Atlantic Beach 26 December 2011

Another pleasant booking experience through lastminutegolf resulted in a visit to atlantic beach golf club. The affiliated fee for playing was a little steep, imo, but there aren’t many courses that have the setting and wildlife that atlantic does, so if you’re into that sort of thing, then it’s well worth the visit, especially if you haven’t played here before.
There are quite a few springbuck scattered throughout the course – we had the pleasure of their escort for the first 3 holes, as well as a visit on the practice green:



View from the first tee: Generous fairway, but landing beyond the fairways will cost you some balls.

Also try and stay out of the bunkers. Much of them have steep faces, which can be pretty hairy to get out of:

Quite a few of the holes have unsighted tee shots. Your only guide is a black and white pole to use as a marker:

The markers are pretty accurate, and I find that the drives are actually better off on these holes – probably something to do with a smaller, more exact target.
The bush a few meters in from the fairway is not very forgiving (as in not at all) – so keep it straight, or you’ll end up doing a lot of this:

The par 3’s are fairly easy, mostly because you don’t have to worry too much about the bush, and from the white markers, most of them are an easy wedge in (120m range).

We were fortunate enough to be playing on a day with very little wind. More often than not, the wind blows quite excessively here, so if you’re playing punch shots to keep it low under the wind, keep in mind that the fairways are very firm, so club down at least one.
There are also a few waste bunkers to contend with:

The course is quite “linksy” – so expect the have a few uneven lies on the fairway:

The springbuck on the course are pretty tame, so remember to bring your camera if you’d like a few rare close-up shots:


The only criticism I have of the course is that a few of the fairways on the back nine resemble more an unkempt sandy lawn, rather than pristine country-club fairway, but given the little rain and beach-front location, its understandable. Given the cost though, and the condition of much improved beachfront course - Milnerton Golf Club – I don’t think that I’d be visiting again too often. It’s definitely worth the visit if you haven’t been here before though.