One of the most under-rated courses in Gauteng.

Sabelo Ndabazandile

27 February 2020

Midrand - Gauteng

Course Summary

Four tees / Par 72

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