A highlight of any round at Elements is playing the “pulpit hole,” the par-3 ninth. The high tee built on a ridge opposite the clubhouse wasn’t part of the original design, but rather a later addition. And it would never have worked in the era before golf carts. Walking up the long steep path from the eighth green would be too much of an ordeal for most golfers on a hot bushveld day. It would take golfers another five minutes to catch their breath before playing. The height is similar to Peter Matkovich’s other pulpit par 3 at Cotswold Downs, but the carry to the green is much longer and creates doubt in your mind about what club to use to make sure of pitching the green. Your choice must be correct or you’re in trouble. If you come up even fractionally short you’re in the wetland at the foot of a steep bank with no view of the flag. Those who take a longer club find the back bunkers come into play, leaving a tricky downhill recovery shot. It’s a memorable hole, but then each of the other par 3s are also distinctive. The 15th is a beauty, played through an avenue of trees to a remarkably long and undulating green.
