Being tasked this year with upgrading a West Course that has been around for 100 years could not have been an easy proposition. However, Royal Johannesburg CEO Chris Bentley and his team, working with Agrano Turf, have achieved a notable success. The West has long existed in the shadow of the championship East Course but the upgrades to greens and bunkers have narrowed the gap. Along with significant aesthetic improvements and minor layout and directional changes, the West may well now be the club golfer’s preferred course to play. Royal resisted any urge to make a major redesign and have retained the West’s architecture more or less as it has been since several alterations were implemented some years ago. What one sees now is a beautiful parkland course that encompasses modern conditioning, playability and varying challenges depending on one’s choice of tee boxes. With the addition of a first-class restaurant, Old Oak, and a new halfway house, which provide excellent service and cuisine, Royal Johannesburg must rank as one of SA’s finest golfing facilities.