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Oubaai Golf Club

In designing the Oubaai Golf Course, the first Ernie Els signature course in South Africa, Ernie Els and his team have taken full advantage of the spectacular landscape of the Western Cape. Oubaai was designed with its philosophy rooted in flexibility; the course itself has been sculpted in accordance with the landscape, ensuring that the surrounding environment is enhanced and not hindered. The result is a lush stretch of land that is framed by the magnificent Outeniqua Mountains which hover in the distance, while the Gwaing River Valley winds a vicarious route just below the course. The course is a traditional Links layout where veld grasses line the lush fairways. Oubaai is exposed to the wind, and the opening three holes are pure links design in terms of their look, creative mounding, bunkering and run-off areas. Golfers have wide fairways at which to aim though, and the challenge lies more in the approach shots to relatively small greens. 

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Fairways at Oubaai are generally wide with large landing areas but don’t think this makes it an easy course to score on as strategically positioned fairway and greenside bunker complexes deftly increase the degree of difficulty. Two interesting aspects of the design are firstly the out-and-back routing – due to the clubhouse being positioned close to the ocean – and secondly that there are five par 5s and five par 3s. The closing hole tees off high above Oubaai Cove, where ships used to offload cargo more than a century ago. It is an unusual boomerang-shaped dogleg left par 5 in front of the clubhouse. The bold line for the second shot is across the corner of a deep bushy ravine.

 

Course Designer

Ernie Els
 

Feature Holes

The par 5s are all strong holes, from the back tees each of them at least 500 metres. Water guards the green of the 12th. The par 3s are a varied collection, from the signature hole, 141-metre 17th from an elevated tee to a narrow green which looks as if it’s built on the edge of the ocean, to the daunting 189m sixth played across a ravine.

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Practice Facility

Full-length range at estate entrance, close to Oubaai Hotel & Spa. At the clubhouse there is a short-game area and separate putting green.

Course Summary

  • Five tees / Par 72

  • Yellow 6446 metres, CR73.6/134

  • White 5987 metres, CR70.7/125

  • Green 5747 metres

  • Blue 5380 metres, CR67.9/117

  • Red 4768 metres, CR64.6/107

  • Women’s blue, CR74.2/124

  • Women’s red, CR70.0/115

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