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Golf is a very popular sport in South Africa.  We’ve produced some top players such as Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Gary Player and Ernie Els to name but a few.
What’s become equally popular over the years is marrying the passion for the sport with a way of life to create residential estates that offer top golfing facilities with magnificent homes dotted around the courses.
Some estates can even boast that they’ve got courses designed by Els and other top players and some lucrative tournaments have been played on them. But are these residential golf estates designed by big names still sought after?
And if you don’t have a golf course on your estate – should you consider adding one on? Here, Estate Living looks at the pros and cons.
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A popular past time
Stephan Thomas, secure estate specialist for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty in Constantiaberg maintains they will always be popular, but particularly so with golfers.
He adds: ‘They are certainly ‘less in vogue’ than they have been in the past.
So, although golf courses are still a popular feature on estates, there has been a move away from traditional golf estates towards lifestyle estates.’
It’s not as vital as it was before. Thomas says: ‘Golf is for a limited sector of society and even they are realising that they don’t have to actually live on the course as long as they are near a decent course.’
Water demands
One of the big things to consider are the irrigation demands and maintenance of golf courses.
According to Hendrik van den Berg a franchisee of Just Property N1 City, a golf course of around 7,000m in length can run use around a million litres of water a day. He says: ‘Maintenance, the staff, condition and the layout – all add up to high overheads.’
Andrea Stevens, a franchisee at Just Property Port Elizabeth adds: ‘Golf courses take up a lot of land that can be used for farming and wetlands instead. Sadly, golf estates use millions of gallons of water every year.
‘More and more South African buyers are becoming environmentally aware of the impact golf estates have and instead opt for estates that don’t have golf estates and estates designated for different lifestyles.’
Hitting saturation point?
There are around 450 golf courses in South Africa, which van den Berg points out is quite high. As a result, he doesn’t believe there’s an appetite to build any more, at least not to a grandiose level. ‘I also do not believe major banks are standing in line to build the next Fancourt or Sun City,’ says van den Berg.
He adds: ‘In the Cape Province, one will see new estates popping up all around you with security and lifestyle their main selling points. The trend would be rather to extend an existing nine-hole course. For example, there are plans to extend Ceres GC to eighteen proper holes and build living units around.’
Lifestyle is more in vogue
While golf estates will remain popular, commentators believe that residential estates that offer a good lifestyle – even if they don’t have a golf course on site – will also be in high demand.
Asked what the current trends are, Thomas says: ‘State of the art security, good internet connectivity, sustainable energy, and open-air facilities such as walks, parks and children’s play areas. Also popular are hiking trails, mountain bike parks, gyms, and creches.’
Work from home (WFH) which is trending because of the pandemic must also be catered for. Thomas explains: ‘Professionals who work remotely are attracted to those estates which have onsite clubhouses which can double as informal office areas where residents have access to Wi-Fi – and coffee on tap.’
Van den berg adds: ‘Mostly, investors and end-users would look for a clubhouse and swimming pools. The fact that an estate caters for pets nowadays is quite rare, and that is a big attraction. 24-hour security is a must. Others may seek frail care facilities. The options are limitless. It depends on where the demand is at the given time.’
