Mowbray Golf Course, Mowbray, Western Cape

Mowbray Golf Course, Raapenberg Road, Mowbray, Southern Suburbs, Cape Town / Situated approximately 10 minutes from Cape Town city centre, the Mowbray Golf Club was established in 1910. The club is recognised as being one of the best in the country with all major amateur championships having been played here. Mowbray has hosted the SA Open seven times and the Bells Cup three times.

The Course
Set in a very central area - about 15 minutes from the Waterfront and Cape Town's 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 wet conditions.

Both fairways and greens remain soft throughout the year. The fairways consist predominantly of kikuyu grass while the greens are a mixture of fine grasses which provide an excellent putting surface. Experiments with pure bent grass have not been successful, so the indigenous grasses are 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.

Signature Hole
With the imposing Devils Peak as your aiming point off the tee, the 15th is a tough par-4 with a narrow fairway lined by pine trees.

Stay overnight
Find accommodation in Rondebosch (by location map) or see Rondebosch Accommodation (with preview images and description). Consider Rondebosch Guesthouses (ranging from 3-5 star) or if you prefer to do it the self catering way, you will find our comprehensive list of Rondebosch Self Catering options useful. Also see Southern Suburbs Accommodation and Southern Suburbs Hotels for overnight options in surrounding towns or see Cape Town Accommodation and Cape Town Hotels or Western Cape Accommodation for a place to stay in other towns and cities in the Western Cape.