XAMARIN GOLF CLUB
In 2012 I embarked on one of my craziest
golfing adventures yet, playing a round of golf
on each of the A to Z of courses in South
Africa in just 10 days. I was raising funds for a
friend of mine to obtain a prosthesis.
I wanted to pick courses I had never played,
courses that were off the beaten track. Courses
like Jagersfontein and Ulco. I managed to find
courses for 25 of the 26 letters. I had thought
X would be the problem, but Y was the
stumbling block. There is no course starting
with that letter in South Africa.
Before we get to the course starting with X,
let me explain the following. The Khoekhoe
language, Khoekhoegowab, also known
by the ethnic term Nama and formerly as
Hottentot, is the most widespread of those
non-Bantu languages of Southern Africa that
contain “click” sounds and have therefore
been loosely classified as Khoisan.
On the West Coast is a golf club called
Xamarin. Pronounced Gamarin, this beautiful
9-holer is a few kilometres inland from the
town of Lambert’s Bay, which also has its own
golf club. Xamarin in Khoekhoe means “Wild
Animals” and Eland, Springbok, Impala and
Heinrich du Preez is a multiple Guinness world record holder when it comes to
golfing achievements. He was the first golfer to play a round of golf on all six
continents in five days. He plays off 9, and last year had three holes-in-one,
at the Gary Player CC (seventh), Serengeti (15th), and Pearl Valley (third).THE TRAVELLING GOLFER
Zebra graze on their fairways and, sometimes
unintentionally, their greens.
The course is surrounded by beautiful rock
formations and breathtaking landscape and
water features. The signature hole is the par-3
fourth. As with most coastal courses the wind
plays a big role in its level of difficulty. It plays
only 115 metres for men, and 109 for the
fairer kind, but it is stroke 3 on the scorecard.
For most golfers this is a full sand wedge or
pitching wedge.
However, it has a small island green within a
water hazard, played from an elevated tee box
situated among the rocks, and so the prospect
of landing the ball safely on the putting surface
is a greater challenge than you might think.
Hit it thin, and you’ll be in the drink. A duff
will also see your ball end in the water. As will
a draw or a fade. Now you understand why it’s
stroke 3. I landed safely on the green, but had
to aim at least two metres right of the green
and let the strong right-to-left wind assist.
The course reminds me of playing in Scot-
land. Old fences, rolling hills, lush green fields.
And once your round is done the beachfront
seafood restaurants of Lamberts Bay await, with
ice cold refreshments.