Durban Country Club

About the club

The course at Durban Country Club may no longer be the undisputed best in South Africa, given how many great ones have been built since the Nineties, but it is unmatched for character. Having been laid out a century ago on a stretch of coastline just outside the city, Durban has hosted numerous South African Amateur Championships and Opens. The dramatic site, with its towering dunes and crevasses would be perfect for a links, were it not for the lush flora that limits views of the ocean. Owing to its age, the layout now lacks sufficient length for top pros, but the site does not allow for expansion, so the course has been allowed to maintain its classic lines. One could probably fault the par 4 18th, which can very nearly be driven, for ending the round on an anticlimax, though the winds off the shore can make even this hole a challenge.