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Waterkloof Golf Club

Pretoria - Gauteng

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Club manager: Ernst Uys
Pro shop manager: Richard Shi
Operations manager: Hein Botha
Club captains: Wayne Heine & Jo-Anne Koch
President: Willem Roberts
Chairman: Dewald Lassen
Greenkeeper: Wessel Duvenhage
CRITERIA SUMMARY: Total points 64.7 out of 100
Conditioning14.2 / 20
Playability12.8 / 20
Aesthetics10.5 / 15
Design Variety9.3 / 15
Shot Values9.1 / 15
Memorability8.8 / 15

Course Summary

Four tees / Par 72
Yellow 6677 metres, CR75.0/136
White 6305 metres, CR72.8/136
Blue 5989 metres, CR71.2/134
Red 5284 metres, CR67.4/129
Women’s white, CR78.6/143
Women’s blue, CR76.5/140
Women’s red, CR72.5/130

Visitor green fee

R220 Mon, Tues, Wed AM
R350 Wed PM
R330 Thurs, Friday
R440 Weekends, holidays
Golf cart R440

Course designer

Peter Matkovich redesign 2004

Contact

073 367 5517

Previous ranking

92 (2022)

Waterkloof sits in an attractive countryside setting on Waterkloof Ridge overlooking the R21 highway and the Groenkloof Nature Reserve. The Voortrekker Monument is close by and can be seen from parts of the course.

Waterkloof began the new millennium as Monument Golf Club, the club being founded in 1969, but the name was changed in 2006 following the conversion of the property into a residential estate beginning in 2004. At the same time the original layout was redesigned by Peter Matkovich. The estate homes are situated away from the golf course on the back nine.

Matkovich constructed some undulating greens complexes which provides the main challenge of a golf course that is relatively wide open off the tee. The par 3s are a feature, with the sixth measuring 206 metres from the back tees, while the 17th is 210 metres with a water hazard left of the green. The 15th is a beautifully framed par 3 of 183 metres.

The ninth and 18th greens come together up a gentle incline in front of the large double-storey clubhouse, both protected by the same large water hazard, the ninth being stroke 1 on the scorecard, a 443-metre par 4, while 18 is the shortest of the par 5s at 469 metres.

The Pretoria course is popular with visitors, and 49 000 rounds were played at Waterkloof in 2021. The club offers affordable green fees, particularly for students and pensioners on weekday mornings. There are discounts for large groups on Sundays.

Read: 10 BIRDIES IN A ROW AT WATERKLOOF
Read: WATERKLOOF & DEVONVALE ARE NEW ENTRIES

Additional Course Facts

Did You Know

1/ Kyle McClatchie had 25-under-par 263 to win 2018 Gauteng North Open, 64-62 final two rounds.

2/ Waterkloof hosted three IGT Tour events in 2017. Low rounds were 60 by Chilean Matias Calderon (who won the 2018 SA PGA Championship), and 61 by Justin Turner.

3/ Fort Klapperkop (1886) sits on a ridge overlooking the club and was built to protect Pretoria during the first Anglo-Boer War. Its museum displays artifacts from the wars. On site is a steam locomotive from that era, a long tom gun, the last tram used in Pretoria, and a memorial to those who gave their lives for the SA Defence Force.

4/ The 40-metre high Voortrekker Monument, made from granite and inaugurated in 1949, commemorates the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854. A feature is the wall representing the ‘laager’ of 64 ox-wagons from the Battle of Blood River.

5/ Sunshine Tour star Richard Sterne was 15 when he won the club championship in 1996, and defended it in 1997.

6/ Waterkloof hosted the 2007 Junior Interprovincial and 2018 Women’s Teams Championship, won by home province Gauteng North.

Range

Full size facility with two decks of bays.

Course Record

60 by Matias Calderon (Chile), IGT Tour event, April 2017 (31-29), 11 birdies and one eagle.

61 by Justin Turner in 2017 Waterkloof Challenge on IGT Tour, with 3 eagles and 6 birdies.

62 by Kyle McClatchie in final round of 2018 Gauteng North Open. He had an eagle (No 14) and eight birdies, playing each nine 32-30.

62 by Ryan van Velzen in winning IGT Tour event, November 2020.

Accommodation

Apogee Boutique Hotel & Spa is on Johann Rissik Drive close to the club. La Vida Luka luxury guesthouse, and 37 on Charles.

Club Champions

2023 Jacques van Tonder & Kaylee Webster
2022 Jean-Louis du Plessis & Charlene Oosthuizen
2021 Handre Truter & Charlene Oosthuizen
2020 Wessel Duvenhage & Hannah Venter
2019 Jacques van Tonder & Charlene Oosthuizen

Course and Facilities Rating
Conditioning Ratings
Greens
Bunkers
Tees
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Presentation
Overall Conditioning
Facility Ratings
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19th Hole
Course Etiquette
Course Reviews
Waterkloof's set of par 3s is among the best in SA, an interesting mixture of four testing holes, long and short, with sizeable and sloping greens. Mostly elevated tees too. No 17 is one of the most original I've seen in having an array of tee boxes coming in at three widely different angles to the green. There's a large water hazard, so the most challenging tee shot is with the hazard left of the green. Daunting from 210m off yellow tees. This time I went to a high tee left of the 16th hole, where you play over the water. It's a short iron but a back pin on a slope brings bunkers into play. The course is beautifully presented from tee to green, fairways perfectly shaped and manicured. Peter Matkovich did stellar work with his greens complexes in redesigning the old Monument layout.
Stuart McLean
24 March 2024
Waterkloof is a real gem. Course is in amazing condition following club champs and a Bushveld Tour event. Kudos to the superintendent Wessel Duvenhage. Greens running at 12 and true. The course appears to be quite open, but tightly cut fairways keep you honest. Bunkers well maintained and consistent. Above all a fair test and extremely playable course.
David Frost
21 March 2024
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Waterkloof has exceptionally good golf holes for a course lower down the rankings; nothing I could describe as weak or disappointing. Much of that is due to the attractive structure of the well-defended greens complexes, and the lightly undulating terrain which provides interesting variety. Some holes are unprotected off the tee, forgiving to wild drives, yet if you're not on the fairway the approach shots to greens from poor lies in veld grass can be problematic, notably at 16 which has both a shallow and raised green fronted by a bunker. No 12 is an unusual medium par 4 where you need a solid drive to set up a short-iron to a tricky angled green guarded by bunkers and trees. If you're not long enough the approach can be blind. Enjoyed all the par 3s and par 5s. Water hazards a feature on the last five holes of front nine, yet the back nine just has the par-3 17th with a hazard left of green. Overall conditioning is impressive.
Stuart McLean
13 May 2023
Great setting and good views. Narrow fairways definitely challenge the aim of all golfers. The greens are lightning fast with bends in all the right places. The view of the Groenkloof valley adds a certain aesthetic that makes the experience memorable. The only bad part about the course are the hard bunkers which are not pleasant. I broke my 7-iron shaft in a fairway bunker on what seemed to be a gravel surface under the sand.
Wiaan Nel
21 April 2023
Impressed with the improvements at Waterkloof.
Dewald Lassen
06 February 2023
Waterkloof has never looked better. The course is in immaculate condition after the rains. The maintenance team have redone some bunkers, re-aligned tees and acquired additional machinery to constantly keep greens, fairways and even the rough in top shape. The driving range is fully established with full-time staff ensuring everything there is properly maintained and running smoothly. In the clubhouse the upstairs veranda has been fitted with permanent glass and aluminium windows, and the outdoor pizzeria is now in use above the pro shop. The club's undercover parking has been extended to 93 bays.
Ernst Uys
28 December 2022
Impressive experience at Waterkloof, a course overdue for Top 100 status. That began in the car park, where the club has thoughtfully built shade cloth protection for most of the bays. Welcome relief getting into a cool car after hot weather on the course. It has a large clubhouse, yet the well-stocked pro shop, halfway house and 19th hole are in a convenient central hub close to the action. Played on a Monday and it was busy; no wonder when you combine an affordable green fee with an immaculately presented layout from tee to green that other than the occasional water hazard doesn't severely punish wayward shots. The conditioning is superb. I liked the easy flow of the course (the second is one of the best holes, a magnificent par 5 sliding downhill left around trees to a creatively shaped green); the challenging and thrilling par 3s; the interesting variety of the greens complexes; and the excellent country feel of the aesthetics. It's in a scenic and tranquil part of Pretoria.
Stuart McLean
29 March 2022
Waterkloof is in excellent condition with both bunkers and greens among the best in Gauteng. The course is fairly forgiving off the tee, notable exceptions being the tight par-4 third (417m) and demanding par-4 fifth (391). Both holes grab your attention. The greens complexes are tricky with undulations and bunkers (third) and a water hazard (left of No 5) ready to swallow an errant shot. The par 3s are the strength of the course, with only No 8 (146) playing short. The other three all test your game. I enjoyed the 15th (183) which is outstandingly framed. The par 5s provide birdie opportunities but still demand accuracy off the tee. If you get blocked by the mature trees you will be left with no choice but to play out sideways or lay up well short of the green. Waterkloof represents great value, an enjoyable and memorable walk, and good test of your game.
Jon James
30 January 2022
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