Parkview Golf Club

The emphasis is purely on golf at Parkview Golf Club. This may sound patently obvious, but many clubs today offer other sports such as tennis, bowls or squash. There is also often a preoccupation with restaurants and dining, as well as functions and corporate days. At Parkview, everything is centred on golf. You play your round and afterwards you talk about your superb birdies and the unlucky bogeys at the 19th hole. A strong, common interest prevails and there is a deep sense of camaraderie among the members. The club boasts one of the few 19th holes in South Africa where it is not necessary to remove one's spikes. This affords one the real luxury of being able to proceed straight to the bar after completing a round. The idea behind this is to have a quick drink before showering and this promotes a relaxed, friendly atmosphere in the pub. Formalities are forgotten and the golfer is encouraged to linger - spikes or no spikes. The course itself forms a long and very narrow green belt in the beautiful suburb of Parkview north of the city centre, with Greenside on the western boundary.

Give or take a few degrees, 9 holes run in one direction (more or less north to south) with nine parallel holes facing the opposite way. The course is therefore little more than two fairways wide at any point, but it is more than 3 kilometres long. A canal runs through the middle of the course, neatly splitting these two 9-hole stretches. On almost every hole there is out-of-bounds on one side, and the canal on the other. This sounds ominous but Parkview, always in excellent condition, is not a particularly demanding test. The holes are not long, while the course is scenic and easy to walk. It's fun to play. However, a couple of strategically placed ponds, which lie just short and to the right of the green, trap a high percentage of approach shots.

The course has beautiful and well-maintained kikuyu fairways and bent grass greens.