Dainfern

The 18 holes of the Gary Player and Phil Jacobs-designed Dainfern layout are actually a reworking of the old Fourways course that was originally laid out on the property. The centerpiece of a large residential development, the course is situated in a valley close to Randburg, a northern suburb of Johannesburg.

The Jukskei River runs through the 750-acre estate and it comes into play at several points during the round, most notably between holes 7 and 11 and on the final two holes at 17 and 18. Sometimes water skirts a hole (like at the par three 11th) and other times the river must be crossed (such as at the long, tough par four 7th).

At the signature par five 8th, golfers play their tee shot to a split fairway on the other side of the river, only to find that – a few hundred yards along the other bank – they must return to the original bank via a semi-blind, short to medium iron approach shot over a small hill to a generous target, guarded by sand to the left.

Ernie Els won the 1992 South African Masters at Dainfern, the year after the course opened for business. Before its demise in 2011, the SA Masters was one of the national “Triple Crown” golfing events, along with the SA Open and SA PGA titles. Only Ernie (1992) and Gary Player (1979) ever won all three competitions in the same year.