Founded in 1937 and originally designed by English legend Charles H Alison, the Glendower Golf Club is regarded as one of the finest in Gauteng and is a track that has undergone considerable change during the years. During the 1980s Alison’s greens were reshaped, his water hazards expanded and enlarged, tees moved and bunkers added. The result is a modern test of golf, on a property that is unfortunately a little too tight.

There are some fine holes here, particularly through the more undulating parts of the front nine, but the finish is a touch disappointing and quite clustered. Earlier the par three 3^rd and 6^th across ponds are reasonably good, as are the downhill drive, rising approach through trees on the 7^th and the short 9^th. The best on the back nine is probably the 12^th, which heads diagonally across a creek and is a good risk/reward proposition for most players.

Glendower is a well-routed course, in terms of using the subtle undulation of the property, but a back and forth back nine, some shallow fairway bunkering and a cramped finish keep it from really challenging South Africa’s best.