The Milnerton Golf Course is located at a distance of 8km from Cape Town’s city centre and is one of the best Golf Courses in South Africa. For the guests of Atlantic Breeze Guest House, the distance is just 2km.
Milnerton is a spectacular golf destination. One can experience breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Rietvlei River, and the city, all whilst playing a round of golf.
The course was founded in 1913 as a 6-hole course. The last renovation took place in 1995, the redesign being done by Mark Miller from Golf Data. The new design incorporates some real estate into a part of the golf course, thus providing funds for the renovations.
This seaside course comprises of 18 holes, par 72 and has hosted many world-class championships. The Milnerton Golf Course is built on sea sand and is probably the only true links course in South Africa. The layout is rather short by modern standards, being a little over 6000 metres when played from the tips, but its challenge lies in the fact that this course is rather flat and windy. Especially the summer playing conditions make this course hard to claim when the South Easter wind, popularly known as the Cape Doctor, comes into action. There is a famous example of an American golfer, Calvin Peete, who called it a “Mickey Mouse course” after he scored 63 on the first day of the SA Masters. The very next day, Peete was introduced to the Cape Doctor and struggled to manage a score of 83 on the same course.
Milnerton is a typical links-type course, and the golfers play the first 9 holes out along the coast, have a meal at the Halfway House, and then play the last 9 holes back towards the clubhouse.
The initial 9 holes tend to play with the wind at the player’s back. There is a double fairway between the 1st and 18th holes. The Milnerton course opens with four straight par four holes. The tee-boxes on the 3rd and 5th holes lie almost on the ocean shore.
The 6th hole is famous for the lawsuit by one of the residents of the houses to the right of the 6th fairway. The reason was that stray golf balls were causing damage to the property. It cost close to a million dollars in legal fees to the club, and the hole had to be changed from a short, tricky par five to short par four.
The 7th hole is a par three, while the 8th hole runs along the Rietvlei River. This par-five hole is undoubtedly Milnerton’s signature hole with wetlands on the left and a hazard running along the right of the tee.
The 9th hole is a par four and has been ranked as the hardest hole of this course.
The 10th hole is a par five and has to be played against the prevailing headwind. What follows is a fine stretch of challenging holes that put a golfer’s skills to the test.
The 13th hole is deceptively difficult and has a lot of water coming into play around the green.
The last three holes constitute the perfect combination of a short par four, then a reachable par five, and finally, a long par four.
What makes this course unique is the sound of waves breaking on the shore only a few metres away. With each tee you can experience a fresh panorama across to Table Bay or to the “Mother City “- Cape Town and Table Mountain as a superb backdrop. During the winter months, dolphins and whales are a common site from the oceanside holes. Nature lovers can also indulge in bird watching as the bordering river attracts flocks of water birds.
Visitors are welcome here except on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, and the club is closed on Christmas Day. The Milnerton Club offers facilities like Pro shop, golf buggies, a Championship standard course, clubhouse, Halfway House and a driving range. There is a popular family restaurant on the golf course premises, Maestro’s on the Beach.
For Fees and bookings, visit Milnerton Golf Club
We are happy to arrange a round for you or on your behalf schedule a golfing break of your choice, just tell us what you would enjoy and we shall arrange for you.
