The Golf Course

The Front Nine

The 1^st Hole - Par 4 Stroke 3. A well-placed drive is required on this challenging low stroke starting hole, avoiding the out-of-bounds and small penalty area on the left. The green is well guarded by a grass bunker near the front and sand bunkers on either side of the green. Don’t overshoot this green as you may leave yourself a long shot back in.

The 2^nd Hole - Par 3 Stroke 7. This green is generally hard to hit from the tee-box, with danger lurking all around you. To the left is out-of-bounds and to the right is a small but strategic penalty area (water). There are also three small and two large sand bunkers dotted all around this two-tiered green, which will also put your putting to the test with its many “unseen” twists and turns.

The 3^rd Hole - Par 4 Stroke 5. A relatively long hole with a slight dogleg to the right. Two large fairway bunkers are situated on the right-hand side of the fairway and a penalty area to the left and which runs alongside most of the length of the fairway. It generally does not come into play, except for the long hitters off the tee-box and those playing a recovery shot from the trees on the right-hand side of the fairway. This lovely large green, which is connected to the 13th green, is guarded by greenside sand bunkers on the left and right. Don’t read too much into your putt, even if you see some turn it will generally stay straight.

The 4^th Hole - Par 3 Stroke 13. A lovely short hole, playing from high above and over a large dam that protects the green from anything hit short or to the right. There is another large dam to the left, high above the green. One fairly large sand bunker is placed at the front and to the left of the green and a second bunker at the back on the right. If the strong south easterly is blowing, you can easily at times take 2 to 3 “extra clubs” here. However, on a calm day and with a yellow flag pin position situated below the slope of this large two-tiered green, it is definitely one of the most inviting shots on the course.

The 5^th Hole - Par 5 Stroke 15. A relatively straight forward long gradual uphill par 5 that doglegs slightly to the left. Beware of the out-of-bounds to the right and stay away from the unforgiving trees on the left. The trees situated on the right-hand side of the fairway can spoil a good second shot so course management is essential here. The green is protected by a large sand bunker situated in the front right, a second bunker to the left and out-of-bounds behind the hole. Depending on the pin position, this green also has some “unseen” turns.

The 6^th Hole - Par 4 Stroke 1. A very long and challenging par 4 where a par is always a bonus. Keep away from the trees on the left-hand side of the fairway and favour the right anyway, as the fairway slopes from right to left. Stay clear of the “Bermuda Triangle” situated to the right of the green, a small tree that can cause many problems. This lovely two-tiered green is protected by a sand bunker on either side of the entrance to the green and any shots running through the green are normally punished too.

The 7^th Hole - Par 4 Stroke 17. A very short hole with a slight dogleg to the left and two well-positioned fairway bunkers on the left and right of the fairway. Keep your eye on the ball if you pull your drive to the left, as it can roll a long way down towards the 14th fairway. Your shot into the green is crucial here and if you are positioned for a bump and run, it is a good option. Anything short or offline will be swallowed up by one of the greenside sand bunkers on either side of the entrance to the green. There is a third but less significant sand bunker on the left of the green, in the middle. Anything long and through the green is normally punished.

The 8^th Hole - Par 3 Stroke 11. If you are going to miss the green from the tee-box, rather stay to the left. Missing to the right may leave you with a few problems. Besides the many trees on the right, which normally do not allow for a high lofted shot, you also have to overcome a greenside sand bunker. There is another sand bunker situated on the left-hand side of the green, towards the middle back but it seldom comes into play.

The 9^th Hole - Par 5 Stroke 9. Your drive off the tee-box is crucial when playing this lovely hole. There is a long penalty area (water) to the left of the fairway and another smaller, but by no means less significant one further down the fairway on the right. Be cautious with your second shot as there is out-of-bounds to the left and an unforgiving fairway bunker to the right. This green, which is also connected with the 18th green is guarded by a huge bunker on the right and another one on the front left of the green. A third but smaller bunker will catch anything that rolls through the green. The out-of-bounds continues to run along and behind the back of the green.

The Back Nine

The 10^th Hole - Par 4 Stroke 6. Another lovely hole where you should try and place your drive on the fairway and avoiding the out-of-bounds and fairway bunker to the right and a penalty area (water) on the left. The penalty area continues its way along the fairway and left of the green. Stay to the right with your second shot, as it normally filters its way down onto this large beautiful green. There are two sand bunkers on the right-hand side of the green, but they do not normally come into play.

The 11^th Hole - Par 3 Stroke 8. This relatively short, amazing and picturesque par 3 is the signature hole of the Margate Country Club Golf Course. It is a celebration to land your ball on this elusive green, but if the northerly wind is blowing it can be an absolute game changer, especially during a medal round. Course management is key here and rather be long than too short. To the extreme right is out-of-bounds but the main danger is the penalty area (water) just short of and below the green.

The 12^th Hole - Par 4 Stroke 18. A relatively short hole with a dogleg to the right. It is all about position here as the downhill slopes heavily to the right, where a few small strategically placed trees await anything that is hit short or slightly right. Out-of-bounds runs along the length of this hole on the right. The fairway then climbs up towards a large green which is protected by a sand bunker on the right front. There are two other less significant sand bunkers to the left, one is short of the green and the other in the middle, but not close to the green. Depending on the pin position it can be a difficult green to read a perfect line.

The 13^th Hole - Par 4 Stroke 16. What could look like a rather daunting hole from the tee-box is relatively straight forward, that is if you stay on the fairway or can play good recovery shots. There are trees on both sides of the fairway and out-of-bounds to the right, as well as a large fairway bunker on the right. Make sure to take enough club in order to clear the ball-grabbing-grass-bunker right in front of this lovely green which is also connected to the 3rd green and protected by sand bunkers to the left and right middle.

The 14^th Hole - Par 4 Stroke 4. The same rules apply here as on the 13th, stay on the fairway and you should be rewarded. There are trees either side of this downhill fairway and two fairway bunkers where the fairway starts to level out closer to the green. The green is protected by three sand bunkers, one at the front right and the others are middle left, below the green. Do not overshoot this green as you will find yourself in trouble. Most lines are relatively straight on this lovely putting green except around the mild slopes at the back right.

The 15^th Hole - Par 5 Stroke 10. A relatively long hole where the two fairway bunkers (one left and one right) do come into play. Your lay-up position is vital on this hole and in the middle of the fairway is best. Do not miss the green to the left as you will generally leave yourself with a difficult chip over one of the greenside sand bunkers, which runs along most of the length of the green. The other sand bunker is on the right front to middle. Depending on the pin position you can get a fair amount of turn on this two-tiered green.

The 16^th Hole - Par 3 Stroke 14. If the strong southerly is blowing beware of the penalty area (water) on the left, which runs along the length of the green and fairway and then in between the tee-box and green. There is a green-side sand bunker to the right and at the back of this fabulous nail-biting putting green. The green slopes gradually from back to middle and then severely from the middle to the front. In this area you must try leave yourself with a putt from below the hole and expect a lot of turn if you are putting from the side of the cup.

The 17^th Hole - Par 4 Stroke 2. The lowest stroked hole on this 9 because of its length. The fairway doglegs slightly to the right and things can get messy from the tee-box if you leave yourself in the trees on the right. Favouring the left is a good idea anyway as the fairway slopes slightly from left to right. Arriving at this large green you will find a sand bunker on the right, running from the front to the middle back and another to the left of the green. Out of all the holes that you do not want to overshoot or run through the green, this would be the one.

The 18^th Hole - Par 5 Stroke 12. An accurate tee-shot is required on this lovely finishing hole. The first half of this downhill fairway is protected by a penalty area (water) on the right, which runs with and diagonally across a long section of the fairway. It definitely comes into play at some point as do the large trees on the right-hand side of the fairway. Once you are over the penalty area, the fairway climbs steadily up towards a beautiful large two-tiered green which is also connected to the 9th green. There is a large greenside sand bunker at the entrance to the green on the left and a smaller and less significant one at the right entrance. A lovely finishing hole which can reward you.

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