Yellow 6631 metres, CR74.7/138
White 6369 metres, CR73.4/136
Blue 5761 metres, CR69.8/134
Red 5334 metres, CR67.2/130
Women’s blue, CR76.1/145
Women’s red, CR73.5/135
R300 Monday
R400 Tuesday to Friday
R625 Weekend & holidays
Arthur Tomsett,
Koos de Beer 1955
010 594 0034
www.kyalamigolf.co.za
26 (2023), 21 (2022) & 23 (2021)
Playing golf at Kyalami CC in the heart of Gauteng is a proper escape from the busy city areas into the countryside, 18 kilometres from Sandton City. It’s a rural retreat, although still substantially populated with attractive large homes. No busy roads, no sounds of traffic on the golf course, just the quiet ambience of the country air.
But Kyalami owes its high ranking not only to its attractive Aesthetics but its strong qualities as a well-designed and challenging golf course. It’s not many that can boast 18 good golf holes. Kyalami certainly does not have a weak one.
That wasn’t always the case. The course had no significant pedigree until it was upgraded in the early 1990s under the supervision of club stalwarts Brian Wilson and George Adelaine. Improvements continued throughout the next two decades, with the greens being rebuilt in 2011. In the new millennium the club committee had the vision to invest in their water storage facilities. The existing dams on the course were substantially enlarged, deepened and cleaned out. Today they provide the club with nearly 30 million litres of water.
This also brought more of these water hazards into play for golfers, which today means that water is a factor to consider on nine of the 18 holes. But the course’s true strength lies in its superb variety of testing par 4s. On the gently undulating terrain of the property, every par 4 has a unique look to it. Six of them exceed 400 metres, and two other holes, 5 and 10, play much longer than the distance on the card.
On the official opening day of the course on January 29, 1955, there was a hole-in-one by N Esra. On January 15, 1956, Bobby Locke and Australian Peter Thomson played an exhibition match as part of their SA series.
65, Michael Faasen
Mark Hartness had a 62 in July 1987 with eight birdies and an eagle 3 on 18.
Kyalami has four excellent par 3s, and few in Gauteng can be as daunting as the 186-metre third and 200m 17th. From a slightly elevated tee the third asks for a long carry over water to the green, with a bail-out area into bunkers on the right. The 17th plays longer than its distance, and has a large dam protecting the entire left side of the hole. The 560m ninth is a proper 3-shot par 5 from the back tee, where a further challenge still awaits on the sloping green.
Spacious range next to clubhouse, and a large practice putting green.
2023 Chris Corna & Amy Fusedale
2022 Lindile Nojontsholo & Leigh Rose
2021 Stuart Elliot & Leigh Rose
2020 Chris Corna & Samantha Henry
2019 Terence van Straaten & Jo Anna Webb
1/ Kyalami has one of the strongest course ratings in the country, 74.7 off its back tees and 73.4 off the white club tees for men. It was a rural country club when first established, and today is situated in the equestrian heartland of Gauteng, rubbing shoulders with the horsey crowd. Bridal paths flank the course. The famous SA Lipizzaners centre is close by.
2/ Kyalami has always been a Top 50 course. No 21 is the highest it has achieved.
3/ Kyalami hosted the inaugural 4 Nation’s Cup in September 2022 between four-man teams from the PGAs of Canada (winners), Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It hosted the SA Women’s Open from 1996 to 1998, won by Laurette Maritz, Mandy Adamson and Barbara Pestana.
4/ A welcome touch in the car park is the shade cloth covering to protect vehicles from the sun.
5/ The 2020 Central Gauteng Open was won by Yurav Premlall with a 54-hole total of 16-under 200. Five players shot 66: Premlall, Werner Deyzel, Casey Jarvis, Kieron van Wyk and Josh de Aguiar.
6/ Kyalami hosted its first Sunshine Tour event in August 2024, the 54-hole Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge won by Daniel van Tonder on 14-under 202 (70-66-66). The lowest rounds were 63s by Altin van der Merwe (6 consecutive birdies from 4-9) and Lyle Rowe.
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