Reading Country Club

Reading is one of Gauteng's toughest courses, a solid challenge from tee to green, first hole to last. If you get out of position off the tee you're fighting to make par.

Reading is the busiest course in Ekurhuleni, and its popularity means tee times are scarce later in the week. Unusual set of starting tees. The tenth tee is slap bang in front of the clubhouse, while No 1 is way off in the distance. What they have in common though is being a brace of intimidating par 4s on which to start a round, or restart following the halfway break. Both are framed by tall trees. The tenth is 50 metres longer and stroke 1, yet the first (stroke 4) has a stream fronting the green. You will enjoy Reading if you like playing strong par 4s. There are 11 of them, as the course par is 71. The longest off the back is 446, the shortest 340, and that's uphill. No 13 could possibly be a par 5, and it is a 3-shotter for most of us, but it's a glorious hole for the big boys, a long drive into a valley, and then up towards a hillside green. Another challenging par 4 to be treated with respect is the dogleg ninth (stroke 2), where a stream twice crosses the fairway. A festive 19th hole awaits. Traditional long bar with a snooker table and darts boards in the back.

This course is in excellent condition. I think the ranking is wrong. It should be at least rated in the top 60.

Reading is a remarkably good golf course and it will be surprising in its current good condition not to see it climb steadily up the rankings in the years ahead. It possesses several memorable holes in an attractive parkland setting, and presents a thoroughly entertaining challenge for low-handicap golfers. With well-protected greens the layout does favour a high ball flight, and the greenside bunkers come repeatedly into play. The front nine has some notable holes like the uphill second, the fabulous par-3 fifth over water to what looks like an island green but isn't, and the sixth. The ninth is a fiercely difficult long par 4, yet having a stream in front of the green is inhibiting and perhaps unnecessary. There is a glorious run of holes from No 10 to 15, as good a stretch as any in Gauteng in terms of variety of design. The undulating long par-4 13th is brilliant. A great collection of testing par 3s with the long 11th my favourite. The back nine is so good that No 18 comes as a slight disappointment. By no means is it easy at 437 metres, yet it is slightly featureless by comparison with what has come before.

Considering the rain we have had in Gauteng, one would have expected better fairways at Reading. Unfortunately, it was often difficult to distinguish between fairway and rough. I had been looking forward to playing here, a course with some legendary holes and wonderful green complexes, and my experience was disappointing. Still baffled by the 16th hole with distances to the out-of-bounds wall clearly incorrect. 

We have just hosted club champs and course is in the best condition I have seen it in 30 years as a member. Greens excellent, bunkers a little inconsistent. The rest of the course is superb and very playable.