Oubaai

Oubaai is situated some 7kms from George Airport on the coastline of The Garden Route at Herolds Bay. Oubaai Golf Club is a Championship Golf Course designed by 3 times Major Championship Winner Ernie Els. Els himself has placed Oubaai as his favorite course in the world. The Golf Course is a Links layout where veld grasses line the lush fairways and greens. The elements, predominantly the wind, play a role in the defenses of the course; the course being a coastal golf course. However you will find generous fairways off the tees but in the spirit of the course these are well bunkered to penalize any stray or ill considered drives. The greens are in excellent condition and roll smooth and true. They are set up normally to run at 10 on the stint meter but the ability to speed them up is readily available for tournament days. Oubaai is a course that will reward the well executed shot and penalize any wayward shots in the true time honored tradition of a championship golf course. The course measures 6516 meters from the Pro tees. This is long for a coastal course, but the design and placement of tee boxes allow all levels of handicap golfer the opportunity to extract a respectable score given patience and good course management.

The layout of the course is traditional Links (that is 9 holes out and 9 holes back). This has enabled the Club to offer a unique two tee operation, the first being an exclusive member’s only area on the 1st tee and a visitor section on the 10th tee. Each area having its own clubhouse for golfers to enjoy the tranquility and benchmark golfing experience offered by Oubaai.

The layout of the golf course demands the full gambit of shots needed to score well. The course has 5 Par 3’s and 5 Par 5’s. The par 5’s are all genuine par 5 as shape of the hole and bunkering persuade golfers to lay up… or of course go for broke! The 5 Par 3’s are crucial to good scoring, they vary in length so club choice will differ on every hole as distance and wind condition come to bear, all greens are well bunkered and elevation cleverly used to increase the thought process required on each tee shot. The most photographed hole on the course is the Par 3 17th where the green is below you and framed by the ocean which influences you to you to short club. The short distance of the hole of 144 meters from the back tee and the downhill elevation of the hole can offer a false sense of security however it is prudent to remember the 4 bunkers guarding the green and with the breeze coming in off the sea that can add up to an extra 3 clubs on those special Cape South Coast days! All of a sudden you are looking at a much smaller target! It does make the hole even more memorable if you lucky enough to sight a whale the Indian Ocean during your time spent in this corner of the course.

Tel: +27 (0)44 851 1234                                Fax: +27 (0) 44 851 1235

Email: golf@oubaai.co.za