Champagne Resort keeps sparkling
ASK Trevor Livesey anything about the Champagne Sports Resort’s golf course, and he will spew it out like a true professional.
He’s been at the resort for 28 years, and like Fred Beaver, the legendary resident pro at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club, Livesey is part of the fabric at Champagne Sports Resort.
“I’ve been here a long time – the most enjoyable part of my life – and would not change it for anything else. I’ve seen some of the best times and some of the worst times at Champagne,” explained Livesey, who is the go-to man for anything and everything at the venue.
The 56-year-old, Durban-born professional started his career at Huletts Country Club (now Mt Edgecombe CC). He recalls that Champagne Sports Resort started off as a nine-hole course in 1994, and two years later it was turned into an 18-hole course.
Three years after that the front nine was redesigned by former Tour professional Hugh Baiocchi. Thereafter Livesey and Alain Macquet were responsible for the back nine holes.
Today it is one of the most challenging layouts – a course that is in demand and has become a “mustplay” 18-hole venue for those passing by or for those in the resort, which is managed by Philip West.
The parkland course is one of the most scenic in the country, and is the only 18-hole course this close to the Central Drakensberg peaks.
Livesey started as a greenkeeper in 1994, and then became the club pro. A former Natal provincial golfer who represented the SA Junior team, he is a PGA professional and combines his greenkeeping duties with those of golf director and teaching professional. He also holds the course record of 63.
The past few years have been challenging for all at Champagne, he says: “The first six months into Covid-19 we were closed – hotel, golf course etc. Then time-share opened and we found that those people just wanted to play golf, which helped us enormously. Surprisingly, today our numbers are up, and continues to rise each week.”
He adds: “We have a great product here, and during winter we have the best days for golf. It’s dry and there’s ‘run’ if you hit it long and straight. You cannot compare this course from winter to summer, as it’s completely different. In summer everything is lush, green and beautiful. And it plays a lot longer.”
The recent heavy rains did little damage, but according to Livesey, it helped transform the Champagne Sports golf course.
He said: “We had one bad day when we had 22mm here, but up in the mountains the sky went purple and two hours later a wall of water came down. It went over the 17th and 18th greens, over the bridges, and took out our pump houses. One of the weather stations recorded 162mm of rain – now that’s a huge amount in two hours.”
But Livesay and his team quickly restored the course. However, new bridges at the 4th, 15th and 16th holes will be constructed.
“Philip and I have been talking about improvements recently, and it will all be ready for the summer rush – that’s for sure,” Livesey said.
One of the feature holes is the first, a Par-5 (605m), which was once the longest hole in South Africa. The fourth is a Par-3 played from an elevated tee across a wide expanse of water to a narrow green. To finish the 18 holes is a 201m 16th, then backto-back 400m Par-4s. A water hazard guards the elevated 18th green.
A frequent visitor is former Bok and Sharks star Henry Honiball, who farms in Bergville and plays with a group of farmers every Wednesday.