The new clubhouse at Kingswood is a beautifully designed single-storey modern building, spacious yet extremely comfortable and practical. The roof is covered with 289 solar panels, so it is energy efficient. Plenty of seating for golfers inside and outside. They have a stunning 180-degree view of the Outeniqua mountain range to look at. The 19th Hole bar serves its own Kingswood Lager, brewed locally. There’s a Pro Shop Express on site. The cart barn in the basement has a new fleet of 80 E-Z-GO Valor electric carts with GPS systems. The course now opens with a par 3 (with its own starter’s hut), and this downhill hole is a beauty which sets the tone for the round. It has been one of the driest winters on record in the Garden Route, and the fairways are brown and firm, which is giving plenty of welcome run. Kingswood’s greens have always been brilliant, pure bent grass with very little poa, and they chip and putt exceptionally well. The course gives you time to get a good score going through the first 12 holes, then ramps up the challenge over the last six. Three strong 4s, two 5s, and a tricky 3 at 17 with a raised green. The green on the par-5 15th (518) could be the longest in SA, measuring 56 metres from front to back. The par-5 18th is only 455, but nine fairway bunkers have to be avoided off the tee, and the right side of the green has a steep runoff into a water hazard.
