THE St Francis Bay Golf Club is renowned country-wide for its warm hospitality and great club spirit, which has been the essence of the club over the years.
For all golfers, especially those visiting the Easter, the opportunity to visit St Francis Bay Golf Club for a couple of rounds should not be missed.
The club, overlooking the ocean, was originally a nine-hole course designed by Robert Grimsdell, who also designed courses such as Mowbray, Durban Country Club and Hans Merensky CC, and funded by Leighton Hulett in 1975.
In December 1976 the first committee was elected – the first Chairman was the late Buller Pagden – and the club was named The Cape St Francis Golf Club”.
In the early 1980s the village changed its name to St Francis Bay, and the club likewise became St Francis Bay Golf Club.
During this period the course was also developed from sandy to lush fairways and greens (exclusively Poa Annua) to achieve its acknowledged status as the best nine-hole course in the Eastern Cape and as South Africa’s best kept secret.
The course has undergone many changes since the original Grimsdell design was developed by Maxwell Hulett, the most significant which was the construction of an additional nine holes in 1999.
The par 71, of moderate length, provides a challenge and breaking par on this “thinking” course is going to prove to be quite a challenge.
Fail or succeed there’s always the 19th to work out just what happened.
