One of Cape Town’s golfing treasures, the exclusive Erinvale Golf Club is nestled in the middle of the Erinvale Estate in Somerset West, at the foothills of the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland Mountains. These majestic mountains and views of the ocean make this golf course a popular choice.
This Gary Player designed course has been the host of the World Cup of Golf in 1996 and South African Airways Open championships in 2003 and 2004.
History
In 1988, a Pretoria based property company, Bester Brothers owned the property and intended to develop it into a high-density 1200 – stand suburb of Somerset West, the likes of which they had being developing for years in the Transvaal.
As the area was then zoned and bordered a nature reserve and two historical farms, this type of development was’t popular in local circles. One of the neighbors, David Gant, the owner of Lourensford Estate, decided that the only way to ensure an appropriate development was to buy the farm and develop the land himself.
He invited Ian Player, South Africa’s best-known environmentalist at the time to view the area. At Ian’s suggestion he contacted Gary Player, Ian’s brother, with the idea of developing a residential golf course. Despite not being a regular golfer, Gant no doubt knew about the success of the few other golf estates in South Africa at the time.
Gary came, was suitably impressed, and soon after the decision was made to construct the first golf estate in the Cape Town area.
On Saturday, 27 May 1995, two years and six months after the launch of the development, the clubhouse and the 18-hole Gary Player designed golf course was officially opened.
This Gary Player designed course has been the host of the World Cup of Golf in 1996 and South African Airways Open championships in 2003 and 2004.
In 1988, a Pretoria based property company, Bester Brothers owned the property and intended to develop it into a high-density 1200 – stand suburb of Somerset West, the likes of which they had being developing for years in the Transvaal.
As the area was then zoned and bordered a nature reserve and two historical farms, this type of development was’t popular in local circles. One of the neighbors, David Gant, the owner of Lourensford Estate, decided that the only way to ensure an appropriate development was to buy the farm and develop the land himself.
He invited Ian Player, South Africa’s best-known environmentalist at the time to view the area. At Ian’s suggestion he contacted Gary Player, Ian’s brother, with the idea of developing a residential golf course. Despite not being a regular golfer, Gant no doubt knew about the success of the few other golf estates in South Africa at the time.
Gary came, was suitably impressed, and soon after the decision was made to construct the first golf estate in the Cape Town area.
The Opening
On Saturday, 27 May 1995, two years and six months after the launch of the development, the clubhouse and the 18-hole Gary Player designed golf course was officially opened.
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