I never tire of the front nine holes at Port Shepstone. Just walking these beautiful holes is a treat. They are framed by the forest from which they were carved, not long, but challenging you to hit a series of accurate shots. No where else I know do you step on to a tee, as you do at the short par-4 fourth and find three huge ancient trees (they appear to be one tree) blocking your view of the fairway. There was an ace here in 2004 and that fluke would have required a driver that climbed quickly to clear the trees. The par-3 fifth has an elevated tee, while the longer par-3 eighth has a wonderful two-tier green. The piece de resistance on the nine though comes at the ninth, an intimidating long par 5 between tightly packed overhanging trees on the left and bush right. And the canopy of another big Umdoni tree close to the green means you have to draw a long approach shot around it.
