Yellow, 5867 metres, C71.2/123
White, 5558 metres, CR69.5/120
Red, 5100 metres, CR66.9/114
Women’s white, CR75.6/130
Women’s red, CR72.6/124
Affiliated R480 Sept-Dec; R580 Jan-March; R480 April-August
Non-affiliated R650 & R890
Charles Molteno Murray 1933
021 788 2020
www.westlakegolfclub.co.za
75 (2022) & 74 (2021)
Westlake can lay claim to being both the most popular and most sociable golf club in South Africa. Situated close to the False Bay coastline, it has had a full membership for many years, and thus sees an astronomical number of rounds played year on year by members and visitors. More than a million rounds over the last 20 years. Early in the millennium it once did 130 000 rounds in a two-year period. The secret behind its success is a membership model relatively rare in South Africa – the full membership subscription of R18 800 includes all green fees. This encourages members to play as much as possible.
Westlake attracts visitors with its outstanding conditioning and a fun yet challenging parkland layout, one more demanding than the distance of 5 867 metres from the back tees suggests.
Impressively tall pine trees in strategic positions are a feature of the course, which lies next to the Silvermine mountain range and is vulnerable to the Cape south-easter. Narrow holes reward straight driving and accurate iron play.
The course has been strengthened over the years by design upgrades to improve holes, and a modern reticulation system that has transformed the overall conditioning. Behind the 18th green is a unique memorial fountain, opened in 1994, which commemorates past members.
64, Jonathan Burgess, 1992 club champs;
Trevor Immelman, 1999 SA Strokeplay
Limited warm-up range next to clubhouse.
2022 Shaun le Roux & Anelda Oosthuizen
2021 Christian Helmbold & Anelda Oosthuizen
Westlake has some of Cape Town’s most interesting and challenging par 4s, including the second, which doglegs sharply left around tall trees; the 12th, to a green framed by tall pines; and the 18th, another dogleg left around a forest of pines. The fast-paced greens have subtle slopes to test a golfer’s putting skills.
1/ The club hosted the SA Women’s Open for four years on the European Ladies Tour, won by Ashleigh Buhai (2018), India’s Diksha Dagar (2019), England’s Alice Hewson (2020) and Lee-Anne Pace (2021). Left-hander Dagar had the lowest individual round of 66.
2/ A host of SA sporting legends are club members, including cricketers Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher, rugby’s Jean de Villiers, Nick Mallett, Bobby Skinstad and Schalk Burger.
3/ Westlake has hosted both the men’s SA Amateur in 1999 and Premier Interprovincial in 2014. Jean Hugo won the 1999 SA Strokeplay on four-under 284. Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who finished second, had a course record 64, but it followed a first round 80. Richard Sterne won the SA Amateur.
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