Kloof

In 1926, a 9-hole course was established at Kloof with members playing on ground leased from the landowner, Tom Field. It’s thought that SV Hotchin extended the original layout into an 18-holer a short time after this, when he visited the country to work on other courses such as East London, Humewood and Port Elizabeth.

A road was run through the course in the late 1940s which resulted in the loss of several holes so this meant some more of Mr Field’s land was used by Bob Grimsdell to replace the lost fairways. Peter Matkovich then remodeled the course again in the mid 1990s when he created five new holes and re-laid all the greens to USGA standard.

Arranged in two returning loops of nine, the tree-lined fairways at Kloof stretch out over an undulating landscape that’s known to locals as Kwazulu-Natal’s “mist belt.” Some criticise the course for being too short by modern day standards though golfers playing the 485-yard 10th might take exception to this comment at that par four, at least.

Best holes here include the short par four 3rd, played to a water-protected two-tier green and the spectacular long par four 14th (“Space Ride”), where the fairway sweeps down to a green placed on the edge of a big escarpment.