It was the late 19th century and the game of golf was starting to boom.
The surge in popularity was thanks in large part to the Industrial Revolution. The 1850s expansion of the Scottish Rail network beyond its primary cities meant tourists from England were exposed to a broader array of Scottish pastimes and this included, of course, hacking around little white balls on many of its now famed links courses.
The bug started to bite.
Courses were - gradually and then rather rapidly - commissioned across England. In 1880 there were 12 courses south of the Scottish border but by 1900 that number had grown by 20X. Naturally, this boom started spreading across the British Empire.
Port Alfred - along the central South African coastline - began life in the early 1820s as two small British settlements on either side of the Kowie River. By 1841 the river mouth had been canalized allowing high-masted sailing ships to dock at its wharf. In 1860 Queen Victoria's son Alfred visited the area and the two settlements were given the combined name of Port Alfred in his honor.
The idea of golf in Port Alfred had been mused for a few years and finally kicked off in 1907. After a failed attempt to get a Local Council grant, five locals met at a house to plot out a plan to lay out a privately funded course. The five were made up of three local hotel owners and two doctors, with the outcome of the meeting being a commitment of £20 each to build a 9-hole course and form a club.
The founders were spoilt for choice when it came to good golf ground. The coastline has expansive rolling dune fields for hundreds of kilometers in either direction. Land was secured to the west of the Kowie river on top of the dunes with expansive sea views.
Whilst the terrain and soil was perfect - the thick coastal bush on the site must have posed a bigger challenge than your average Scottish pasture with gorse. After extensive clearing (and surely many snake encounters ) a 9-hole layout was constructed with shell-grit greens. Arthur Gray, an English pro golfer who won the SA OPEN twice visited the site for a week in 1907 from Port Elizabeth and commented:
"The site is a picturesque and excellent one, commanding beautiful sea and inland views. At once it strikes one as a fine natural site for a Course. It is entirely covered with springy turf on a sandy soil, with natural bunkers. There is much variety. I consider the Course is the most sporting I have seen in this country, and should be included as a Championship Course.
In about two years time there will be turf greens here; meanwhile, blue ground or shale greens are being prepared. I have no hesitation in stating that if the promoters are willing to spend sufficient money on their venture it will be a first-class Course, unequalled in South Africa."
I cannot disagree with Mr Gray's thoughts on the site. By 1908 a full 18 holes was laid out with the help of Laurie Waters (who would later design Royal JHB West and Durban Country Club) and in 1916 its clubhouse was constructed. Several royal family members visited in the 1920s eventually resulting in King George bestowing the “Royal” title on the club on 6 February 1924.
The course held the South African Open in 1922 and became a very popular destination for holiday golf. Over the years its undergone a few renovations but the original routing and layout has not changed much.
The Course
Royal PA is a seriously friendly establishment. From the moment you drive through the historical gates, it is the sort of place that makes you feel instantly at ease. Some of that is the simple Eastern Cape charm but it's also full of energetic staff and members who all seem to have a "hell it's good to be alive" attitude. If you arrive in a sour mood - it should almost certainly be gone by the first tee.
That warm feeling should be prolonged when surveying the initial challenge of the first hole which is the perfect "gentle handshake". An arrow-straight short par 4 it's a great way to ease into a round. At least, it should be. But the OB down the right seems to be a ball magnet for tight-muscled swings.
I'm certain a few of the homeowners down this boundary line have the pro shop on speed dial. Up near the green you're introduced to the small rounded bunkers found across the course. They seem innocuous - but often have large catchment contours and are well-placed.
The high point of the course is the top of the ridge in the north-western corner and the 2nd hole is one of three (2nd, 15th and 17th) uphill par 4's that traverse up this hill. It's easily the most interesting of those 3 and has shades of the famed 17th at Durban Country Club with no clear lines visible from the tee and a dramatic large hollow in front of the green.
Aptly named Hippo's Bath - the second shot is a fun test of distance control, particularly if there is any sort of wind. Once again though the fun can be severely limited if you've got a case of "The Rights" off the tee - anything remotely pushed or sliced will happily sail over the tight boundary fence.
This is absolutely not a blow-by-blow of every hole - but there is just no way I can omit the 3rd at Royal Port Alfred.
And that is because it was my favorite.
Standing on the tee box of the short, par 4 3rd hole one immediately feels slightly uncomfortable. The hole plays towards the sea with the crest of the fairway at 150m obscuring the rest of the hole which is slightly downhill and to the right. The best line is just right of the range stick visible from the tee. A 200m first shot is ideal and leaves less than 100m in.
One of my favorite bits when playing a new track is the anticipation of the unknown. The feeling I had when cresting the 3rd fairway was easily the best payoff of 2022. First, the ocean horizon comes into view, and then the pushed-up green site - almost as though it is floating on the water - appears. The hole is named "Thalassa" - a greek word defined as the "female personification of the sea". Very fitting.
You wouldn't think that you were still 800m from the shore break - from an approach shot distance there appears to be nothing between the green and distant ocean. It's a dramatic reveal and one I will never forget thanks to the dawn cloud formation and sun rays over the ocean that day.
The fourth hole plays back towards the 3rd tee and is another short 4 with bunkers at the green protecting wayward drives. The 5th hole is unnerving (and I still honestly don't know where to aim). It's a big downhill par 4 with a blind tee shot. The poles are guidelines (I think?), Maybe I need to hit it straighter.
The 6th hole is an ok uphill Par3 - never my favorite. But the Par 5 7th hole is another beauty. It's right at the bottom of the course and the only hole with coastal bush on both sides of the fairway. It's a beautiful, simple Par 5 that rolls over the gentle dunes. For faders - the drive is a bit uncomfortable with the ground all sloping away towards the right. But there is enough space on the left to aim up towards the rough on the left and let gravity (and your fade hopefully) take the ball to the centre.
The second shot asks a good question. Are you comfortable hitting a long wood or iron to the blind green? You need to know the line well here as two bunkers await short right and left. The more relaxing play is a shorter iron to the top of the ridge setting up a wedge of sorts.
The greens at RPAGC are flatter and slower than most modern courses - but run very true. Designed in an age when 7 or 8 on the stimp was standard - this also serves to keep the ball in place when the wind really gets up. Many visiting golfers (including myself) take a while to adapt to not only this pace but the grain. There is a myriad of techniques in reading grain - and it's worth going over these as RPAGC has plenty of spots where it impacts the break enough to induce some head-scratching.
Halfway beers (and optional breakfast) are after 8 holes and the rustic hut has a good view of the fun, downhill par 3 8th. The back 10 kicks off with a par 5 which is easier than it appears from the tee. There is ample room to the right and if not playing into the wind is a good birdie opportunity.
The 10th hole plays up and across the hill and could have been more thought out in design in my opinion with 90% of balls all ending up in the same spot off the tee (right rough). The par 3 11th is probably the best green site on the course - with a punch bowl green tucked into the dunes and surrounded by beautiful coastal bush. Perhaps there could be more forgiveness created here by shortening the grass short and right allowing the punch bowl to do its thing.
The tee shot of the par 12th hole is fun from an elevated position and offers great views of the ocean and clubhouse. The layout loses a little bit of momentum over the next 3 holes and on a hot, windy day it can be a bit of a grind up to the 16th tee. Perhaps that is because the 14th tee is so close to the bar you can HEAR the beers opening.
The stroke 1 16th is probably the highlight of the closing holes and - into the wind - is a big par 4 where bogey is not a family shamer. The par 5 18th offers a friendly farewell handshake and once again some final mystery by playing over a subtle rolling dune obscuring the green. Members know to aim well left of this green to avoid trouble on the right, using the contours to bring the ball home.
If the wind, sun, and grainy greens have done a number on you - your mood will once again be lifted by the friendly staff and members inside the clubhouse where a large quart of beer can be washed down with some comfort food. Members play a lot of golf here and have some stories that may require more than one quart.
Royal Port Alfred is not the sort of course that you HAVE to play more than once.
But you should.
It's a track that has a simple, timeless feel about it - revealing more subtleties each time you go around.
Thank goodness for those Scottish trains and the golf addiction that followed.
With thanks to Royal Port Alfred Golf Club and Juan Pretorius for use of some aerial images.
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