Simola

The Jack Nicklaus designed Simola opened in 2005 – only the third Golden Bear signature course in South Africa – and it sits majestically on a wooded landscape overlooking the Knysna River, with the Outeniqua mountain range in the background.

The course is parkland in nature, unusually configured with five par threes and five par fives, and it’s routed between two valleys that are divided by the Simola Ridge. The opening hole and numbers eight to eighteen overlook Knysna Heads and Lagoon and the remaining holes, on the other side of the Ridge, enjoy great river views.

“The story of this resort/estate course high up in the hills above Knysna has been a long-running saga,” wrote Stuart McLean in the book he co-authored with Jamie Thom entitled South Africa’s Greatest Golf Destinations. ”While the dreams of one man were shattered, others have triumphed in getting Simola to where it is today,” continued Stuart in this brief edited extract.

“Jack Nicklaus was involved from the beginning in 1995 when original developer Ola Grinaker presented his vision of what he wanted to accomplish on his farmland but ten years were to pass between Nicklaus first visiting the site and the final opening of the course.

The dream became reality in the early days of the golf estate boom when Nicklaus signed for a $1million design fee, plus expenses. Two years later, the development was bankrupt, following a deluge of rain in 1996 that washed topsoil of the estate into the Knysna Lagoon, creating an environmental disaster.

Simola was liquidated, with debts of R51 million. After standing idle for five years it was bought at auction for a fraction of that amount by Avril Kaschula of Kat Leisure. Crucially, with the help of Golf Data – original partners with Grinaker – he got Nicklaus back to complete the course.”

One of the best holes is played early in the round at the short par four 2nd. This dramatic hole is played from a tee perched high above the fairway and from this vantage point, all seven fairway and greenside bunkers can be viewed, allowing golfers the opportunity to plan the best two shot route to the target.