Western Cape Top 25
21

Strand

Strand - Western Cape

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General manager: Werner van Rooyen
Head pro: Helena Buitendag
Greenkeeper: Casper Mostert (STM)
Club captain: Conan Doyle
President: Manie Bosman
Golf operations: Elmo Barnard
CRITERIA SUMMARY: Total points 60.8 out of 100
Conditioning12.9 / 20
Playability12.2 / 20
Aesthetics9.2 / 15
Design Variety8.5 / 15
Shot Values9.8 / 15
Memorability8.2 / 15

Course summary

Three tees / Par 72

Yellow 5997 metres, CR72.0/123
White 5605 metres, CR70.0/120
Red 4977 metres, CR67.2/110
Women’s white, CR75.8/135
Women’s red, CR72.9/128

Visitor Green Fee

Affiliated R385
Non-affiliated R520
WP clubs R310
Sundays R310

Course designer

Golf Data 1994

Contact

021 854 3309
proshop@strandgolfclub.co.za
www.strandgolfclub.co.za

This modern-looking course in 1994 replaced the club’s original layout on the dunes of the False Bay shoreline. It’s close to the Strand beachfront, but without any sea views. Although built on a flat, inland site, it’s a varied and challenging parkland design, particularly in windy conditions, with a strong par-5 18th in front of the clubhouse. A large water hazard guards the right hand side of the fairway and another the front of an undulating raised green.

The club, which has an attractive double-storey clubhouse with good facilities, will be celebrating its centenary in November 2023

Water hazards, streams and dams are a feature of a layout built by Golf Data on a low-lying vlei, particularly on the back nine where they come into play on two exceptionally testing par 3s, Nos 14 and 17.

The tree-lined front nine has an unusual variety of different holes, dogleg par-5s, driveable par-4s and testing par-3s, while seven holes on the back nine are played on the other side of a highway, reached by a tunnel after playing the tenth. The course is renowned for good quality and slick greens.

The par 5s are among the more interesting and testing holes. To play them without a bogey is a feat. The second is short but has two large trees with wide canopies in the middle of the fairway, about 100 metres apart, which can snag golf balls. The fifth zig-zags through trees with a green on the edge of a hazard. No 16 is long and straight, played into the prevailing wind, with a cluster of bunkers near the green. And No 18, the longest at 508 metres, is usually played into the wind

Additional Course Facts

Course Record

63 by Francois Olivier 2007;
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 2013 WP Champs

Club Champions

2022 WP Botha & Lynette Brink
2021 WP Botha & Lynette Brink
2020 Elmo Barnard & Tania Jacobson
2019 Elmo Barnard & Erna Truter

Practice Facility

Range close to clubhouse is open to the public, and offers membership packages.

Did You Know

1/ Strand was the site in 2004 of Ashleigh Simon’s historic first SA Women’s Strokeplay and Matchplay double at age 14. She remains the youngest winner of the national titles. It is a regular tournament venue for amateurs, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout won the Western Province strokeplay and matchplay double in 2013. He had a 63 in the third round, and beat Haydn Porteous in a playoff.

2/ Deon Germishuys became the first Strand member to win the SA Amateur, at Durban CC in 2018, yet he never won the club championship. He is now a winner on the Sunshine Tour.

3/ Parts of the old Strand course now form part of the mini 9-hole Greenways Golf Estate on the seafront towards Gordon’s Bay.

4/ Strand might be the only golf course in the country with a Putt-Putt facility, situated behind the range.

5/ Lynette Brink has won the women’s club championship 18 times over 26 years, from her 30s to her 60s. The first was in 1996, and the latest in 2022. She won eight in a row from 2010 to 2017. Elmo Barnard won the men’s title four years in a row from 2017 to 2020.

6/ Former Strand member Chloe Garner won the 2019 women’s World Long Drive title with 347 yards in Oklahoma.

Course and Facilities Rating
Conditioning Ratings
Greens
Bunkers
Tees
Fairways
Presentation
Overall Conditioning
Facility Ratings
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Halfway House
Pro Shop
Service
Locker Room
19th Hole
Course Etiquette
Course Reviews
Strand's No 17 is one of the best par 3s in the Western Cape, an unexpectedly beautiful and challenging hole. Part of a strong finishing stretch, sandwiched between two par 5s, it plays between 160 and 175 metres from a variety of tees. You skirt the edge of a large dam and anything left of the target will be wet. A vast bunker with a high lip short of the green gives wonderful definition to the hole and will trap balls which balloon into the wind. Bunkers and water hazards are ever present at Strand, and two large trees in the middle of the second fairway make this a memorable and unusual short par 5. The four par 3s are to be respected; nothing easy about any of them, especially the 213m 14th which is stupidly long for a green protected by water and bunkers, playing mostly into the wind! The par-4 fourth at 237m is an easier hole, and really just another par 3 for today's elite golfers. Strand's cleverly shaped greens, mostly poa, are excellent and slick to putt on.
Stuart McLean
24 February 2023
What a wonderful surprise at Strand to find beautiful manicured gardens and neat surroundings in front of the clubhouse. The course has seen a remarkable turnaround since my last visit. Thanks to recent rain the water flowing in the river is clean and without odour. Strong winds have felled a number of trees, so the second hole is more open on the right side. The bunker sand is a good texture and consistent, the tees in good shape, the greens look hollow-tined and are soft after being flooded by rain. However, not bad for putting. Most of the reeds in the water hazards have been removed and the water clear improving the aesthetics. The course is neat and tidy, the presentation excellent.
Henry Trevena
07 July 2022
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Strand clubhouse and surroundings have well maintained gardens and the initial appearance is good. However, while the design is good this is a grossly overwatered course. Greens are soggy. Approach shots leave a deep pitch mark. They are also slow (8/9 on the stimp) and bumpy, not true for putting. Bunkers need attention as there is a lack of sand. The kikuyu fairways are well grassed yet wet in patches from overwatering. The rough is dry and hard, normal for this time of year. Improvements can be seen in the dams right of the fifth green and in front of 18th green where reeds have been removed. Overall disappointing.
Henry Trevena
26 January 2022
A course with two quite distinct nines, comprising some holes with designs compromised by space limitations and existing vegetation.
Lynam
30 April 2021
A pleasure playing at Strand from the moment of being greeted in the pro shop. The putting green is surrounded by neat landscaped gardens. The course is well manicured and the attention to detail is good given the strong summer winds. The kikuyu fairways are well matted and there's no need for placing, the rough is sparse, and the bunkers consistent. The greens are firm yet hold good shots, and are running at 10 on the stimp. I enjoyed a quality pizza from the club's pizza oven.
Henry Trevena
14 January 2021
Lots of water hazards which requires your full attention at all times. Very tough if the wind blows.
warren minster
08 April 2020
This is a good layout, but very exposed to strong south-easterly winds which can make a round a real challenge. The greens are consistently good and Strand can be proud of maintaining that standard.
Willem van der Merwe
12 February 2020
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