At 7am on Thursday, the 115th Investec SA Open will get off the mark at the revamped and elongated Stellenbosch Golf Club.
The national open has been co-sanctioned by both the DP World Tour and the Sunshine Tour for every edition barring one since 1997, with a strong tradition of home-grown success continuing via 19 native victories.
Heavyweights in lineup
The field is prestigious – including the likes of South Africa’s own great and five-time winner Ernie Els and 2018 US Masters champion Patrick Reed – the weather, at the time of going to print, magnificent, but then again this is Cape Town, and the prize money, mouthwatering.
Talk to any golf enthusiast about the Stellenbosch Golf Course and there is sure to be at least one story about it being nestled at the foot of the majestic Helderberg mountains, holes that are bordered by the characteristic vineyards of the winelands area and a parklands golf course that meanders through the large trees that frame most holes and where every hole seems distinct and memorable.
I beg your pardon, but these are all clichés. There is more that needs to be told about this course that is across the road for one of the leading universities in the country.
This week marks the second time Stellies will be hosting the Open. The first and last time was in 1999. But that too is not unique. Many courses have hosted the Open – the second oldest tournament in the world – only but once or twice.
The 19th hole
So, you may ask, what makes this track special? If you know a thing or two about golf, you would have surely heard about the concept of the 19th hole, right? Well Stellenbosch Golf Club is responsible for that.
It was in 1919 when players were for the first time allowed into the clubhouse after play, and this happened at this course. The clubhouse was to be affectionately known as the 19th hole ever since.
The Club, on municipal land, has only 116 members. Some of the best clubs need no less than 1000 members to stay afloat. It tells you a lot about this golf club. Maybe, just maybe the political moniker of white monopoly moniker is not very misplaced about this town. But I digress.
In 1999, 27 years ago, a local young man, David Frost, won the title at this club at which he grew up and used to caddie for his father. Much has changed to South Africa’s fourth oldest golf club since then, and that is what the 156-player field will be facing over the next four days.
Lengthened course
The course has been lengthened to play at 6600-odd metres. This makes the course a mere 265-metres shorter than arguably the most difficult course in the world, the Bethpage Black in New York. And yet, Stellies will be playing as Par 70, while Bethpage is a Par 71, which makes this week even more special.
A total of 15 tee boxes have been upgraded, with ten of these built new or reconstructed, and five resurfaced. All 44 bunkers on the course have also been upgraded, and more trees have been planted in strategic areas on several holes.
As part of the upgrades to the layout agreed last year, a dam near the 18th green has also been enlarged to make for an even more spectacular finish and to enhance the strategy on the hole.
As a bonus, two par fives have been turned into par fours, without reducing their length.
For many years, winning the Open also got the winner the exemption to play in the British Open. The stakes have now been raised. This year’s winner will play the Open, in Birkdale, England and the US Masters at Augusta in Georgia.
Louis Oosthuisen is one of the distinguished few who have won both the Investec SA Open and the British Open.
