I was impressed by the quality of the East Course experience at Hermanus. Substantial work has gone into improving the look, feel and playability of this layout over the past year. The modifications and redesign of the bunkers by Grant Bland of Golf Data is noticeably so much better than what was there before. They are stunning in their visual appeal. Some greens have been levelled to create more pin positions and par-3 tees increased in size. The planting of wild grass between 15th green and 16th tee improves the aesthetics. The club is also halfway through installing a R10-million irrigation system for all 27 holes that will be completed by next summer. Hermanus is a formidable championship layout by coastal standards, and it’s good to see black tees reinstated at 6440 metres (that makes it longer than Humewood). Some of the tees are intimidatingly far back. There’s a unique Black Course scorecard. It won’t be surprising if the Sunshine Tour makes a historic first visit to the town before too long.