The extensive bunker renovation project on the Rocklands is almost complete, with just those on two holes (11 and 14) still to be done on the day I played. The bunkers, with their white sand, are a major feature of this championship layout, positioned perfectly on most holes to catch the unwary. With firm fairways following on from winter there’s every chance of a tee shot running further than expected and the ball ending in a sandy lie. This happened to us on the par-4 fifth where the fairway cambers steeply towards the large fairway bunker on the right. For a 354-metre hole (white tees) it plays short, as the bunker is less than 100 from the green. This is a fun hole sandwiched between two of Gauteng’s more challenging par 3s. The fourth (181 from white) has a long green wrapped by large areas of sand, while the sixth (194) is uphill to an elevated and sloping green, fronted by a bunker left. The other par 3s come later in the round, at 15 and 17, and may be shorter yet have testing greens complexes. They are as fine a quartet as you will find, and I like the fact they are given relatively low strokes, 10-4-13-9 in that order. Too many clubs demote their par 3s to higher strokes. Strokes 16, 17 and 18 have all been allocated to par 5s.