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Port Elizabeth Golf Club

Port Elizabeth - Eastern Cape

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General manager: Gavin Chowles
Operations manager: Christian Voigt
Head pro: Graeme Whale
Greenkeeper: Pierre Moolman
Club captain: Brian Mitchell
Chairman: Craig Risseeuw
CRITERIA SUMMARY: Total points 61.5 out of 100
Conditioning12.8 / 20
Playability13.2 / 20
Aesthetics9.0 / 15
Design Variety9.1 / 15
Shot Values9.0 / 15
Memorability8.4 / 15

Course Summary

Three tees / Par 72

White 6029 metres, CR72.7/129
Blue 5557 metres, CR69.5/122
Red 5267 metres, CR68.8/121
Women’s blue, CR75.6/131
Women’s red, CR74.7/129

Visitor Green Fee

R350 affiliated
R400 non-affiliated

Course designer

Jimmy Johnston 1902,
Bob Grimsdell 1952,
Golfscape 2001

Contact

041 374 3140
www.pegc.co.za

Previous ranking

New entry

One of South Africa’s oldest clubs, founded in 1890, boasting a parkland layout in the heart of the city, known affectionately as The Hill. It has been the scene of many championships over the years, including the PEGC centenary SA Amateur in 1990 won by Retief Goosen.

Golf has been played at this Mill Park venue since November 1902, and in 1917 the course fairways welcomed the first aircraft to land in Port Elizabeth. The pilot had flown from Cape Town and he came to an abrupt halt in a bunker. The wooden propeller from the plane hangs in the clubhouse. In the 1980s this was one of the busiest courses in the country, doing over 50 000 rounds a year, but golf in Port Elizabeth has seen a downturn in recent years, with Walmer Country Club closing its doors in 2019.

The Hill underwent a major upgrade by Danie Obermeyer and Philip Basson (Golfscape) in 2001/2. The greens were rebuilt and contoured, modern bunkering introduced, and two new holes built to replace the old par-3 fourth and par-5 fifth, reducing the par from 73 to 72.

In 2004 the club hosted the SA Boys Championship, and Anton Haig won the strokeplay with a level par total of 288. The course remains a strong test of golf today, particularly when the wind is up.

PEGC has an excellent back nine, and the finishing stretch of holes is a varied one, a strong dogleg right par 4 at 15, short par 4 at 16, water hazard par 3 at 17, and a dogleg left par 5 18th where eagles have often decided tournaments.

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Additional Course Facts

Course Record

62 by JP van der Watt in second round of PE Open on May 22, 2022. He won the title with 71-62.
Previously: 63 by Albert Venter in 2015 Eastern Province Open.

Club Champions

2022 Lumkile Mantshiyo & Zahn Scholtz
2021 Matthew Steiger & Zahn Scholtz
2020 Sean Lottering & Melissa Palmer
2019 Kyle de Beer & Melissa Palmer

Practice Facility

A 220-metre range adjoins the tenth hole at entrance to club and is open to the public. It is home to the Graeme Whale Golf Academy. Whale has been the head pro for 20 years. Range membership is available. There’s a short-game facility. Practice green and chipping green in front of clubhouse.

Did You Know

1/ The club website offers attractive Play as you Go membership packages. This includes full membership with unlimited golf at R1150 a month. Or R450 per month with one free round. The club has 700 members.

2/ The property is public land and the club welcomes considerate dog walkers. Trails have been set for mountain bikes and runners with a trail fee. The Candy Cycle Store operates a ‘trail house’ in the parking area.

3/ PEGC, at their original North End course, hosted four early SA men’s Amateur championships in 1890s, and the first 72-hole SA Open in 1908 (George Fotheringham). The Open was played on the current course in 1921 and 1926 (won by Jock Brews), and 1931 (Sid Brews). After that the Open went to Humewood, beginning in 1934. It held a 1966 exhibition match between Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.

 4/ PEGC has hosted 17 SA Amateur championships, 10 men and 7 women. Winners in modern times were Trevor Lagerwey (1974), Retief Goosen (1990), Jackie Mercer (1979) and Wendy Warrington (1998). Kim Williams won the “double” of SA women’s strokeplay and matchplay titles in 2010. The club hosted the 2015 SA men’s strokeplay and 2018 SA women’s strokeplay, both played at separate venues from the SA Amateur.

 5/ Two SA women’s internationals, Ramona Terblanche and Janice Keyter, were PEGC members. Terblanche won 12 club championships between 1972 and 1988, Keyter four from 1991-94.

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Course Reviews
The club, which celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2025, has seen major improvements in all areas. The course is in great condition. Compliments to the management team.
Craig Risseeuw
24 May 2024
One of the most improved courses I have seen in a long time. Lots of work and effort continuously on the go to get the course better and better. Greens are looking and running nicely but the rough will always be punishing with rocks and stones aplenty.
Sandor Kovacs
01 February 2024
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Been playing at PEGC for the past year and enjoyed it. Spend a lot of time here with my son.
Andre van biljon
21 November 2023
Course conditioning and clubhouse facilities are the best they have been in the last 30 years. Lots of hard work done to upgrade the "Hill's" experience.
Peter Hall
10 November 2023
No doubt in my view that PEGC should be a Top 100 course when I look at the current list. With good rains this year the course condition has improved dramatically. It is a strong test with a good variety of golf holes. Doglegs left and right, long and short par 4s. The tees could do with levelling but otherwise a good experience.
Keith Simpson
08 November 2023
Great improvement to the course and clubhouse over the last year.
Craig Risseeuw
07 November 2023
As a member of many years, I cannot believe the stunning condition of our course in September, when it is not yet the growing season. The clubhouse and facilities are hugely improved. Playing golf and socialising at the Hill is a pleasure.
Mike Andrews
11 September 2023
I moved to PEGC from another local club at the beginning of 2023. The changes started 2-3 years ago are ongoing and club facilities and course conditioning have improved tenfold. The course is in the best condition it has been in many years.
Pierre marais
08 September 2023
The club has improved immensely the last two years. A pleasure to be a member and enjoy the wonderful course and facilities.
Janet Wilson
07 September 2023
Fairways, greens and layout excellent. General condition and club facilities are worthy of a recognisable ranking.
David Trow
07 September 2023
My home club and management must be commended for the great strides made in again making the club a destination venue for golfers and non-golfers alike. Course has seen a big improvement in recent years.
David Edwards
07 September 2023
The busiest and most popular golf club in the Eastern Cape (it offers affordable membership with monthly payments), and it's encouraging to see the work being done to upgrade the layout and clubhouse. I liked the vibey coffee shop next door to the halfway house which attracts significant patronage to the club on weekends and early on weekday mornings. PEGC has always been a strong championship layout; one testing tree-lined hole follows another. In any sort of breeze you have to drive the ball far and true to set up scoring opportunities on holes that have a mix of interesting doglegs, some soft, some extreme. Straight holes are a rarity. Well-designed greens are an understated feature and strength. Course is very dry right now; good rains in the area would transform it.
Stuart McLean
17 March 2023
This club has been on the up in recent years with management putting in a big effort to improve the course and clubhouse facilities. The rough still needs work, but in general this is the most improved course I have played this year.
Sandor Kovacs
30 December 2022
The Hill, as PEGC is known to locals, is a fine members course, full of variety and balance in its design, and possessing some interesting and challenging greens complexes. You can see why it once ranked No 50 circa 2004-05. The club endured tough times but has been rejuvenated in recent years by a bigger membership and improved financial position. The refurbished clubhouse is excellent. PEGC has a subscription model where members pay R1 000 a month and enjoy unlimited golf. Doglegs are a feature; many holes bend left or right, usually around tall trees, or a large water hazard, as at the brilliant par-5 eighth. All the par 5s have character and teeth; No 18 is another classic, even though it's essentially a medium-to-long par 4 for the younger generation who can employ a tiger line. The 172m fifth (one of two new holes built 20 years ago) is one of the trickiest of par 3s, played from an elevated tee to a narrow green built into a slope. Quite an awkward target. The par-3 17th has water right of the green, and the prevailing westerly wind is left to right. There's a plan to increase the size of the hazard and beautify it.
Stuart McLean
14 June 2022
A little ropey around the greens, and the rough and fairways are quite bare due to the lack of rain. Layout very favourable to all players and greens are of a high quality.
Sandor Kovacs
06 January 2022
Good layout but lack of water is the course's downfall. Fun and friendly course to challenge players of any handicap.
Sandor Kovacs
06 April 2021
The course is in great condition with the greens running well.
Gavin Chowles
12 February 2021
Course has improved dramatically since Port Elizabeth has had good rain.
Keith Simpson
19 December 2020
Centrally situated in PE, a much improved course under new management.
Gary de Bruin
10 December 2020
Good layout. Pity about the general lack of rain in the area. Greens are generally good and lots of design variety.
Sandor Kovacs
28 April 2020
The drought in the Eastern Cape is clearly noticeable here. Dry, hard fairways and little rough. The course is still playable and is an interesting layout.
Ivan Palframan
20 February 2020
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