Fancourt - Celebrating Life

1st Par 4 362m Str 16 "On Ye Go"

A relatively gentle opener, the tee shot needs to favour the left side of the fairway to have a good view of the raised green. An extra club is advisable for the approach, but beware of being long and left, which will leave a tough return chip to the flag. You certainly do not want to be short – there is a deep pot bunker waiting to cause havoc early in the game.

2nd Par 3 216m Str 6 "Lang Drop"

A tough one-shotter that is exposed to the elements from the raised tee. Early in the round, it's advisable to aim for the middle of the green, rather than going after the flag, which can be tucked in any number of tough positions.

3rd Par 4 429 Str 2 "Calamity"

A long drive at the direction marker will help to make this hole just a little easier. The approach is over a stone-walled “burn” short of the green to a green that is fairly shallow from front to back. A four is an excellent score.

4th Par 4 452m Str 8 "Tranquility"

As it’s name suggests, this is the first opportunity to relax after a tough opening trio. Open the shoulders on the tee shot, which will leave a longish iron into the green.

5th Par 5 502m Str 18 "Wetland"

Although it is the stroke 18 hole, this is no pushover. The wetlands short of the green will gobble a miscued second going at the green, or a poorly executed third.

6th Par 4 312m Str 14 "Five Penny Piece"

A great risk-and-reward hole with a truly miniscule green, which will test your wedge play to the limits. Either lay up with an iron from the tee for a fairly full pitch, or for the longer hitter, have a go with the bunker, but expect to have an uphill chip to a very small target.

7th Par 4 435m Str 4 "Wide"

This hole certainly is wide, but left is best as it will leave a view to the hole. Anything on right of the fairway leaves a slightly shorter approach, but a totally blind one at that.

8th Par 3 185m Str 12 "Bonnie View"

A lovely par three, but beware of the water short and right of the green. Anything leaked will meet a watery end.

9th Par 5 557m Str 10 "Long"

Longer hitters can have a go at carrying the bunker on the left, depending on the prevailing wind. Anything to the right will make this “Long” hole substantially longer. Plenty of trouble at the green with another stone-walled “burn” to catch poor approaches to the green.

10th Par 4 373m Str 3 "Kilimanjaro"

Placement of the drive is more important than length off the tee as the approach to this substantially raised green must be from the fairway to have any chance of making par. Take enough club with the approach to reach the flag, otherwise you are left with a testing pitch up the hill.

11th Par 3 147m Str 17 "Valley"

A seemingly straightforward par three, there is a deep gully running through the centre of the green, which can make a two-putt very testing indeed.

12th Par 4 440m Str1 "Sheer Murrrder"

As its name suggests, this one is tough. A long drive is required, missing penal bunkers on the right. The undulating narrow green is guarded by a treacherous water hazard on the left. A par here will feel like a birdie!

13th Par 5 487m Str 13 "Outeniqua"

A very reachable par five, avoid the large fairway bunker on the left. If you have a spare moment, walk to the top of the dune on the right of the fairway. From there you will see flat farmland that will give a very good idea of what the land on which The Links was constructed originally looked like.

14th Par 4 330m Str 15 "Wee Wrecker"

This hole invites the brave and foolhardy to have a go at driving the green. The green and its entrance is extremely narrow, so the smart play is a fairway wood or long iron over the fairway bunker on the left, from where you are left with a fairly straightforward pitch to the flag.

15th Par 4 422m Str 5 "Roon the Bend"

The sensible play is at the direction marker with a fairway wood from the tee, but hugging the left and flirting with the water will leave a shorter approach. The green is protected by water on the left, so aim for the right half of the green.

16th Par 5 534m Str 7 "Westward Ho!"

Just left of the fairway bunker on the right is the ideal line on this long par five. The fairway narrows towards the green, with deep score-wrecking bunkers aplenty.

17th Par 3 172m Str 9 "Prayer"

Arguably one of the toughest par threes in the world, there is very little room for error here. The stone-walled burn that runs short and left of the green awaits anything slightly pulled, while playing “safe” to the right will result in a very tough chip shot.

18th Par 5 563m Str 11 "Near the Dram"

Although the tee is substantially lower than the fairway, the drive is really a lot more straightforward than it looks. The green is raised and relatively narrow from front to back, which makes hitting it in two a tough ask.