club corner
Taste Of the
south
The Golf Mag invites clubs to reach out to be featured and this month we talk to Bredasdorp Golf Club captain Louw Coetzee
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As club captain, you've obviously got a history with the golf course. Tell us about your journey with Bredasdorp.
I moved to Bredasdorp in 2001 and, being a keen golfer, I immediately joined Bredasdorp Golf Club. Two decades later, when I retired in 2022, I became more actively involved with the club. In September 2023, the Members elected me as Club Captain and I have recently again been re-elected for the coming year (2026).
To those ‘newbies’, does Club Captain mean you're the best golfer at the club or not?
(Smiles) Not at all. I am a very average golfer who has never had a low handicap and I’m currently a 13 handicap. Because I’m retired, I am privileged to be able to play three times a week in the Monday school, Wednesday League and Saturdays.
Being the course closest to the most southern tip of Africa, do you get many visitors coming to play?
Approximately half of the 8 000-plus rounds played per year are played by visitors, mostly during the December festive season and Easter weekend, by holidaymakers visiting resorts such as Struisbaai and Arniston. Throughout the rest of the year the club regularly receives visitors and tour groups visiting Bredasdorp, the southern most point in Africa (Cape Agulhas) and other attractions.
VISITOR GREEN FEES
Affiliated (9 holes) R210
Affiliated (18 holes) R365
Non-affiliated (9 holes) R275
Non-affiliated (18 holes) R500
Affiliated students
(9 holes) R100
Affiliated students
(18 holes) R145
Non-affiliated students
(9 holes) R180
Non-affiliated students
(18 holes) R210
Golf carts (9 holes) R230
Golf carts (18 holes) R380
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How do you ensure the visitor experience at Bredasdorp is memorable?
Bredasdorp Golf Club is a typical country course with country hospitality that offers a round of golf on excellent facilities at a very affordable price. One of the features of the course is the excellent large bentgrass greens There is a restaurant in the clubhouse that is open seven days a week.
What is the structure of your membership like?
The club currently has 241 Members and there are special packages for seniors, ladies, juniors and pre-paid members.
What sort of events have you had at Bredasdorp?
The club hosts an official competition every Wednesday and Saturday which is well supported. The rest of the week the course is open for social play. Sponsored days are regularly held throughout the year. The two biggest days are the Goodwin Day, where the Goodwin and Gert Albertyn Cups are played. This event has been taking place for 55 years. The big social event of the year is when the Boere play against the Dorp. This competition has been played for 44 years.
Do you have any further expansion plans for Bredasdorp?
Yes definitely, there is currently a project under way to develop the 42ha of unused land along the course into a housing project. The first phase will consist of 95 single residential houses. The marketing of this project will begin in December 2025. This development will definitely have a positive impact on the state of the infrastructure. Along with this, the committee is constantly busy making improvements to the course and the coming year will focus on the fairways.
Is there any difference in the way the greenkeeper manages a nine-hole facility as opposed to an 18-holer?
There is no difference in management, it is just the size that is smaller. Because all courses compete to provide an experience to players, a nine-hole course must focus a lot on being attractive and well maintained because they compete with all other courses for golfers to experience.
What is your favourite hole on the layout and what is the signature hole?
My favourite hole is the 17th, a short par four of 287 metres. The view from this fairway is very beautiful with the mountain in the background and many matchplay matches have been decided on this hole. The signature hole of the course is the seventh, a par-five, stroke three. The hole, a double dogleg, lies along a lane of trees and the green is well guarded by two bunkers. As a result, only the brave long hitters take the risk of taking on the green for two.
DISTANCE FROM
Cape Agulhas 36km
Cape Town 186km
George 290km
Gqeberha 603km
Bloemfontein 1032km
Johannesburg 1430km
Durban 1545km
What are the biggest challenges you face as a club?
As with many golf clubs, generating sufficient cash to ensure the course is sustainable is a challenge. Sustainability means covering the annual running costs as well as the necessary maintenance of the infrastructure and the replacement and upgrading of existing machinery. There are two further major issues that the club is experiencing: Firstly, we have the same challenges as the rest of South Africa around security. Therefore, there is a need to continuously invest in securing the club's assets and ensuring a safe environment. Secondly, to ensure that the course is green all year round, the current irrigation system will need to be upgraded.
There's probably quite a gees at the 19th hole. Tell us more.
The stoep area has recently been enlarged and improved. After a round of golf you will always find players on the stoep discussing the round of golf as well as the bets that were won or lost. Because the club is over 100 years old and the current facility more than 50 years, there are many members who have been playing golf here for a long time. Gert Albertyn, at 82, is our oldest and longest member who regularly tells how it worked when he was young. Then there is Hennie Swart, who tells the history and stories of the legends on a regular basis.
CALLING ALL CLUBS
As industry leaders, we at The Golf Mag are committed to being the hub of the South African golfing community. With this in mind, we are reaching out to golf clubs in the country to highlight them in the magazine.
This could be in the form of an interview with the club’s president, executive member, general manager, PGA pro, greenkeeper... anyone you would like us to focus on.
Simply email us on contact@thegolfmag.co.za
CALLING ALL CLUBS
As industry leaders, we at The Golf Mag are committed to being the hub of the South African golfing community. With this in mind we are reaching out to golf clubs in the country to highlight them in the magazine.
This could be in the form of an interview with the golf club’s president, executive member, general manager, PGA pro, greenkeeper... basically anyone you would like us to focus on.
BREDASDORP GOLF CLUB / SUPPLIED
