- Kei Mouth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
A Hole in One: Kei Mouth Golf Course Finds a New Lease of Life
Kei Mouth Golf Course has always been a gem of a course and has, since its inception some 60 years ago, consistently attracted visitors from all over South Africa. It’s had its struggles over the years, but is now enjoying something of a renaissance period under the careful watch of honorary green keeper, Clive Albrecht.
A Legacy on the Links: A Rich History Driving the Future
This country course started out as a 9-hole affair designed by none other than Bob Grimsdell —South Africa’s premier golf course architect and the man behind top-ranking courses like Bosch Hoek Golf & Lodge in the Midlands.
Of course, designing a course is one thing, but building one is quite another. It was Frisby Miles of Rocky Ridge who did much of the grunt work, putting in the first few holes using an old Scotch cart pulled by a team of oxen.
Frisby’s granddaughter, Barbara, also has some fond memories of upgrading the course with her father, Leo. Unlike Frisby, Leo had the benefit of real horsepower and frequently took Barbara along on his tractor as they reshaped fairways and refined greens.
It was approximately 20 years after Barbara bumped around the course with her father that the current club house opened its doors, although in the intervening years, golfers could enjoy some level of hospitality at the original club house situated by the Cwili Bridge at the bottom of the existing course.
At that time, players would start their rounds on the far side of the Cwili Bridge, teeing off from the front lawn of local trader Doug Chemaly’s holiday home, hitting the ball over the bridge and, with any luck, onto the fairway. “It was quite an interesting first hole,” smiles Club Chairman, Brent Jefferies.
Four More Holes Add a New Challenge to the Course
The current club house opened in 1987 — 40 years before the course was expanded from nine holes to 13, which, some experts believe, encourages “golfers to be more free-thinking in how they approach the game.”
That’s not the case in Kei, however, where both resident and visiting golfers remain as focused on scores and handicaps as the most dedicated competitors. The course is seldom played as a 13-holer, with most players setting out with a clear strategy for completing the full 18-hole challenge, typically playing holes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 twice in a round.
Score cards and traditional golfing norms are very much on the mind, unlike with some 13-hole courses which allow golfers to be more creative with shot selection, breaking away traditional golfing norms, and inviting players to focus on the experience rather than scorecards.
Covid: A Swing, a Miss, And a Double Bogey
Despite its length, scenery, and overall appeal, the golf course struggled as much as every other leisure activity during the Covid pandemic. With the clubhouse closed, competitions cancelled and only a handful of players venturing onto the greens, there was little opportunity to raise money for maintenance. And, of course, the greens staff were locked down just like everyone else.
Sadly, this put the existence of the course in jeopardy with funds being so limited that only the original 9-hole course could be maintained. Even then, severe financial restraints meant that the condition of the greens suffered, creating new challenges for the green keeper and maintenance crew.
Inevitably, a course in poor condition attracts far fewer visitors than one in perfect nick, so the members, grounds staff and new honorary green keeper,Clive Albrecht launched a plan of action and over the past 15 months have seen a major turnaround in the condition of the course.
Horses for Courses: Uncovering the Science of the Perfect Green
With East London green keepers, Wayne and Charmaine van Mazijk, on-hand to mentor and advise the new committee, a program of regular verticutting, fertilising and managing pests and disease on the greens has been introduced, along with annual hollow-tining.
At this point, it sounds like a foreign language, but to a green keeper it’s the equivalent of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony! For the uneducated, let me attempt a little explanation.
Verticutting – Revolutionising Grass One Blade at a Time
From what I can gather, verticutting is an alternative approach to mowing a lawn and a long-standing tradition in the upkeep of greens. Instead of using horizontal blades, verticutting using vertical ones designed to remove thatch build-up, giving the grass roosts better access to water, oxygen, and essential nutrients.
Verticutting is said to improve the health and strength of the grass, making the course more resilient and better able to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune… or just the relentless pounding of golf shoes, cart wheels, and the occasional wayward divot.
Fertilising — or the Art of Feeding a Green
As with feeding a small child, there are several approaches to effectively feeding a green. These include spoon-feeding (very similar to feeding a small child but with less mess), broadcasting, banding and drop spreading.
Regardless of which method is used, soil aeration is essential if the fertiliser is to penetrate the soil and be effectively absorbed. As with verticutting, effective fertilisation makes the turf stronger and more resilient to the demands of the game and its players.
Hollow-tining – a Hole in One (or Two)
While you may imagine the only holes in a golf course are the ones you’re supposed to be aiming for, when it comes to maintaining a course, additional holes can prove surprisingly advantageous (although not all golfers agree).
Hollow-tining involves the removal of small plugs of earth, usually between 13-16mm in diameter. This helps counteract the effects of heavy traffic that compact the ground, making drainage less efficient and reducing the grass’s ability to absorb oxygen.
By removing small plugs of turf, hollow-tuning enables the earth to expand, improving its ability to absorb air and moisture. In turn, this makes it easier for the grass roots to grow deeper and stronger, resulting in a healthier, more resilient playing surface.
While some golfers may grumble about the temporary disruption, the long-term benefits include improved drainage, reduced thatch buildup, and a smoother, more consistent green.
A Beautiful Green Takes Teamwork and Tenacity
As you can appreciate, improving, or just maintaining, a golf course involves a lot of work, and in Kei Mouth, which has a team of only four paid operators, it can prove challenging, especially in summer when the grass grows like a veritable weed. To keep up, many of the club’s members contribute financially, covering the salaries of casual laborers, and even roll up their sleeves to lend a hand themselves.
From clearing unwanted vegetation and burning the rough before the growing season to planning future maintenance, and supervising staff, the club’s dedicated members play a vital role in keeping the course in tip-top condition. So successful have their efforts been that the course was looking magnificent and playing beautifully over the festive season, earning plenty of praise from visitors and regulars alike.
One regular visitor, and a member of East London Golf Club who has, he says, “Always been happy to play the lovely “country” style greens and rustic course,” notes this is no longer the case and the greens now exceed the expected rustic country standard. In fact, he added, “they were a pleasure to play on… adding value to an already successful formula.”
Greenkeeper, Clive Albrecht, said that despite the challenges and constraints, it has been extremely rewarding to see what can be achieved on a limited budget. The greens staff have also taken great pride in the course and in the knowledge that locals and visitors alike can see and enjoy the resulting improvements.
Isn't time you played a round or two?
Book your accommodation below and make a weekend of it!