Pretoria Country Club is where you’ll find one of South Africa’s classic parkland layouts, the home course of many movers and shakers in the capital city, writes John Botha.
It has long been accepted that everybody who is anybody simply has to be a member of Pretoria Country Club, which among golfers in Pretoria is abbreviated to simply ‘Country Club’. The club’s location, in the leafy and well-heeled suburb of Waterkloof, couldn’t be better situated – far enough away from the noisy N1 highway, yet close enough to be easily accessed by the major arterial motorways.
As one of the most wind-free cities in the world, with its warm summers and mild winters (a lot milder than Johannesburg’s), Pretoria has one of the finest climates for golf, and although there are a few quality courses from which to choose in the area, PCC has that special something – not least of all the fact that the layout it is always meticulously maintained.
This country club has an interesting history, and although it cannot claim to have been the first place where golf was played in Pretoria, it was certainly the pioneer when it came to unnecessarily well-made facilities for multi-sport and social activity. It was during the early part of the 20th century that Sir Julius Jeppe acquired the land that this club now occupies, and where the large, opulent clubhouse now stands, Jeppe had a somewhat more modest hunting lodge.
Jeppe was a man of considerable political influence at the time, not to mention a self-made millionaire. When it was first decided that a country club was to be formed here in 1910, some 300 interested parties showed up at a public meeting – a sure sign that this was the club to belong to from the get-go.
Over the years, foreign diplomats, other political bigwigs and a large contingent of the upper strata of the legal and other professions have been, and continue to be, members here. The captains of commerce and industry clearly feet comfortable here, and one can see why. But it must be stressed that the club still exudes a friendly atmosphere without a hint of snobbishness.
The trials and tribulations of this club were superbly chronicled in 1974 by a senior member Frank Odell, and with the help of other members, a well-researched book was published to commemorate the club’s 75-year anniversary. In this book, which features some rare old photographs, one can follow the expansion of the clubhouse over the years, as each floor plan is faithfully documented. It also shows how the terrain has changed over the last century – originally a strong stream coursed through the property, and a large lake was constructed by Jeppe. There were few trees and certainly no homes in the vicinity. Things have certainly changed.
Clarrie Moore, a British golf professional who had been involved in the development of golf in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and in Potchefstroom, was appointed as the first greenkeeper and pro, even before the course existed. Moore was tasked with laying out the course around the lake on the steep, rocky terrain, but he maintained that it was impossible. There much debate before more land was acquired, and Moore and his wife and young son moved into a small wood and iron shanty where now a bowling green exists, and work began on the course. Amusingly, when only a few primitive holes had taken shape, members started arriving to play the fledgling layout, and Moore’s wife would serve them cold lunches and tea set out on tables in the open – a far cry from what is available today.
Unfortunately, many of the club’s early records have been lost, but we know that in the post-World War II era, another professional, P Watters, was brought in to offer proposals for the improvement of the course. Soon after, Jock Brews (the golf pro at the Killarney Club) was consulted, and in 1948, the club engaged well-known architect Bob Grimsdell to make further improvements; with the help of the resident pro George van Niekerk, the ‘new’ course was completed in 1950.
The list of top golfers that were members here is a long one – the first international amateur was Otway Hayes, winner of the SA Amateur Championship in 1939, and other champions followed – the likes of John Fourie, Comrie Du Toit and more recently, Richard Sterne. The ladies’ section produced one of the finest players of the day in the 1950s and 60s, Jean Tindall, who won the SA Amateur Championship (1961) and five Transvaal Championships. She was also PCC’s club champion no less than 20 times between 1945 and 1972. Golf professionals Sybrand van der Spuy (who has been at the club 35 years) and Athol Dowie (32 years and a former club champion of the club) have certainly played a big role in promoting the game here, where a strong junior section is in operation.
If the Country Club course had to be criticized in its earlier days, it was because it was ‘too soft’ for some tastes. It was never the longest layout around, yet it was always tight enough to grab the better player’s attention. Still, it was decided to call in the Gary Player Design Group to give the layout some teeth, and in 2004 a major redesign was approved. The result of the facelift was a very different course; a few shots tougher and most noticeably, a plethora of penal pot bunkers lay in wait for the errant shot. We are told that these fierce hazards displeased a few members and after nearly a decade, it was decided to remodel them. DDV Design was called in to do the remodelling – some bunkers were closed, and new ones were fashioned. This work has certainly achieved the desired results of penalising the less-than-perfect shots, without leaving golfers in need of a ladder to extricate themselves from these hazards.
This is an honest-to-goodness, real golfer’s layout – there is no gimmickry, good shots are rewarded and if you play poorly, you cannot hope to bluff your way around. But whether you play your best golf or not, there could be no better place to simply spend some time. This is a well-run, premier facility that is highly underrated. This course must also rank among the best value for money – the visitors’ greenfee is modest compared to the quality of experience. While certain clubs have become a bit frayed at the edges during these tough economic times, Pretoria Country Club just seems to get better – this is a golfing treat and it is easy to see why it is so popular.
GETTING THERE
From the N1 heading north, take Garsfontein off-ramp and turn left at the traffic lights onto Garsfontein Drive. Proceed west until a T-junction, and turn right into Dely Road. At the next traffic light turn left into Albert Street, then left into Sydney Avenue. The entrance to the club is on the left.
COURSE
Classic parkland, 6 459 metres, par 72
DESIGNERS
Original architect Clarrie Moore, followed by Jock Brews, Bob Grimsdell and Gary Player
CLUB CHAIRMAN
Leon Howell
CLUB CAPTAIN
Francios Bosch
CLUB CHAMPION
Albert Adams
GENERAL MANAGER
Marius Els
RESIDENT PROFESSIONALS
Sybrand van der Spuy and Athol Dowie
GREENFEES
R350
CONTACT
Tel 012 460 6242/3/4/5.
Email [email protected]
Website www.ptacc.co.za
LIKES:
The pleasing combination of traditional and modern in the clubhouse.
The attention to detail – it’s one of the best-conditioned courses year round.
The birdlife – an amazing number of species for a densely populated area.
DISLIKES
An over-sized, loud banner emblazoned on the clubhouse wall with the name of a cellular network company cheapens an otherwise classy club.
– See more at: http://old.compleatgolfer.co.za/south-african-courses/gauteng/month-pretoria-country-club/#sthash.zbRiIESm.dpuf
