Now’s a good time to get in some golf at Durban Country Club
The province's top course will host four important tournaments next year.
As the year races to an end, it’s time to take a peek at the 2018 calendar. There are some exciting opportunities ahead, that’s for sure.
Anyone who is good around Durban Country Club’s famed layout could be in for a cracking year.
The big news is that Durban CC will host the South African Amateur from February 25 to March 2.
That’s the matchplay version, which includes two rounds of qualifying for the knockout stages.
In terms of the local tournaments there has been some change.
The KZN Invitational (February 25) moves inland to Victoria Country Club while the KZN Open Strokeplay (May 4 to 6) will be at Beachwood.
The May date may provide weather better suited to low scoring, but it’s no guarantee.
As per tradition, the David Suddards Trophy will be at Durban CC, on June 17.
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A month later the KZN Closed (July 21-22) moves away from Kloof Country Club for the first time in a long while and will head down the coast to Selborne Park Golf Club.
Following this four round tournament, the team for the South African Interprovincial will be announced.
The KZN Amateur will take place at Durban CC from August 22-26.
Like the KZN Open, this also counts for SAGA points and so attracts many top players from around the country.
Victoria CC will get to host its second tournament of the year when the Maritzburg Open is played there on October 14.
Those are the six ‘city’ events in the province which take place every year.
Then there are the six sub-union, or country districts, events.
These are as follows: Northern KZN Open at Dundee GC on January 21; East Griqualand Open at Kokstad GC on February 4; Midlands Open at Boschhoek GC on March 11; Zululand Open at Eshowe Hills on May 27; Ilembe Golf Federation Open at Prince’s Grant on July 1 and Southern KZN Open at Selborne Park GC on November 11.
Kokstad GC will also (finally) host the annual KZN Country Districts Interzone tournament.
Two years ago the drought rendered the course too dry while this year it made sense to play it at San Lameer CC, which hosted the South African Country Districts tournament.
There have also been some substantial changes to the league format.
Premier and central will still be played in two pools, but now with teams playing each other home and away.
That will mean a lot more travelling but there’s no doubt it’s a fairer system.
Winners of the pools will face off in a final.
While there’s still some fine-tuning to be done, the Premier league pools look likely to be Mount Edgecombe CC, Durban CC, Kloof, Maritzburg GC and Toti in one pool and Cotswold Downs, Northern KZN, Umhlali CC, Royal Durban and Durban CC ‘2’ in the other.
* Malcolm Mitchell (Kloof CC) has climbed a spot to number two in the SAGA rankings after another top five finish, this time in last week’s Harry Oppenheimer Trophy at Maccauvlei.
Mitchell had scores of 69, 68 and 71. The final round was not completed due to a storm.
Garrick Higgo (Boland), who won the event, is currently number one.
Byron Coetzee (Cotswold Downs) was tied for ninth on scores of 70, 73 and 68.
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