Soweto Country Club

Johannesburg - Gauteng

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Club captain: Sipho Kunene
President: Freddie Modise
General manager: TBA
Greenkeeper: Lucky Mvelashe (STM)

Course Summary

Four tees / Par 72

Yellow 6884 metres, CR74.9/128
White 6230 metres, CR71.7/123
Blue 5498 metres, CR67.5/115
Red 5050 metres, CR64.8/115
Women’s blue, CR73.7/135
Women’s red, CR71.0/128

Visitor Green Fee

R275 weekday affiliated, R330 weekend
R325 and R375 non-affiliated
Senior affiliated R220
R150 special Tuesday/Thursday
Golf cart R350
Closed on Monday

Course designer

Gary Player Design 2017

Contact

073 365 4579
info@sowetocountryclub.co.za
www.sowetocountryclub.co.za

Golf was first played in Soweto in 1974. Land was granted in Pimville by the City of Johannesburg after Vincent Tshabalala and other black professionals of that era had petitioned the Minister of Sport, Piet Koornhof.

Gary Player designed the original 18-hole course, but in recent years it had fallen into disrepair. Sunshine Tour Executive Director Selwyn Nathan championed the upgrade of the club and course as a social programme for the Soweto community. The tour rallied the support of the City of Joburg, the PGA Tour and European Tour, The R&A and corporate South Africa to create a legacy project. 

Gary Player Design, with Phil Jacobs overseeing the project, designed a new layout, while the US PGA Tour contributed $1 million to the construction work. Soweto is now the new home of Playmoregolf in Central Gauteng and its membership had grown to 950 in 2023.

The new course is attractive, mainly due to Jacobs’ exceptional bent grass greens complexes which are a stand-out feature. The holes themselves are interesting and thickly tree-lined, providing a parkland feel, narrow in places. The layout is 35-37 with just three par 5s and three par 3s. Unusually you go nine holes without a par 3 from No 8 to 16.

The property itself is on gently sloping land, so there is movement on many holes, alternatively slightly downhill or uphill, seldom flat. Numerous doglegs and bunkers add to the overall challenge which can be demanding, even with only one water hazard in play, guarding the right of the green on the par-5 tenth.

Soweto CC has twice hosted both the Joburg Ladies Open (2017 and 2019), and the Vusi Ngubeni Tournament, where the winning score over 72 holes was 5-under 283 in 2020 (home club member Musiwalo Nethunzwi beat James Kamte in a playoff), and 10-under 278 in 2025 (Sienda Sithebe). From the back tees this is a long and strong test of golf, and the average score in the 2025 Vusi Ngubeni was 76.52. There are 8 par fours between 403 and 438 metres.

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Additional Course Facts

Course Record

Men: 65, Karl Ochse in Big Easy IGT Challenge in November 2019

Women: 67, Lora Assad, 2019 Joburg Ladies Open

Practice Facility

Short-game area and putting green close to first tee.

Club Champions

2021 Wiseman Hlongwane & Lungile Madela 

Did You Know

1/ Refurbishment of the clubhouse began in 2016, plus the construction of fences and a wall to secure the property. The clubhouse is in its own stand separate from the course. There is no golf director or pro shop as yet.

2/ The Joburg Open Pro-Am was held at Soweto CC in March 2017 on the old course to signify the support of the City of Joburg for the Soweto CC upgrade.

3/ The groundbreaking ceremony for the new course took place in December 2017, attended by Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba, the PGA Tour’s Ty Votaw, Sunshine Tour Executive Director Selwyn Nathan, and then 92-year-old anti-apartheid activist Andrew Mlangeni, a long serving member of Soweto CC.

4/ The Joburg Ladies Open in March 2019 was the first pro tournament at Soweto CC, won by Swaziland’s Nobuhle Dlamini with a 54-hole total of two-under 214. Casandra Alexander won 2021 Joburg Open on 217. Lee-Anne was runner-up and had the low round of 68.

5/ There are actually 19 holes on the property. Left of the tenth hole is a spare par-3.

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Course Reviews
Soweto is becoming an increasingly busy course, with rounds up each year as more golfers discover how affordable and accessible it is, particularly at weekends, where the bulk of golfers playing are visitors. They are attracted by a course in excellent condition and having some of the best quality greens in Gauteng. The modern greens of this Gary Player Design are a feature of the layout, with attractive slopes and runoffs. They are smooth and fast and will challenge the best putters. The bunkers are also special, large, deep and shapely, but not prolific. Just scattered around here and there so they do not impact too heavily on play. Design variety is regulated by a rectangular shaped property where the holes mostly zig-zag back and forth on tree-lined fairways with a number of doglegs, but there is some undulating terrain providing a contrast. There's also 12 par 4s, which from the white club tees vary in distance between 301 and 401 metres, which is the testing 18th hole with its raised green. The clubhouse now has a pro shop, and there's a convenient halfway house facility close to the first and tenth tees which also serves as the 19th most days. The club has applied for a liquor licence.
Stuart McLean
08 June 2025
Soweto is a multi-dimensional course which caters for everyone from beginners to pros. With the back tees measuring 6884 metres it hosts two pro tournaments each year. Off the blue tees it's an easier 5498 metres. In general, it's an extremely playable track, with the slick contoured greens being the main defence against low scoring. The par-35 front nine is relatively short, and a feature from the white tees is a 107-metre par 3. This is the second hole. Then again, the next par 3, No 7, is 188 metres and it has a roller-coaster green. The back nine opens with three long holes, including two of the three par 5s at Nos 10 and 12. The only water hazard on the property, and a large one at that, comes into play on these par 5s. It guards the right side of the tenth green, and it can again catch golfers on No 12 if they stray right of the fairway on this uphill dogleg left hole. No 13 is a driveable 4, 301 from white and 252 blue.
Thomas Souness
08 June 2025
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Wonderful course. Pleasantly surprised at its amazing condition. Soweto deserves better supporting facilities.
Phakeme Mtheku
18 March 2025
A pity that many Gauteng golfers will never play Soweto CC. The course was rebuilt a few years ago and you can see they are trying hard to make the club a success story. The greens are arguably the best in Gauteng. The tees were flat and multiple tees provide variety. The fairways good for winter and the bunkers excellent. Soweto CC is a short course, with many doglegs, and this made for a fun round. Length is a hot topic today, and Soweto CC proves that a course does not need to be long to test skill. Other clubs in the country have much to learn from this.
Thinus Keller
11 September 2023
Since Soweto's refurbishment the course has maintained excellent greens. There are hazards that might spoil your scorecard, like that on the par-5 third, which is also in play on the par-4 fourth. The course has a good balance of challenges like trees, water, dog-legs, hazard areas, and strategically placed bunkers. The fairways are well maintained and I could not fault SCC on their rough. There could be improvements in the pro shop, the halfway house and 19th hole. Without fail the highlight of my rounds there come on the par-4 eighth, alongside a settlement on the left where kids watch the golfers play. They clap and encourage golfers playing that hole. If you make a birdie these kids will make you feel like a "pro." Experience this for yourself. SCC has its own character and the experience is mostly good.
Dumi Maseko
27 February 2022

This course has proved one of the best in Gauteng after being revamped two years ago. The fairways and greens are in excellent condition. The only challenge is the 19th hole but the committee has promised they are working on it.

Sipho Kunene
11 January 2022
The new Soweto course is worth playing, yet may struggle to attract visitors as it is not easy to locate. You need a satnav as there are no signposts. The greens complexes are exceptional and the bent grass surfaces putt like a dream. Numerous caddies available at clubhouse, and the best way to enjoy the course is to walk with a caddie. Even from the club tees this is a testing 18 holes, and finding the fairway off the tee is crucial as the rough is thick, although you are unlikely to lose a ball. There is no pro shop yet.
Stuart McLean
30 March 2020
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