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SOUTH COAST HERALD - NOVEMBER 1954
New Southbroom golf course is
culmination of great ideal
Tomorrow, Saturday, November 6, 1954,
will be a great occasion in the history of Southbroom
and, indeed, the entire Natal Lower South Coast. It will
mark the official opening of Southbroom's new eighteen
hole golf course, a "lung for posterity" which
epitomises the progressive spirit of the men who have
developed this magnificent township which today can
justifiably claim to have one of the finest layouts on
the South Coast of Natal.
COMPLEAT GOLFER - OCTOBER 2007
Most playable golf courses in
South AFrica
Southbroom tops the list !
This short but interesting course is
loved by all who have played it, and what it lacks in
championship credentials is more than made up for by its
character.
COMPLEAT GOLFER - AUGUST 2006
Course of the month - Short but
very sweet
Southbroom is something of an
institution. One of the most popular 'holiday' courses
on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast, it is visited by
thousands of local and foreign tourists each year and
the course continues to garner new devotees. John Botha
explains why:
In an era when so many new courses
are being built, each employing modern construction
techniques and fashionable designs, the message from
golfers is clear: most of these courses are simply too
long and too tough. That a course such as Southbroom
remains so high on golfers' hit parades proves that
longer is not necessarily better.
This course cannot be
stretched beyond its modest proportions and it doesn't
pretend to have any fancy defences against the modern
golf ball and equipment. The greens complexes are not
fashioned into weird and wonderful shapes, or designed
to bedevil even the most proficient players armed with
lobwedges. Nor are the putting surfaces shaped,
contoured and speeded up to confound players who naively
believe that after hitting a reasonable shot onto the
green, they should be able to hole a putt. It is obvious
that golfers enjoy spending time on a course where sheer
power is of little importance and, while equipment
manufacturers and modern course designers continue their
battle to outdo each other, the vast majority of players
play the game for fun, and Southbroom certainly offers
this in generous helpings.
But this charnming course, as
short and user-friendly though it may be, is not a
pushover by any means. And contrary to what its lack of
length might suggest, it doggedly refuses to be beaten
into submission.
It is interesting to note that most
golfers agree on what should constitute a great test of
skill and very few disagree that the likes of the Gary
Player Country Club, Durban Country Club, Glendower or
Royal Johannesburg and Kensington's East course should
be ranked among the best championship courses in the
country. But not every golfer particularly likes playing
these giants, and when a cross section of golfers are
asked to list their 'favourite' courses as opposed to
what they might consider to be the 'best', a very
different set of names emerges. It is always a good bet
that Southbroom will invariably feature on lists of
courses that golfers love playing.
Few golfers actually
consider all the factors that influence a course's
ranking, but most are clearly influenced by three
important factors: location, condition and design, and Southbroom excels in all three of these departments. And
most golfers, for good reason, dislike a high
frustration factor i.e. having to pull off their Sunday
best shots to avoid losing a ball, tramping about in
knee-high rough looking for balls, and generally finding
themsellves engaged in a battle to survive the round
without feeling like a rank beginner.
Southbroom's location, on the aptly
named 'Golf Coast' which runs south of Durban, is one of
the best, and the climate that this region enjoys,
described as a 12-month summer, is perfect for golf.
Subtropical temperatures and high
rainfall figures mean the courses in this region are
lush all year round, and Southbroom is always found to
be in fine fettle. The design, which relies heavily on
the use of water for its challenges, is sympathetic to
the average player's abilities without insulting them.
And this would seem to be the key - this is no 'Mickey
Mouse', pitch-and-putt layout - it has some wonderful
holes that require accurate ball-striking, yet the high
handicapper will not come off this course wanting to
give up the game.
The opening hole sets the tone - a
straightforward, 324-metre par four that has water down
its right side. The 2nd, only 10 metres longer,
continues to lull the player into believing that there
is not too much to it, but missing the green could
create problems, particularly if the approach is too
long. The 3rd hole is an exceptional par four, with
out-of-bounds guarding both sides of the fairway, and
played into the prevailing southerly wind this two-shotter
seems a lot longer than its measured 369 metres. The
approach over water to the interestingly shaped green is
never easy and a par here leaves one with a real sense
of achievement. The next hole (the 4th and the first of
the par threes) is one of the most beautiful holes to be
found anywhere. With a magnificent view from the Indian
Ocean, only 114 metres separates the player from the
green, but with a stiff south-easterly wind blowing this
can be a very elusive target indeed. Every course should
have at least one tantalising short hole, and they don't
come better than this.
The 5th is one of the par fours that
beg to be driven and at 255 metres it is well within
range. But like all the holes here, it is never a good
idea to blaze away with abandon, because a slight mis-hit
could lead to disaster. The 6th, the first of the par
fives, is certainly reachable in two, but the sloping
fairway and a green that is well-guarded and has a
stream to the right puts just enough doubt into a
player's mind. The 7th is one of the stronger par fours
that demands a good approach to a green that is
protected by water, trees and bunkers, and the 8th is
another great par three played from an elevated tee that
demands a precision iron shot. The closing hole on the
outward loop is perhaps the finest of all - a tight par
five with water running the length of the hole and,
although reachable, it holds all sorts of perils for the
less-than-perfect approach.
The homeward nine is another
collection of playable holes that have unique
characters, and at no time does one gain the impression
that any hole was simply constructed to get the player
from point A to point B. The 10th is another of those
par fours that seems to be too short to really present
problems, yet still demands a sensible tee shot and a
good approach to a three-tiered green. This is followed
by another fine par three, which is invariably played
with a crosswind which makes things interesting. Two
more par fours follow - each quite different and both
offering just rewards for accurate play. The 14th,
measuring 185 metres, is the longest of the par threes
and certainly one of the best holes on the course. The
15th and 16th are relatively simple holes to negotiate,
as long as the fairway is found from the tee, and then
somewhat unusually, the round finishes with a pair of
par fives - each reachable, but neither a guaranteed
birdie opportunity. Both are tight and both require very
precise tee shots and approaches.
On paper, this course does seem
pitifully short. The longest par four, the 16th,
measures only 370 metres, and there are three par fours
that are less than 300 metres long. None of the par
fives can claim to be genuine three-shotters and, with
the exception of the 14th on a windy day, the par threes
hardly strike fear into the heart of a relatively
confident ball-striker. The point is that this course is
far greater than the sum of its parts. Any golfer
getting around here in nett par figures (bearing in mind
that the course is rated 68 for men and 70 for women)
has played well. There is too much water, the bush is
far too thick and the greens too cleverly protected for
any player to get away with poor shots.
I once had the
pleasure of playing a round here with Denis Hutchinson,
who never misses an opportunity to extol the virtues of Southbroom. That day 'Hutchie' gave me a lesson on how
restrained, controlled golf pays dividends on a layout
like this. It is a pity that more courses like this are
not being built - courses that reward the thinker and
put the power-strikers in their place. I love Southbroom,
but then again, who doesn't?
Golf Digest - SEPTEMBER 2005
100 Greatest Courses - No 63:
South Coast Charmer
Southbroom Golf Club not only exudes
a special charm which makes it one of the most popular
courses on the KZN South Coast, but a dynamic committee
has taken it to a new level.
If we were to have a special category
called charm when ranking golf courses, then Southbroom
Golf Club would be up there near the top of the list.
Tucked away on the Lower KZN South Coast, this is an
attractive course with a unique ambience, unusual for
South Africa in that it's an integral part of the
village scene.
In these days of golf courses which
are fenced off from their neighbourhoods, usually for
good security reasons, Southbroom is refreshingly
different in an old-fashioned way. You leave the main
South Coast road and drive through a quiet upmarket
residential village. Down near the ocean, squeezed in
among the narrow, twisting roads and the houses is the
golf course, meandering around the area like a spacious
public park.
It's a bit higgledy-piggledy in
places, but it all works a treat, with the golf club a
visible part of community life, the pride and joy of its
members who come from all over the world to be a part of
this setting. Golf Digest equipment guru Frank Thomas
visits from America every December to stay in his home
near the course.
From the clubhouse you have to cross
a road to get to either the first or the tenth tee, or
to pop into the tiny pro shop where club professional
Derek James and his wife Sheena add to the friendly
homespun atmosphere that has always been associated with
Southbroom's laidback attraction.
James is just one of many people at
Southbroom who show a singular passion and enthusiasm
for the golf club. These attributes have taken
Southbroom from strength to strength over the last 10
years, transforming this “holiday course” into an
ever-improving challenge to play. It has become one of
the favourite stops for tour groups from all over the
country on South Coast excursions, being great value for
money, and flattering to the handicap with all its short
par 4s.
Southbroom welcomes visitors at all
times. You must book times in advance. Phone 039-3166-051.
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Derek
James, the Teacher of the Year, has spent 11 years at
Southbroom Golf Club on the KZN South Coast. The first
PGA professional to win both the Club Pro of the Year
(2002) and Teacher awards, he is a former Springbok and
SA Strokeplay champion and won eight times on the
Sunshine Winter Tour.