With water everywhere, Camelot is a challenging nine-hole course

KWAZULU-Natal has a number of nine-hole courses, but one of the standouts is undoubtedly Camelot Country Club in the heart of Hillcrest.

The beauty of Camelot is that it may seem to be out of the way, but is very popular with visitors from distant places and is a challenging course even for the best of the amateurs.

“We’ve attracted many visitors over the years who make a point of coming back while passing through the Hillcrest area,” said Isaac Joubert, who has been the general manager for a few years now. “Our rounds are constant – it does peak at times – but generally we’ve been able to maintain it annually. We all know golf has become a tough business, but we at Camelot are grateful to what we do on an annual basis.”

Club has over 200 members and the condition of the course is very favourable thanks to abundant water being available for irrigation.

“We have dams on the property, hence we have not had problems with the recent drought which was experienced in most parts of the country,” Joubert said.

Camelot has a special “Diamond Card” membership.

This allows a member to play unlimited golf any time, provided the membership fee is paid up-front.

Camelot, as the name suggests, is a little bit of olde worlde charm set in the heart of Hillcrest. Surrounded by Tudor-style homes and castles, this picturesque privately owned nine-hole golf course, with 18 tees, is unique.

Though not long by today’s standards, many players have been caught out by the tricky layout, with lakes around the course forming part of the breathtaking layout. The lakes do also catch plenty of golf balls!

The Clubhouse, situated inside the gatehouse towers, offers a fully licensed bar and home-cooked snack meals.

Camelot is justifiably proud of its reputation as the friendliest club in the area and their staff go to great lengths to make visitors welcome.

Camelot offers the following facilities: a licensed bar, function facilities, halfway house, boardroom, restaurant, putting green, changing rooms with showers and golf cart hire, but they do not have caddies.

The course was designed in 1996 by the well-known Hugh Baiocchi, winner of 22 titles – seven on the European Tour and 11 on the Sunshine Tour, among others – and, according to Joubert, it is well manicured and taken care of by Steve Grant, who has also been at the venue for many years.

“He does a fantastic job at the course. He is very particular and pays attention to detail. That’s one of the reasons he is praised a lot by the members and visitors who play here regularly.

Joubert said the course was challenging because of the water, as between six to nine fairways had water. However it’s scenic with homes overlooking the lakes and the course. What also adds to the beauty is that there is abundant bird life and flora and fauna on the estate. Directions from Durban: From the King Cetswayo highway/M13 take Hillcrest/ Old Main road (R103) exit and turn right onto Old Main Road. After 2.5km turn right onto Inanda road (M33). Proceed for 1.6km and turn left at the Camelot/Greensleeves sign onto Westriding Road and immediately right onto Wishhart Road. Continue to the end of Wishart road until you get to Camelot Country Estate.