Humewood recently hosted its biggest pro tournament since the 2006 SA Open, and interestingly the average score in the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship was 70.89 for a breezy 72 holes, which compares to 71.5 in an Open in windless conditions with a much stronger field. It confirms my thinking that Humewood is considerably easier today for elite golfers due to its virtual absence of fairway bunkers. The bent grass greens are far better than the old cynodon ones, so putting is simpler. And the golf ball goes further. There were 104 eagles in the latest tournament (at eight different holes), against 65 back in 2006. And 1928 birdies, of which 926 were on the par 5s. Competitors were spared any gale-force winds. I wasn’t! Humewood in a big westerly is unpleasantly difficult although still playable. The links is extremely dry in the one area of the country which hasn’t seen much rain in recent years. The pros were allowed preferred lies on the patchy fairways.