Set in a very central area - about 15 minutes from the Waterfront and Cape Town's International Airport - Mowbray is a parkland course, which provides an excellent test of golf. The terrain is flat, but plenty of trees and water features make for an interesting experience, with the beauty of the mountain and abundant wild life dominating the scenery.
A significant feature of any coastal course is, of course, the wind. This is where Mowbray is unique, in that the holes have been so laid out that you will seldom find yourself with the wind directly in your face or right at your back. Also, believe it or not, the wind in Pinelands is seldom as severe as in other parts of the peninsula.
Members generally appreciate the wind, as the "windy season" coincides with the summer, keeping the heat at bay. The rainy season is in the winter - in the months of June through August but strangely enough, most wives of members have come to believe that it never rains on the golf course! Certainly, golf is very much a year round activity here and it is seldom that the course has to be closed due to excessively wet conditions.
Both fairways and greens remain soft throughout the year. The fairways consist predominantly of kikuyu grass while the greens are paspalum which provide an excellent putting surface. Experiments with pure bent grass have not been successful, so the indigenous grass family variety is now being "managed", with more than satisfactory results.
While the course is not particularly long, the golfer will find Mowbray a real challenge. It is generally accepted that the S A Golf Union ratings of 71 from the back tees and 69 from the front make it about 2 or 3 strokes more difficult than average. Don't let this put you off, however. If you hit the ball straight, you'll do well and even if you go off line here and there, the rough is very forgiving and is kept well trimmed.
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