44

Wingate Park

Pretoria - Gauteng

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General manager: Gavin Smit
Marketing & events: Trevor Poole
Club pro: Shane Hayes
Greenkeeper: Gerhard Viljoen (Golf Data)
Club captain: Hercules van der Walt
Chairman: Jo van der Westhuizen
President: Derrik Bowles
CRITERIA SUMMARY: Total points 72 out of 100
Conditioning14.7 / 20
Playability14.5 / 20
Aesthetics12.0 / 15
Design Variety10.8 / 15
Shot Values9.8 / 15
Memorability10.2 / 15

Course Summary

Four tees / Par 72

Black 6740 metres, CR74.7/137
Green 6413 metres, CR72.8/132
Blue 5826 metres, CR69.7/133
Red 5538 metres, CR68.2/130
Women’s blue, CR75.9/140
Women’s red, CR74.0/135

Visitor green fee

Affiliated
R450 to R470 midweek PM
R330 midweek AM
R310 Monday
R380 Thursday meat comp
Golf cart R430

Course designer

Charles Alison 1951

Contact

012 997 1312
www.wingateparkcountryclub.co.za

Previous rankings

45 (2024), 48 (2023), 49 (2022) & 52 (2021)

Wingate Park is parkland golf in a picturesque Gauteng North rural setting, a regular tournament venue, and also one of the country’s busiest courses, annually recording in the region of 50 000 rounds. It does more corporate days than any other club, as many as 180 in a year.

The layout is one of four in Gauteng designed by Englishman Charles Hugh Alison, who worked with Harry Colt and Alister Mackenzie in between the two world wars. The others are Glendower, Bryanston and Riviera.

Wingate Park began as a Jewish country club in 1947 – it takes its name from Brigadier Orde Wingate, a Zionist who achieved fame for his exploits in Burma during the Second World War. Bowls, tennis, cricket, swimming, horse riding and shooting were among the many sports on offer, and it was another four years before a golf course was built. It was situated in rural farmland for many years, while today the course is a tranquil and attractive oasis in an area that has seen intense development. Bowls is still a popular sport at the club, and the section has produced many outstanding players over the years.

Wingate Park is an unusually unbalanced layout by modern design concepts, which lends to its appeal. The front nine is short by highveld standards, just 3059 metres off the tips, and a par of 35. It opens with a short par 4 and most of the other par 4s only require short-iron approaches. But the back nine, with three par 5s, is considerably more demanding at 3681 metres. There are no weak holes, some of the greens are small with tricky slopes, and two of the par-5s, 13 and 15, are proper 3-shotters for most golfers.

Wingate owes much of its popularity to exceptionally well-conditioned and quick greens.

Read: WINGATE PARK MEMBERS REJECT SALE OF COURSE

Additional Course Facts

Course Record

62 by Sammy Daniels in 1993 SA Masters;
Hennie Otto in 1996 Transvaal Amateur
62 by Thriston Lawrence & Jacques Blaauw in 2024 Sunshine Tour’s SunBet Challenge won by Lawrence on 20-under 196 (62-67-67).

Feature Holes

The back nine has an unusual finishing stretch which can make for exciting and unpredictable golf. The last five holes include two par 5s and two par 3s, and an outstanding par 4, the stroke one 17th. Big trees are strategic hazards on 17 and 18, so accurate long drives are key. The 503-metre 18th is a classic risk-and-reward par 5 curving left around the trees, with water guarding the right hand side of a large green. George Coetzee made 7 here on his final hole in the 2005 SA Strokeplay, when a birdie 4 would have tied him for the title with Josh Cunliffe, who won with 10-under 278.

Practice Facility

There’s a 320-metre long range about 600 metres from the clubhouse, short-game facility, and two putting greens.

Club Champions

2025 Chabala Mbao & Natasha Anthony
2024 Nelis de Bruin & Marike Reyneke*
2023 Henri van der Walt & Marike Reyneke
2022 Alex van Heerden & Marike Reyneke
2021 Alex van Heerden & Marike Reyneke
2020 Tyron Taylor & Natasha Anthony
2019 Pieter Cooper & Marike Reyneke
*Reyneke has won 8 titles

Did You Know

1/ Wingate Park has a strong and lengthy connection with the Hayes and Hobday families. Shane Hayes has been the club professional since March 1992 – 33 years! His father John, the 1962 SA Amateur champion, was the club pro and then club manager in the 1970s, when Jon Hobday was a club champion. Simon Hobday then became the club pro in the 1980s.

2/ George Coetzee won SA Amateur at Wingate Park in 2005 at age 18. The final was an all-Pretoria contest between Coetzee (PCC) and Hertzog Landman (PGC).

3/ Wingate Park was only the second Pretoria club to host the men’s SA Amateur, the first having been Zwartkop in 1955. It has since been played at Silver Lakes in 2015.

4/ The SA Masters was at Wingate in 1993, won by Tony Johnstone on 13-under 275 by one from Roger Wessels. Ernie Els and Retief Goosen were in the top 10.

5/ One of the club’s early legends was Selwyn Schewitz, who won numerous amateur tournaments from the 1950s to 1970s, including winning the club championship 12 times between 1957 and 1975. Joan Jacobs won the women’s club championship 22 times between 1966 and 1990. Jacobs also won six titles at Pretoria CC (1976-1988).

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Course Reviews
Wingate is a course where local knowledge matters. You can quickly find yourself out of position here, and recovery shots are tricky if you're in the wrong place. The layout boasts a collection of superbly designed greens, running smoothly, that keep your full concentration throughout the round. It's a heavily treed layout that as a result becomes quite shady in the winter months when the sun gets low. Quality holes abound, particularly the par 4s, among them the fourth, ninth (even at 348 club tee this is a special hole, the green elevated above a large water hazard, and a giant tree with bulging limbs blocking any tee shot up the left side of fairway), 11th, 12th and 17th. Three par 3s only require short irons (5-8-16) yet the targets are exact as the greens are well-guarded, notably 16 which could be described as Gauteng's "Postage Stamp" hole. Miss the green and you're in trouble, possibly wet. Unusual design that in the last six holes (13-18) you face three 5s and two 3s. I don't know another course where you end 5-3-5-3-4-5. Several tee boxes were closed for maintenance and the lack of sunlight means they inevitably suffer from the traffic that makes this one of Gauteng's busiest courses. Bunker sand was inconsistent, and the traps are so perfectly positioned that you're going to find one sooner rather than later.
Stuart McLean
16 June 2025
Wingate has disappointingly declined. Used to be one of Pretoria's best courses to play. Round took 5 hours 30 minutes. No marshall to be seen. Greens slow and bumpy. Bunkers inconsistent, either too much sand or no sand. Tee boxes sub-standard. Loud 19th hole due to intoxicated golfers.
Burger de Bruyn
28 May 2025
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Wingate Park must be one of the best draining courses in Gauteng. It has seldom closed during this extremely wet summer in the Pretoria area, or become soggy like other layouts. Last week after steady overnight rain many parts of the course were under water when Wednesday dawned. By 11am a corporate day outing was underway with no sign of any puddling. The water drains into a central drainage pipe which runs downhill from the clubhouse to the entrance gate.
Dieter ten Haag
30 April 2025
Course is in great condition and one of the best to play in Gauteng.
Kellerman Lubbe
26 February 2025
Lots to admire in the design of greens and bunkering at Wingate Park, a parkland course which is one of the busiest in Gauteng yet never looks as if those 50 000 rounds a year impact general conditioning. The tees though are in poor shape, and several would benefit from being rebuilt. Wingate is an attractive property, isolated from traffic noise and with a countryside feel to it that makes for a pleasant walk. An interesting layout with variable terrain, used to good effect on holes 3 to 9. The greens, their defensive bunkers, and runoff areas are splendid creations. Big trees frame the back nine holes and emphasise the importance of hitting fairways off the tee. It's a challenging back nine in every respect. At 3681 metres it's only exceeded in length in Gauteng by the second nines at Els Club Copperleaf and Blair Atholl. Wingate has three 5s and three longish 4s. And it closes with three distinctive holes 16 to 18. First up is a perilous short 3 with a narrow green sitting between water and a bunker. No 17 at 426 is one of Gauteng's best 4s, curving slightly right to what appears to be the tiniest of greens. 18 is a great risk-reward 5, a dogleg left around those giant trees, a water hazard guarding the right side of the green.
Stuart McLean
10 February 2025
Wingate was mostly dry when I played. Enjoyed the greens but do think it is time for the club to redo many of their bunkers.
Ignis van der Merwe
20 September 2024
With the storms and wind we have experienced, the staff manages to keep our challenging course in excellent playing condition. Halfway house has outstanding pizzas.
Adrian Kriel
06 March 2024
Wingate Park stands alone as the busiest and most popular course in Gauteng, recording a remarkable 61 000 rounds in their last financial year, second nationwide to Westlake in Cape Town which did 62 700. Considering all that traffic this parkland course is in especially good condition. Laid out in an attractive valley it drains well so the heavy summer rains affected play only minimally. To cope with the extra feet the club have expanded their tee boxes on the par 3s. A feature of Wingate Park is their superb greens, a delight to putt on. It must be the only 18-hole course where the maintenance team have to look after 24 greens. There's 18 on the course, the practice putting green, and five bowls rinks! Bowls has always been a strongly supported section of the country club, and members have won countless honours over the years. The club regularly hosts major tournaments, most recently the SA Masters. Only club to have hosted the SA Masters in golf and bowls!
Stuart McLean
01 April 2022
One of my favourite courses, where you have to combine skill levels with course management.
Neville Clarke
30 January 2022
This very good course does itself no favours by not managing the pace of play. Maintaining focus (managing frustration) for 5 hours and 30 minutes was only aided by the excellent condition of the fairways and rough, course design, and shot value. The experience was let down by uninterested Wingate Park club management.
Mark Lynam
09 March 2021
I had not played Wingate for 8 years and was looking forward to playing it again. I was not disappointed. The fairways were especially good, having been mowed short. The mowing pattern presented an attractive prospect. The greens putted well, even if they were tricky to read.
David Stratton
22 January 2021
Wingate is an interesting layout with some demanding par 4s and well presented par 3s and 5s. The greens are typically excellent all year round. Wingate provides good value for money and an enjoyable experience.
Jon James
12 October 2020
In stunning condition for winter. Great layout and a wonderful golfing experience.
David Frost
10 September 2020
A joy to play and a great layout. Not the most aesthetically pleasing course yet a good challenge for players of all abilities.
Sandor Kovacs
18 April 2020
I enjoy playing here once a month. The greens are amazing as is the atmosphere of the course and club.
Rory Smith
20 March 2020
Wingate Park is a superbly presented golf course; the attention to detail here is remarkable. The fairways and tees are not just mown, they are sculptured in beautiful symmetry. Splashes of white sand in the bunker faces is a clever idea. The design is constantly being improved in so many ways. Greenkeeper Pieter Cooper has a sense of fun. Look out for his "smiley faces" in the hedge behind the 11th green. The greens look relatively flat yet their speed tests everyone's putting skills.
Stuart McLean
17 March 2020
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