Centurion was closed for three weeks after the damaging February floods which engulfed half the golf course. The height of the water had to be seen to be believed and most of the lower part of the course resembled a lake for three days. It’s a tribute to greenkeeper Mark van der Linde and his maintenance team that it’s playable again and looking exceptionally good despite the scars the water left. Much reseeding of fairways has taken place as part of the mop-up. The seventh has been shortened to a par 4 for that reason. The par-4 16th which crosses the Hennops River also gets hammered by any flooding, as does the fairway of the par-5 opening hole. Curiously, Centurion’s bent grass greens (which have endured for 25 years) continue to impress. Not only are they free of poa but they have a healthy texture and roll superbly. One of the course’s main assets.
