Jackal Creek is an adventurous and fun kind of course which should be more widely recognised. It’s in an attractive bushveld setting, and once you get through the opening par 5 you never feel as if you’re playing within a large residential estate. There’s ample trees, bush and vegetation around to conceal the wildlife. I’ve been disappointed never to have seen any of the jackals which have dens on the property. The hilly terrain (cart course) means an interesting variety of highly playable holes. The start has a tough stretch through No 4, so I was surprised at the number of shortish 4s off the white tees (6178 metres) on the back nine where I hit wedge approaches at 10-11-13-17 and would have done at 16 (305) but for laying up with an iron off the tee. The greens are an impressive feature of the layout, superbly designed and sizeable most of them. However, they were not built to USGA specs, and some areas have subsided, limiting pin positions. Great finishing hole. An uphill 518m par 5 with a hazard guarding the right side of the fairway and then crossing in front of the green.
