OMG!

"Top Roomies" - Stephen t. & Paul Van R.

So we drove 5 hours to get to our next golf course, Simola Golf Club - needless to say we were all getting pretty restless on the bus. As we approached drove inland from the the ocean we started climbing up the mountain for about 6 or 7km through what looked like quite a poor area. At the top of this mountain we found an elegant housing complex with security gates. Rapidly we jumped in our golf carts (compulsory, later on you will understand why!) and headed to the first tee. And that's when we went OMG......from there on the beauty of the scenery and the golf holes was literally breathtaking.

Not being a golf expert but having played many courses in my life, I have to say I have never seen anything like this! The golf course was built on the side of the mountain and it has some downhill holes where the hang time for the shots feels like a few minutes long! Designed by Jack Nicklaus, this golf course is totally playable and fair despite its 'craziness'. The precisely located bunkers will catch errant shots and you need to know how to read the mountain-side greens - they can be quite deceptive and fool you into believing it is an uphill putt when it is totally the opposite.

It was the "4BBB Roomies" competition and the second last round of the the "Garden Route Road Runner" event for the tour's first half. So,with such an interesting course, who dominated the field? Well I believe the skills acquired playing the Old Course at The National will serve you well on a course like this.  And yes, it was a proud National member, Paul Van Ryn, who claimed victory (with 43 points on his own) with a total of 51 points with his roomie partner, Stephen T. Excellent score boys and a well deserved win!

We arrived quite late to the Fancourt Resort but, even at night, it looks stunning. After a quick bite in the restaurant everyone headed to the rooms for a much needed rest.

The ladder has changed and tomorrow we will be playing the Links Course at Fancourt. this is where the new, artificially high handicaps will be needed! This course was the host of the Presidents' Cup a couple of year ago and promises to be quite challenging. With the "Garden Route Road Runner" title up for grabs and a few people cramped at the top of the ladder, the competition will be fierce!

View of some of the holes of the Simola GC taken from the Club House