Glendower Golf Club

If you are planning a trip to play golf in Gauteng, you will quickly figure out that the region is packed with old-school parkland tracks. But if you ask locals where you absolutely have to play, Glendower Golf Club in Edenvale usually tops the list.

Opened back in 1937, it doesn’t have the modern, manufactured feel of the newer residential estate courses. Instead, you get a pure, traditional golf test. The par-72 layout is defined by thick kikuyu fairways that give you a great lie, but the massive pines and weeping willows bordering them mean you cannot just spray your driver everywhere and expect to find your ball.

I always warn people about the water here. It comes into play on 11 of the 18 holes, and it isn’t just decorative. The par-5 2nd hole, for instance, forces a really uncomfortable carry over a hazard right off the tee. The bentgrass greens are excellent but heavily bunkered, and if you end up above the hole, you’re in for a stressful putt.

It’s easy to see why Glendower hosted the South African Open so many times, including a long stretch from 2013 to 2018. It’s arguably the most legitimate championship test among Golf Courses in Gauteng. Even with the distance boost you get from the Highveld altitude, the course will eat your scorecard if your iron play is sloppy.

Off the course, the clubhouse drops the pretension you find at massive country clubs. It’s just a solid, traditional spot to grab a drink after your round. You aren’t paying for lavish spa facilities here. You book Glendower Golf Club for the golf, and it rarely disappoints.