Golf at Bryanston Country Club

After arriving back in South Africa for my Christmas vacation, I was really itching to play some golf on one of the many beautiful courses in Johannesburg. Cayman Islands only has 2 golf courses and the one is a 9 hole course that can be adapted into an 18 hole course. So, I definitely do miss my golf when I am on island. South Africa on the other hand is developing into “the world’s next golf paradise” according to the National Golf Network there and there are some 456 courses throughout the country with an estimated 120,000 registered golfers. These numbers are strong indicators of how popular golf is in South Africa.

Any back to Bryanston Country Club. It is one of those golf clubs that succesfully blends the traditions of a gone-by era and the latest golf club trends except that you are not allowed to use your cellphone anywhere on the premises. Which by the way, is a good thing. I have been playing at BCC, which is situated in the leafy suburb of Bryanston in Johannesburg north, for the past 10 or so years as a guest. So, I was thrilled when one of my close friends who is a member at the club, invited me to play in a fourball yesterday morning at the crack of dawn.

I had not played at BCC for more than a year, but I found it still immaculately maintained and relatively inexpensive compared to the Cayman Islands. (I paid a total of US$40 for my round including lunch and caddie fees). A great feature of BCC is the natural beauty of the landscape, the trees and the water features. The food is great and the 19th hole is surrounded by wonderful shady trees, so even if your golf is not that great you can still enjoy the after-play socializing in this beautiful setting. I would recommend a round at BCC to any golf enthusiast visiting South Africa.