Ernie’s first signature

The early days

Ernie Els began his love affair with the Garden Route back in 1991 after sharing a house with some friends during the first Sunshine Tour event that was played at Fancourt. (The tournament was the Fancourt Hall of Fame – won by DeWet Basson.)

Ernie’s father Neels bought a home in Herold’s Bay, and Els junior later acquired a stand in front of his dad’s place.

Of course when the Big Easy found fame and fortune as one of the world’s most successful tour players, his holiday getaway in Herold’s Bay became prey to keen celebrity spotters, who would park their cars near to his home hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

It was appropriate, and perhaps inevitable, that the former world No 1 would design a golf course in this region, and it was a wonderful tract of land that he was given to work his magic. I recall speaking to Ernie’s brother Dirk about this project long before I first visited Oubaai, and he stressed the fact that this course had helpings of the ‘wow factor’ to spare. Ernie himself is clearly proud of what he has achieved here, and well he might be.

If an upcountry, Western Cape or international golfer believes they will visit Oubaai and get to play a soft, user-friendly resort course, they can forget it. Yes, the layout does have Nicklaus-type, generous fairways, but when the wind blows and if players believe they are up to the challenge of playing from the championship tees, they had better bring their ‘A’ game.

I have to admit that when I first saw the course, it didn’t exactly blow me away – we had, after all, been spoiled with a plethora of new courses all over the country, and Oubaai was at best in the middle of the new pack. Perhaps because Pinnacle Point was one of these newcomers and one couldn’t help comparing these two coastal layouts, Oubaai was seen to be a sort of toned-down Pinnacle. Let’s be fair – Pinnacle Point’s drama did make Oubaai seem rather tame.

But a few years later, Pinnacle Point began to lose points because of some rather thoughtlessly positioned homes that dominated backdrops to holes and really spoilt some of them, and the course’s conditioning also took a step backwards.

Oubaai, in the meantime, continued to get better. But in the early days, after seeing those truly gobsmacking cliff-side holes at Pinnacle down the road in Mossel Bay – so beautifully groomed, then visiting Oubaai, where a building site greeted one near to the entrance for a long time, it was probably not a fair contest.

The course also had more than its fair share of water challenges, and there was a period when expensive municipal water had to be piped in to keep the greens alive. Since then the irrigation problem was solved, the construction work has long since been completed, the course has matured, and everything about the place is impressive.

Team work

The Els design team had teamed up with the Jack Nicklaus squad for this job (using Nicklaus’ basic office infrastructure rather than the actual designs of the course architects), and certain aspects of the design do resemble the basic fundamentals employed by the Golden Bear, but there is no question that Els himself fashioned the routing and the holes, and he made a great job of it.

One must believe that environmental constraints prevented Els from going to town building holes that overlooked this rugged coastline, and one must assume that when it came to apportioning land for the golf course and choosing home sites, the developer claimed first pick. Still, flowing between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Mountains, the holes here have a very special character, tie together well, and particularly for a coastal course, the large putting surfaces are immaculate.

I love the way that it was decided to build five par fives and five par threes, a departure from convention that works perfectly. (One day somebody might be brave enough to do away with par fours altogether for a particular design – a notion that might shock the purist, but a course with nine par fives and the same number of single-shotters would be fun to play.)

Oubaai is marketed as a ‘traditional links’, but this could be queried, as the lakes and general feel of the course is nothing like the true links masterpieces found in Scotland and Ireland, but that is simply a matter of semantics.

The layout certainly has strong links influences, with swales and run-off areas around the greens complexes, and naturally shaped fairways, but I think of it as a proudly South African coastal golf course very different to others, and one that is devoid of gimmicks.

I would imagine that one would never tire of doing battle with this course, and, with its multiple tees and ever-changing weather conditions, it is sure never to be boring.
I must admit that I never quite got the idea of having two clubhouses – one reserved for members with the great sea views, the other where visitors can hang out wishing that they were privileged enough to be accepted into the more important society.
It is good to see that this has recently changed and both members and visitors now use what used to be the members-only clubhouse.

It is obvious that Els, an international player who has jetted around the world playing and winning in so many different countries, has made a careful study of the countless courses he has played. It is also clear that having played in umpteen pro-ams, Els has come to understand the limitations of many of his ‘ammie’ partners, and he wisely considered the playability of this course, accepting that few golfers in the world can strike the ball the way he does.

Another plus is that, unlike other newer golf estate courses, the distances between greens and tees are not overly long, and the course can be comfortably walked. At his best, the designer of this course has proven over the past two decades that he is unbeatable, and his course in one of his favourite places in the world also takes some beating. Depending on the time of the year, it is likely that a visitor can see Els playing a social game with some of his friends – rather unusual, as many designers attend the grand opening of their creation, collect their sizeable cheque and are never seen again.

Picture 1:

The par-four 5th hole measures only 377 metres, but is one of the toughest holes on the course, mainly thanks to the thick rough on the right and strategically placed bunkers waiting to catch any drives hit too far left.

Picture 2:

The signature 17th hole looks really easy from the tee-boxes high above the greens, but coastal winds always play their part and make it much harder than it looks.

Picture 3:

The 176m par-three 6th hole is played across a deep gorge and offers superb views of the Outeniqua mountain range.

The clubhouse:

The modern clubhouse blends in perfectly with the environment and provides stunning views of the Indian Ocean and the 18th green.

FACT FILE

Course - Par 72, (five par fives, five par threes), 6 516 metres

General manager - Jaco le Roux

Director of golf - Gavin Woodroffe

Club professional - Lehan Albertyn

Course superintendent - Louis Jonker (Golf Data)

Club captain men’s - Anton Nel

Club Captain ladies - Trudie Schreiber

Greenfees - From R595 per person, including golf cart

Tel: 044 851 1234

Email: golf.oubaai@hyatt.com

Website: www.oubaai.co.za

LIKES

• The interesting, modern architectural theme beginning with the attractive stonework at the entrance gate, continues through to the world-class hotel and the homes for the well-heeled.
• The risk-and-reward element that is brought into many of the holes – a good example being the 18th, which is one of the best finishers one can find anywhere.
• The course’s proximity to the town of George, a historic place with really friendly people. It’s also only 10 minutes drive from George Airport.

... AND DISLIKES

• The winter weather in this part of the country – it can be glorious at times, but expect wind and rain. The summers are a different matter.