Kloof Country Club
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The Kloof Country Club is a private club located on one side of Kloof, a leafy suburb of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
It has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, squash courts, a cricket oval, swimming pool and conference facilities.
[edit] History
The idea originated by Tom Field, who owned the land on which the course would be built. More than 50 enthusiastic golfers formed the Kloof and District Golf Club in 1926 and entered into a lease agreement with Field. This involved the club paying a modest rental to the owner of the 50 acres, on which he had ploughed out 9 holes, and he retained the right to graze his cattle on the course. Field's Hotel served as the meeting place, watering hole and function venue of the club in the early years, and the club's membership swelled to 223 by early 1928. (134 of these members were Country members - those that lived beyond a 10-mile radius of the course.)
In 1929, the famous Stafford Hotchkin was contracted to prepare a proposal to extend the course to 18 holes. Hotchkin, a retired colonel, had teamed up with Major Hutchinson and Sir Guy Campbell to form one of the great triumvirates of golf course architecture five years before, and their work is still held in the highest regard today. Their best-known creation is probably Woodhall Spa, home of the English Golf Union and a course that is consistently ranked in the top 10 in England and in the top 50 in the world. Hotchkin, during his visits to South Africa, also left his mark on such courses as East London, Humewood and Mowbray.
During 1940, the club was told by the National Roads Board that a new road was proposed that would run through the course, lopping off at least three of the holes. The proposed plan for the road was shelved during the War years, but soon after the hostilities had ended, the construction of the road went ahead despite vehement protests from the club. The problem of losing holes was solved by more of Mr. Field's land being made available, and indeed it was soon after the "road issue" that Kloof Country Club came into being, with tennis courts, a cricket oval and squash courts. A redesign of the course was needed, and this task was entrusted to Bob Grimsdell, which he completed in 1951. We are unsure of how much of Hotchkin's work was left unchanged, but it must be assumed that Grimsdell didn't rework the holes that formed part of the original layout. Since then, Peter Matkovich was commissioned to make further improvements where necessary, which included the reconstruction of the greens and their surrounds, planting them with bent grass. This was completed in 1995. Kloof and Champagne Sports Resort are in fact the only courses in KwaZulu-Natal to have bent greens, (soon to be joined by Cotswold Downs in Hillcrest).
Part of Matkovich's brief was to create space for a driving range, which involved some tricky shuffling of real estate, but the end result was a fine practice area and an improvement to the general layout.
[edit] The golf course
Kloof's course could be criticized for being a little short by modern championship standards, but considering that the total area of 150 acres includes a cricket oval, tennis courts and a large clubhouse complex, the 18 holes fit well without seeming to be cramped. The course in fact has a wonderful feel - and the mature trees and superb conditioning making for a truly enjoyable experience. The routing may be a little quirky in places, and the configuration of three par threes and two par fives on the outward loop, with two par threes and only one par five coming home, is also unusual. With the exception of the 10th, a wicked par four of 441 metres, the course does lack bite, but on the positive side, one is unlikely to waste time looking for balls, as the rough is cut at a sensible height, and the trees are punishment enough for the wayward shot. As with all good parkland layouts, the holes are all well-framed and it is easy to devise a strategy from each tee. It is also apparent that the course staff here takes pride in their work, and for general housekeeping the course earns full marks.
The course's lack of a sophisticated water reticulation system is certainly not noticed in this high summer rainfall area, and even during the drier winter months the course remains in good condition. (Kloof lies at some 600m above sea level, and the pumping of municipal water from the reservoirs at Pinetown does present logistical problems.)
The exceptional holes here include the 3rd, a short par four (323 metres) with a lake guarding the front of the green. Although requiring only a long-iron off the tee followed by a wedge, this hole ranks as the second toughest on the course, its severely sloping green adding to its difficulty. The 14th is a truly spectacular hole, a par 4 that sweeps down offering a dramatic view beyond the green. Played into the prevailing wind, this hole can be really tough, requiring a long iron into the green with an out-of-bounds fence lurking on the right.
But it is the 10th that really gets one's attention - a hole that is well worthy of its stoke 1 rating. Formerly played as a par five, a solid tee shot will still leave a long shot to a green that is well bunkered, so the approached cannot be run onto the green. Once on the putting surface, even in regulation figures, par is not guaranteed as the severe slopes are the cause of many a three-putt.
