The Woods and The Lakes
The Club's Older Fairways
Sid Brews designed the first course in 1935–36. Today's Woods, on Estate One, retains its tree-lined parkland character following a substantial renovation by Hugh Baiocchi in 1992. Mature trees can obstruct a second shot even after a drive reaches the fairway. The thirteenth climbs toward a green with a lone tree influencing the preferred line of approach. Farther along comes the sequence the club calls Amen Corner: holes fourteen through sixteen.
The fourteenth is a par five whose green is guarded by water. The fifteenth is a par three played across a dam, and the sixteenth requires another carry over water from the tee. The final two holes remain demanding, with an elevated seventeenth green and water near the eighteenth. At par 70 and about 5,885 meters from the yellow tees, The Woods is the shorter of the two courses. It is worth asking which course is being booked when reserving a tee time.
Across Pani Dam at The Lakes
Designed by Daysen, De Villiers and Van der Merwe and subsequently improved by Matkovich Design, The Lakes opened in 1997. Its rolling fairways follow indigenous vegetation and the large Pani Dam. At the par-five eighth, the fairway curves around the upper dam. Golfers can take the shorter line over water or select a more conservative route. The ninth, rated stroke one, continues beside the dam near the Watershed Café.
The Lakes measures about 6,024 meters from the yellow tees, according to the club's current specifications. It has its own clubhouse facilities and scorecard.
Choosing a Round near Umhlanga
Mount Edgecombe is convenient for hotels in Umhlanga and Durban North, though course allocation and membership competitions affect visitor times. Summer on the North Coast is humid and afternoon storms sometimes halt play; the cooler months are easier going. For an extended private golf vacation or one of our KwaZulu-Natal tours, African Sky can book either course and confirm the time before the itinerary is finalized.
Around the Northern Durban Coast
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Birdlife beside the Estate
The water and vegetation at Mount Edgecombe attract waterbirds, including fish eagles around Pani Dam. The Watershed Café overlooks part of the lake. A late lunch here gives companions a view of the course without following the golfers for eighteen holes.
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Farther North toward Ballito
The N2 runs north through sugarcane country to Ballito. Zimbali Country Club lies on the way, and its closing holes pass through indigenous coastal forest. Each club takes its own bookings and sets its own visitor conditions. Heading south instead, the dune fairways of Durban Country Club follow the coast near the mouth of the Umgeni River.
