For those who know me, they will know the perils I had to go through to finally play Paarl, not due to the management but simply due to the weather, the 4 previous occasions I tried to play the course, it was completely rain soaked and the course was actually closed. Alas! 5th time lucky I was able to actually get on the course, it was well worth the wait. My playing partner and I were playing holes 1-9 and 19-27, for those who don’t know Paarl actually has 27 holes on the Boschenmeer Estate. Even though I shanked my opening shot just far enough to clear the water, I was not discouraged thanks to the beautiful surroundings of the course.

The first 9 holes we played (1-9) were quite challenging, with tree lines fairways and water in the most annoying places, but if you play smart (as opposed to the way I played) you will easily be able to keep the ball in play and hit the greens. The holes are not super long nor super short, I would say about medium length holes in general on the course. The day we played the course was rated 70.

The second 9 holes we played (19-27) had a more open feel, not as tree lined but challenges based on hazards and tee shot placement in order to attack the greens. There are some beautiful views of the surrounding mountains on this 9 and I was constantly gazing around just taking in the sights.

Aside from the golf, the service was excellent, there was a friendly starter there indicating where we need to tee off and when we were due on the tee. The half way house food was good value for money as well, as some of you may know playing golf at fancy courses sometimes also means paying R30 for a pie, but thankfully this was not the case at Paarl. We were one of the first groups off so pace of play wasn’t an issue with us and we rarely waited at all.

I give Boschenmeer a 9/10 as I was impressed with every aspect of the course, for R79 its an absolute bargain.

Technorati Tags: Golf, Boschenmeer, Paarl

But anyway, seeing as I am up extremely early with time to burn thanks to my new girlfriend I shall use the time constructively by doing this highly anticipated review (ok just kidding, but here it is, seriously).

Before playing at KD I had heard very good things so in my mind a picture of beauty and scenery was painted. On arrival at KD you are greeted by the friendly cats that are looked after by the club halfway house.

Anyway on to the golf, we started on the 1st tee, the course is very ‘what you see is what you get’ with very little trickery around the place. As I was advised on the first tee, I will not go a round at KD without visiting the trees, this was not an incorrect statement at all, as I visited them regularly

I’m not sure if they are repairing the course at that moment but some patches on the fairway were very bad, but luckily were marked as GUR, which is not always advantageous sometimes having to go well back to find a spot to place! That said, the fairway is always better than the rough at KD as you can get some very interesting lies in the thick, wet, juicy rough around the course.

There is little water at KD which is good for the water-phobes out there, so fewer balls than usual will suffice for your round. In addition, the course isn’t very long as I managed to not use my driver (don’t ask) the entire round, with no difficulty reaching any of the par 4′s. My only ‘issue’ with King David was the distance markers, if I was not playing with members from the club it would have been a complete puzzle as the 150m markers are measured of a palm tree on each fairway which is highly confusing for a first timer.

I would definately recommend King David to friends as it is close by and not too expensive to play but it is by no means a perfect golf course (is there such a thing?).

I give it a 6/10

I was supposed to be playing golf at Boschenmeer (Paarl) Golf Club today but sadly for me the golf for the day was called off because of heavy rain and winds. I was ready but the green’s keeper wasn’t!

So with my new found spare time here is my review of the Bellville Golf Club.

I decided to play Bellville as it is very close and wasn’t too expensive. I wasn’t expecting much but was very happy when I got there, the greens were in good condition and there are some interesting holes.

The course isn’t very long but has some extreme dog leg holes which if a player wants to use the longer clubs will need to make sure he can shape it around corners and such.

The course is very slopy/hilly and one finds that you don’t have an even stance for most shots (even from the fairway). Home course knowledge would be serious advantage because it was clear to see from my playing partners, they knew exactly where to bounce the ball to make sure it gets the desired result.

Just a warning, if you have seriously tired legs, like I did from gym, think twice about playing at Bellville because its like climbing up and down a koppie/mountain

I will definately be playing Bellville again as its affordable and the members and hospitality was excellent.

I give it a 7/10.