Prince's Grant

Champagne Sports Resort

South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
5.3 (4)
Designer: Hugh Baiocchi
Course Opened: 1996

Designed by South African PGA Tour professional Hugh Baiocchi, the golf course at the Champagne Sports Resort is set in peaceful valley that looks out toward the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains.

The course is almost very good, as it mixes dramatic mountain views with a twisting river and deep, natural dales quite effectively. Where it falls down is the site gets very cramped through the flatter middle areas, and while the use of the interesting terrain is reasonable, the use of the flat parts and the design of the straighter holes is poor.

In terms of individual holes, the 2nd stands out as it rings left and down along the edge of a valley with the river beneath. The 4th is a pretty par three over a pond and the 10th is an impressive looking hole that heads across a small creekside valley and bends along the hazard and through a series of bunkers.

The Champagne Resort was established in 1996 by former tennis champion Kevin Curran. The Baiocchi design was upgraded in 2001, but it would take some quality shaping work and sensible redesign of the narrow, straight holes to further improve the layout and make golf here a more attractive option.

 

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