Black 6740 metres, CR74.7/136
Green 6413 metres, CR72.9/135
Blue 5826 metres, CR69.8/130
Red 5538 metres, CR68.0/130
Women’s blue, CR76.0/141
Women’s red, CR74.3/136
Affiliated R350 to R570
Non-affiliated R500 to R1 010
R280 Monday-Tuesday
R300 weekday before 8am
Charles Alison 1951
012 997 1547
www.wingateparkcountryclub.co.za
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.
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).
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.
There’s a 320-metre long range about 600 metres from the clubhouse, short-game facility, and two putting greens.
2022 Alex van Heerden & Marike Reyneke
2021 Alex van Heerden & Marike Reyneke
2020 Tyron Taylor & Natasha Anthony
2019 Pieter Cooper & Marike Reyneke
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 – almost 28 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.
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