Clovelly

Cape Town, Western Cape

Rankings

Address177 Clovelly Road, Clovelly, Fish Hoek, Cape Town, 7975, South Africa

The course at Clovelly Country Club is set in the Fish Hoek (Silvermine) Valley a few miles south of Cape Town. The course dates back to 1934 and was originally laid out by Dr Charles Molteno Murray (he was responsible around that time for a number of good courses, including Royal Cape and George).

The Silvermine River comes into play at the moderate length but rather tight Clovelly. The layout is routed among the sand dunes and a number of other water hazards in the shape of ponds create further challenges where accuracy rather than length will pay dividends.

There are a number of tight drives at Clovelly and one of the best is the par four 4th with a stream and out-of-bounds on the left. A pond guards the green focusing the mind for the approach shot.

With spectacular mountain views, False Bay and the ocean as a focal point, it’s no wonder that Clovelly was one of Bobby Locke’s favourite courses.

In this brief edited extract from the book he co-authored with Jamie Thom entitled South Africa’s Greatest Golf Destinations, Stuart McLean writes:

“This is one of the Cape Peninsula’s most scenically attractive and aesthetically pleasing courses. It oozes charm and character from the moment you arrive at the attractive clubhouse and look down from the terrace on the course below. You tee off next to the clubhouse, with challenging drives into the valley.

Clovelly’s advantage over other Cape courses is its relative remoteness, the quiet and solitude of playing here, and the natural surroundings – the Silvermine River that borders the property, sand dunes, indigenous bush, all overlooked by a rugged mountainside.

There is a lot to be said for courses like this one, where golf shots requiring accuracy and finesse, couched with an element of risk, are more rewarding than power. That is why they remain popular. The only drawback is that Clovelly is extremely busty in the summer.”