Interesting that on a big course such as Copperleaf, Ernie Els managed to incorporate three short par 4s. Over the hill at Blair Atholl, Gary Player found space for only one. In these days of power hitting, it’s difficult to define a short par 4. Some would say 350 metres in Gauteng. I would say 330. Even from the yellow tees (6681), Copperleaf has the 340 seventh, 336 13th, and 300 16th. From the white tees they are 308, 322 and 276. A trio of fun holes, each playing differently, and they provide Copperleaf with an attractive design balance redolent of modern courses. No 16 is the best short par 4 I’ve seen from Ernie, and at 276 it’s only 22 metres longer than the 254m par-3 third from the black tees. Both you can attack with driver or metal wood, but No 16 will leave you with a scary pitch if you miss the green. I find Copperleaf enjoyable, yet choosing the right tee markers to play from is paramount. There are five of them, but nothing from around 5900 metres. A sizeable gap between 5600 and 6300.