DCC reopened on March 1 with three full days of member play. Joyous excitement for them after a 10-month hiatus playing an incredible renovation by Golf Data, and no shortage of superlatives about the experience. I didn’t play but was able to look at all 18. In places the course is unrecognisable from the old Country Club, particularly holes at the far end from clubhouse, 6-7-10-11-13-14-15. These have been transformed from good to extraordinary. There are 18 new greens, some on new sites, such as 6 and 14, while others have shifted slightly. No 17 is sensational, the green pushed left into a high dune. Prince of Wales (12) has a Biarritz “dent” in the middle of its tabletop green. Bent grass surfaces for the first time at a coastal KZN golf course, so putting on them is a dream. Most impressive feature about the renovation is the disappearance of the “parkland” look (along with unsightly areas), replaced by more natural wild grasses and bunkering which convey how DCC might have looked in its early years. The scenic splendour of DCC has been revealed more than ever before by removing tropical foliage (not all) and allowing an uninterrupted vista of views from hole to hole.