Golfers who under-rate this relatively short course do so at their peril. Mossel Bay has some of the most challenging greens complexes in South Africa, which only reward accurate approaches and a good touch on and around the greens. On a Garden Route tour of five courses our group found this the trickiest to play in terms of scoring. If ever invited to Augusta National I would play a few rounds at Mossel Bay beforehand when the greens are at their quickest to get a feel of what I could expect at Augusta. The slopes here mean that you cannot expect to put your ball anywhere on the green and expect to two-putt. And some greens are extreme, notably those on the uphill par-5 fifth, the testing long par-4 14th, and uphill short par-4 16th. It’s all part of the character of an enjoyably different experience.
