Pezula is in magnificent condition as the maintenance team preps the course to host the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins Final from November 20-23, the second time it has done so in the last three years. The greens are already so good it could host the 72-hole tournament this week. As for the tees, they are unbelievably pristine and perfectly level. This is a true championship layout from the black tees and will be a challenge for the tour pros, as there are so many intimidating tee shots. Interestingly, there’s a new Stroke 1 at Pezula. It always used to be the par-5 first, but that’s now Stroke 3 and has been replaced by the downhill 433-metre seventh, one of the most picturesque 4s in the Garden Route. From back tee to back pin it plays more like 460. Lots of extra work done at Pezula this year to raise it to a higher level. Many bunkers have benefitted from new drainage and new sand — a nice touch is the addition of wooden steps in deeper bunkers to aid golfers getting out of them — while the undulating fairways have been widened in areas throughout the course with interseeding of rye fescue grass. The distinctive green collars (fringes), done in 2024, have grown in and mown short so they are more puttable in keeping with the speed of the greens.
