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Ruimsig

Roodepoort - Gauteng

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CEO: Megan Spencer
Golf manager: Graham Smith
Greenkeeper: Matkovich Golf Course Maintenance
Club captains: Hennie Hamman & Debbie Swanepoel
Chairman: Marius Jacobs
CRITERIA SUMMARY: Total points 66.5 out of 100
Conditioning13.9 / 20
Playability14.0 / 20
Aesthetics9.3 / 15
Design Variety10.0 / 15
Shot Values10.5 / 15
Memorability8.8 / 15

Course Summary

Four tees / Par 72

Yellow 6820 metres, CR74.5/138
White 6486 metres, CR72.8/135
Blue 6029 metres, CR70.3/133
Red 5494 metres, CR67.7/121
Women’s white, CR80.0/150
Women’s blue, CR77.3/144
Women’s red, CR73.4/137

Visitor green fee

R400 weekday
R470 weekend
Golf Cart R420

Course designer

Gary Player & Ron Kirby 1986

Contact

011 958 1905
www.ruimsigcc.co.za
marketing@ruimsigcc.co.za

Previous ranking

71 (2023), 71 (2022) & 73 (2021)

Ruimsig was the first Gary Player design in Gauteng, and this undulating modern championship layout in the West Rand is renowned for superb golf holes and the outstanding quality of its large greens complexes, with their slick putting surfaces.

The volume of rounds played at Ruimsig has in recent years made it one of the most popular courses within the Central Gauteng Golf Union.

When the course opened in 1986 it was on farmland in the countryside. Today it is the central social hub of a large community, as rapid development in the region has seen suburbs expanding westwards towards Krugersdorp 12 kilometres away. The large clubhouse is now proving its worth, with multi-functional venues and north-facing patios overlooking the course. It’s a key venue for corporate golf days, functions and events.

Ruimsig has always been a big course, and was the original venue for the televised Skins matches which were all the rage in the late 1980s and early 1990s. John Daly and Gary Player were regular participants.

With few trees on the property the course is exposed to the wind, and was designed by Player as an “inland links.” It still retains those characteristics, with its rolling terrain and undulating greens.

The club offers innovative membership models in various categories, including unlimited golf packages.

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Additional Course Facts

Course Record

62 by Marc Karam in 2002
Central Gauteng U-23 champs

Feature Holes

The 13th is an exciting risk-and-reward short par 4, 308 metres from the club tees, often enticing longer hitters to try and drive the green, which is protected by water on the left. The fourth is an attractive downhill par 5, with a water hazard on the inside of the dogleg as the fairways curves left. The par 5s are strong, and each nine ends with one. A stream runs in front of the green at the ninth, while at the 14th there are numerous water hazards along the right side of the fairway and around the green. The 18th has two water hazards on each side of the fairway in the driving area.

Practice Facility

A 270-metre long range open to the public with 20 bays and short-game area, managed by teaching professional Christian Olivier. There is a clubfitting workshop in Gavin Drummond’s pro shop.

Did You Know

1/ Marc Karam was a 16-year-old member at Ruimsig when he shot a 10-under 62 in the 2002 Central Gauteng U-23 champs.

2/ The club’s first greenkeeper was Phil Jacobs, who went on to become Gary Player’s right-hand man in his South African design team, creating many great courses together.

3/ Home club member Ivanna Samu at age 15 won the 2014 women’s SA Amateur held at Ruimsig.

4/ The club hosted the 2003 men’s SA Amateur Championship. The strokeplay winner was Albert Kruger and matchplay Anton Haig. In 2014 Graeme Watson won the SA Mid-Amateur Championship.

Club Champions

2023 Billy Greyvenstein & Shannon Butler
2022 Stephen Johnston & Shannon Butler
2021 Kieron van Wyk & Mariana Meyer
2020 Rory Garton & Zelda Meyer
2019 Ryan Wingrove & Rouchelle Eksteen

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Course Reviews
Ruimsig operates a one-tee start in midweek, and the long queue of carts at the first tee resembled a drive-thru at McDonald's and gave the false impression there were no official tee times. So, everyone panics and joins the queue. A lot about Ruimsig feels like being at a pay-and-play facility. Once we got going the pace of play was good though. Lots to like about the course, particularly the green speed and run. Putting and chipping was a dream. Easy to lose balls in the thick rough, yet the fairways are wide by usual standards, although avoiding the fairway bunkers means you still need to be straight.
Dieter ten Haag
24 December 2023
Ruimsig represents good value, a pleasure to play, with putting surfaces among the best in Gauteng. The bunker project is coming along with most of the front nine traps completed. The course has good variety between risk and reward, notably on par 5s and long testing par 4s. The uphill sixth is a proper test with its well-guarded green. The design of the par 3s is varied, with 7 and 17 requiring a well struck long iron. The stretch from 13 to 15, short par 4, par 5 and long par 4, has water hazards lurking off the tee or on the approach. The 14th has a small green, challenging to hold. The winter links-like run does change the way the course plays at this time. Worth testing yourself off the back tees with so much additional roll.
Jon James
22 July 2023
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The greens are the standout feature of Ruimsig, and the main attraction of playing here. Creatively shaped by Gary Player Design in the 1980s, with a minimal amount of slopes, and boasting magnificent putting surfaces. They were running at 11 in the recent club championships, and even at that speed are very playable. Ruimsig are repairing each of their greenside bunkers this year, and the feeling is that several might be filled in. Some holes do have a preponderance of bunkers around the greens, but again the bunkering is another feature of the design. Ruimsig, with its long holes and wide fairways, is something of a bomber's paradise though. The bushveld trees on the property (I spotted a beautiful paperback thorn behind the eighth green) are not really in the field of play to cause any problems.
Stuart McLean
25 May 2023
Every time I visit Ruimsig it seems they have moved the club tees further back to the tips, which makes it long to play and walk. This is a nice track, with excellent greens, but length overtakes creativity. A personal problem for me was not being able to use the men's locker room to shower after the round. Cameras have been installed as a security measure, but this affects the privacy of golfers. Why don't they rather lock the outer door to the parking lot and have one entrance inside the clubhouse with a security code? The clubhouse building needs a lick of paint and service in the 19th is poor.
Sabelo Ndabazandile
27 December 2022
Greens were good though they played slow on the day. They offer the best protection on the course but when they are slow they can be tricky as a downhill putt will remain hanging if not hit with conviction.
Sabelo Ndabazandile
19 July 2022
Club pro Gavin Drummond has been at Ruimsig for nearly 25 years and he has an excellent pro shop providing the kind of personal "old school" attention golfers enjoy receiving. If you want clubs repaired or altered, grips changed, then "Gav's Lab" prides itself on instant service. And he works closely with teaching pro Hennie Rootman with club fittings done outdoors on the spacious Ruimsig range. Ruimsig has some enormous greens complexes with subtle slopes and were known for being among the quickest in the country, on a par with Sun City. They still run at a good pace and are a feature of a softly undulating layout (three superb par 5s with downhill tee shots) that provides plenty of fairway width yet has punishing long grass if you stray offline. The tall veld grass gives the holes their definition and enhances the overall aesthetics of an enjoyable and fair Gary Player design.
Stuart McLean
16 March 2022
Enjoy playing here. Wide fairways off the tee, an easy walk and good value, plus the clubhouse facilities are outstanding. Club pro Gavin Drummond has an excellent shop with the added advantage of a clubfitting centre (Gav's Lab) where repairs can be done immediately. Ruimsig serves a large area of Gauteng west rand as the nearest courses are 10 kilometres away.
Jan Dorfling
03 January 2022
Greens rolled true and were challenging. Thick rough made ball searching a challenge after wayward shots. Bunkers and cart paths are not in good condition.
Jaco Buys
11 May 2021
A good layout, in excellent condition, with true greens, friendly and helpful staff.
Stefan Rudman
14 February 2021

You're missing out if you haven't played here. No trees but a true test of golf, especially if the wind gets up. Greens generally in great condition as is the rest of course. Out of bounds plays a big role on several holes.

Sandor Kovacs
18 April 2020
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