Houghton

Houghton Golf Club was first established back in 1926 and for over 80 years it has been considered one of the very best parkland courses in Johannesburg. The South African Open was held here eight times between 1951 and 1992 and the club hosted the Alfred Dunhill Tournament (successor to the PGA competition) between 1996 and 2004. Sid Brews was the national golfing hero before Bobby Locke (winning the South African Open eight times) and he was pro here for 35 years, beginning the year after he was runner up to Henry Cotton in the 1934 Open at Royal St George’s.

In a move which stunned many in the South African golfing fraternity, Houghton recently sold their clubhouse to a property developer for the construction of apartments and a hotel and signed up for the complete refurbishment of the golf course to a Jack Nicklaus Signature layout – now that’s radical!

In 2011, the Golden Bear officially visited his new signature course here at Houghton Golf Club, although the course actually re-opened in 2009. According to the club: “The new design at Houghton is not brutally long, especially given the rarefied air of the Highveld. In order to defend the golf course from the longer hitters strategically positioned bunkers have been used extensively to catch the wayward drive, thus making club selection essential. The new greens have been contoured with rolling undulations and subtle slopes to protect the integrity of the course.”

Nowadays, the course extends to 6656 metres from the back tees, playing to a par of 72, with holes laid out as two returning nines. Notable holes include the short part three 7th (with the green set next to a pond and a bunker positioned further to the right to catch over-cautious tee shots), and the tough, left doglegging par four 12th, where the green sits behind another intimidating water hazard.