It was raining when I arrived in Kimberley and the Northern Cape is greener and wetter than usual. Considering that this is a semi-arid region the amount of water on the course this summer has been unusual. It began in December during the Junior Interprovincial when there was a hailstorm on the last afternoon which covered the course in a white sheet. The clay base means the flat course doesn’t drain easily and thus there’s muddy areas and puddles which cannot be traversed by foot or cart. Fortunately the mowers have been active, and the rough has now been cut down. I’m told it was so thick off the fairways that balls disappeared, never to be found. Enjoying the unfenced course most of all is a herd of feral horses which find the grazing delightful. But the course staff get anxious when they start galloping about. Their hooves can seriously damage the greens.
