A quaintly classical, coastal gem
 

It was Leighton Hulett who first developed this beautiful stretch of coastline, which was then known as Sea Vista. The original course, completed in 1975, started life as a nine-holer, one of the last laid out by the legendary course architect Bob Grimsdell.

The original holes bear all the Grimsdell hallmarks: small greens, relatively generous fairways and bunkering that would not exactly strike fear into the hearts of players. Of course, in this part of the world, the wind is known to blow a bit, and although this course has never pretended to be a fearsome championship test, it has always been more difficult than it appears.

One wonders how, in its earliest days, the tiny permanent population of St Francis Bay might have kept this nine-hole course going during the off-season and, even during the height of the holiday season, St Francis Bay was one of those carefully guarded secrets with a cluster of holiday homes – all of the distinctive white-walled, thatched variety that remain the architectural theme of the village today. But things change, and as this charming hamlet grew, so did its charming course.

Extension

In 1997, the decision was taken to extend the course to a full 18 holes, driven by demand during the peak season. Danie Obermeyer was commissioned to design the new extension and the club undertook to do the construction work itself – a major project which cost the princely sum of R1 million. This money was raised by selling life memberships – a total of 60.

Obermeyer, who is known for his several projects including collaborations with Gary Player at Fancourt, his redesign of the Mossel Bay course and, most recently, the new Kingswood Golf Estate course that bears Sally Little’s signature, did a fine job of the extension. It is never easy to tack on new holes that blend with an original design philosophy, but he managed to do this rather admirably – on land that was less than perfect. (A million rand, 10 years later, does not buy a club one new hole much less nine.)

The success of this extension and the very existence of this club today is due solely to the spirit that exists among the active members – and of course the annual pilgrimage of holidaymakers to this popular place. St Francis has a permanent population of around 4 000 people, which swells to around 30 000 or more during peak season. Many of these holidaymakers love nothing more than to play this course – and who can blame them?

For starters, a visitor to the club is likely to be accosted by one of the local ‘super salesmen’ in the car park, a fellow who guaranteed me the best car wash available in the town. (I didn’t have the heart to grill him on the pros and cons of his opposition, or whether indeed there was another car valet service in the town, but I gave him the nod anyway.) Equipped with all the necessary paraphernalia, he set to work on my car, and indeed he proved to be as good as his word.

On entering the clubhouse, one is immediately struck by the cozy ambience of the place and, although the modest structure was recently revamped, it has none of that cold, recently-tarted-up feel to it. It still has that honest-to-goodness, ‘lived-in’ vibe about it – a place where friends might meet, and strangers might make new friends. The service is welcoming and efficient, the food is superb and very reasonably priced and the bar, which overlooks the course, is a place where one might easily spend far too much time.

The course

The course is what this club is really all about and, while not without its quirks and imperfections, it is still a beauty. It happened to be raining the day of my visit, but such is the character of this course, it didn’t matter. Nor could a howling gale possibly detract from the joy of playing this layout. In fact, in calm conditions, rare though they are in this area, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

With its par of 71 (five par threes) and measuring a mere 5 882 metres, it might seem hopelessly short, but forget about this being little more than a test of the pitch-and-putt. The better players will have to keep their wits about them and the handicap golfer had better learn to ignore what the yardage suggests and play sensibly.

Particularly if players happen to be a tad wild off the tee, this ‘little’ course will make them look silly. Any golfer hoping to make a half-decent score around here will be called upon to hit a range of shots – from knock-down punches to carefully controlled shots that either ride the wind or are shaped according to nature’s whims.

I was interested to hear what James Kamte, who learned his golf here, had to say about the course: “I believe that if I was going to play full-time in Europe, I should spend a lot more time playing here to prepare myself for the conditions – the course is a great test.” Kamte, a multiple winner on the Sunshine Tour who has earned his playing privileges on the European Tour, is a member of St Francis Links, but still clearly loves his old club. “It was a friend of mine, John Thompson, who helped me get started and I owe him and St Francis Bay Golf Club a lot,” he says.

Kamte, who played off a plus-one handicap here before turning pro, has the distinction of having entered the club championships three times, and winning on every occasion – in the face of some serious competition. One of the players he narrowly beat on two of these occasions was Compleat Golfer’s national business manager James Ferrans, an accomplished golfer who also makes no secret of his love for this club. “I have been a member of St Francis for more than 15 years, and I never tire of the course. Every time I play it the layout throws up different challenges. The membership is also made up of a very special group of people,” he says.

A handful of dedicated individuals, led by general manager Margie Dolgoy, run this club, and a fine job they make of it. The community bands together and supports various functions held here: Friday-night dinners are not to be missed, and most months there are special shindigs held, from beer fests to St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The Calamari Classic is also one of the club’s red-letter days, a festive affair that is always oversubscribed. No visitor to the Eastern Cape should ever pass up an opportunity of visiting this course – they just don’t make them like this any more.

Picture 1

The 12th qualifies as a ‘short and sweet’ hole that punishes the slightly wayward tee shot and, although it measures only 309 metres, it is worthy of its stroke rating of 4.

Picture 2

The 2nd is as good a driving hole as one might find and, at 388 metres and played into the prevailing easterly wind, it’s no pushover.

Picture 3

The 6th hole, which at 463 metres would seem to be easily reachable in two shots, is still a testing par five that plays much longer than its distance suggests.

Picture 4

The short 17th normally plays downwind, and stopping the ball on the putting surface is no easy task. At full stretch it is only 148 metres, the second shortest hole on this delightful course.

Likes...

• The down-to-earth, friendly feel of the clubhouse.
• The blend of holes, mostly short but with an abundance of character. This layout has soul.

... and dislikes

• A little remote, but well worth the effort of making the trip from either Port Elizabeth or Knysna.
• The lack of penal fairway bunkers.