Houghton new and Improved

A visitor to the ‘new’ Houghton, if they had been familiar with the original club, will hardly recognise the place. It may occupy the same real estate, but that is about all. The club now features a new signature Jack Nicklaus layout, a new entrance, a new clubhouse and a very different feel to that of the Houghton of old.

A topic of some debate a few years ago was the reasons behind Houghton falling on hard times, and there is still no clear answer. This club has a rich history, it is situated in one of Johannesburg’s most affluent areas, and at one time had a large membership; in fact there was a waiting list of golfers wanting to join.

The course

The course, a classic parkland layout, was a beauty with a championship pedigree – having hosted no less than eight SA Open Championships. In fact, delving back into the records, it is hard to find any major event that wasn’t hosted there.

The Transvaal Amateur was played there in 1938; the Transvaal Open, then an important professional event, was played there in 1932 and 1946; the National Inter-Club Foursomes, the SA Professional Matchplay Championship – the list goes on. More recently the club hosted the PGA Championship, and it was also chosen as the venue for the Dunhill Challenge – an event that was to be the equivalent of the Ryder Cup, but contested by players from the southern hemisphere.

Over the years, this club was home to some of the most influential movers and shakers, which makes it all the more mystifying why, with these captains of commerce and industry among its ranks, the club found itself in difficulty. In truth, before the ill-fated development deal was sealed, both the course and the clubhouse became decidedly tatty, yet there was always something endearing about the place, and it was, after all, still Houghton.

More than a few older golfers, those who had known and loved this grand old dame, might have cringed at the thought of its hallowed turf being ploughed up to make way for apartment complexes and a hotel, even if Jack Nicklaus was going to remodel the course – it was never going to be the same, and indeed it isn’t.

We are told that part of the grandiose development plan was to incorporate the clubhouse into the hotel, which would have been far from ideal, but after the development failed to materialise, apart from large concrete structures that have been abandoned, the club was given enough money to complete the golf club and to build a clubhouse that is most impressive.

There will probably be those golfers, and even members of Houghton, who might say that they preferred the original course, and there was certainly not a lot wrong with its design. It was first rumoured that all Jack Nicklaus did was turn the course around, and route it from green to tee.

This is not correct, although certain holes follow the original fairways and are indeed played the other way around. The original, mature trees were for the most part left in place, but this is a very different golf course. Besides the completely revised routing, the greens are certainly very different, and have been the subject of some controversy. When the course was opened for play almost a year ago, some claimed that the speed and undulations made them “impossible”, which is perhaps something of an exaggeration.

One must assume that because of the limitations of space (and the course is short by modern standards), Nicklaus decided that the putting surfaces and greens surrounds would be an important part of the course’s defence. The bunkering is also quite spectacular and in places penal, and typical of Nicklaus and other great designers, the player is given all the visual clues needed to plan a strategy, which on this course is not about trying to overpower the layout.

With all the changes to the club have come new changes in management, and the club could have found no better director of golf than Richard Kaplan. A long-time member of Houghton who compiled a stellar amateur record before embarking on a successful professional career, Kaplan is passionate about his club and has worked tirelessly since the relaunch to fine-tune the systems and ensure that members and guests enjoy a great golfing experience. “Jack Nicklaus assured us that he would produce the best possible course in the available space, and I believe that he has achieved this, although there are a few minor changes that we will be making with his permission.” These include softening some of the radical slopes on a few greens and surrounds, and the extension of some tees.

“We may be able to find a few more yards here and there, and by moving laterally in some cases, we will be able to offer some interesting new perspectives to some holes.”

Layout

He also points out that if the new layout has a weakness, it is the fact that three of the four par threes are rather short, which isn’t likely to concern the average golfer too much. (The 7th, 9th and 14th holes play at 162, 163 and 149 metres respectively, with only the 16th, a truly excellent hole, stretching to 210 metres.)

From the club tees there are a couple of par fours where the long hitters may fancy their chances of hitting the green, but for the rest, this course requires finesse, a welcome departure from some modern layouts that require little more than brute strength. It is a fair bet that the vast majority of golfers will love playing this course, even if they find themselves faced with some scary putts, and if anyone can get around here without three-putting they will have done well.

From the opening hole, a beautiful creation that challenges the player to carry a cluster of bunkers and a lake on the right, or opt for the more conservative route to the left, the course continues to offer various ‘risk and reward’ options, and when set up with the pins tucked in some of the more inaccessible areas, it will offer a great test of precision iron play and putting.

This is clearly one of those courses that require a few rounds before coming to grips with the secret of scoring well, and the more you play it, the more you will enjoy it. This is probably the only thing that the old and new courses have in common.

Picture 1

The 3rd hole is one of two reachable par fives on the outward loop, although a recurring theme on the layout is the clever bunkering and imaginative greens that are the layout’s main defences.

Picture 2

The par-four 2nd is the second-longest two- shotter on the course – measuring 463 metres from the championship tee.

Picture 3

A criticism of the ‘new’ Houghton is that all but one of the par threes lack length. The 9th can only be stretched to 163 metres, but the putting surface does allow for some very testing pin positions.

Picture 4: The clubhouse

Houghton’s new, repositioned clubhouse is modern and functional, and offers impressive views of the course, which is hardly recognisable as the grand old layout that hosted so many great championships.

Likes...

• The general layout of the new course – there is a great mix of holes with imaginative bunkering and the best use of changes in elevation.
• The positioning, design and decor of the new clubhouse – lots of light, airy and functional.

... and dislikes

• No honours boards, and apart from a few trophies on display, nothing that celebrates the long and proud history of this club.
• The profusion of blue gums and other alien trees

Fact File

Getting there: From the direction of Johannesburg’s CBD travelling on Louis Botha Avenue, turn left into Osborne Road. The club’s entrance is on the left.

Course: Modern parkland, par 72, 6 724 metres. Bent greens, kikuyu fairways, kikuyu/rye grass tees.

Designer: Jack Nicklaus

General manager: Robbie Richardson

Course Superintendent: Stuart Ross (Golf Data)

DIRECTOR OF GOLF: Richard Kaplan

Club Champion: Mathew Rottanburg

Visitor Greenfees: From R390

Contact Tel: 011 728 7337