The Els Club Copperleaf, an award winning Ernie Els signature design, was proud to host the European Tour’s Tshwane Open for the second year in succession.
The golf course occupies a beautiful piece of land where Ernie’s late grandfather, Ernie Vermaak, grew up. “For that reason this was a very special golf course design project for me personally,” commented Ernie. “My grandfather was a wonderful character and he was responsible for first putting a golf club in my hands.”
At 7,964 yards from the tips, The Els Club Copperleaf is the longest course in European Tour history and the first European Tour course to have four par-5s all measuring over 600 yards in length. The 685-yard par-5 fourth hole is the longest in European Tour history. Thus, it was perhaps fitting that one of Europe’s acknowledged big hitters, England’s Ross Fisher, went on to claim the title with an impressive 20-under par aggregate.
It confirmed Ernie’s pre-tournament prediction that there were opportunities to go low for the in-form player. “The course is at altitude so obviously that makes a difference, especially for the big hitters, and we saw last year that the guys can make some birdies out here,” said Ernie. “The wide fairways are quite inviting, but the real challenge lies in the approach shots. These are big greens and they have quite a bit of slope so your ball can easily get swept away into the swales that surround the putting surfaces. Also, if you don’t hit to the right spots on the greens you can get some tough putts.”
Ernie goes on to add a little insight into his design philosophy at The Els Club Copperleaf, “This is a beautiful part of the world with great views of the Magaliesberg mountain range, so we always knew we could create something unique. It’s very strong, both from a visual perspective but also in terms of its environment. At Ernie Els Design we strive wherever possible to work with native species of grass and plant vegetation, which has environmental benefits and also creates a more natural look and feel in the perimeter areas of the golf course, so it can establish itself quickly and look like it belongs. It’s matured very nicely and we couldn’t be more proud of how it’s turned out.
The Els Club Copperleaf is so much more than simply a great championship golf course, though. Nestled comfortably in a country club environment, it features a superb clubhouse and world-class amenities that since the official launch in 2011 have elevated the facility to a whole new level. Indeed, The Els Club Copperleaf is now recognized as one of the finest and most desirable lifestyle communities in South Africa – a place more and more people are choosing to call home.
“The new clubhouse and the facilities here are second to none,” says Ernie. “The homeowners at the estate are living out their dreams and that tells me that this is country club living at its finest. That’s exactly what we had in mind when we created The Els Club Copperleaf.”
About the Copperleaf Estate
Copperleaf is an existing residential development in Gauteng, the management of which was taken over by Investec Property in 2010. It offers incomparable country living in close proximity to the urban centres of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Centurion. The residential estate boasts numerous facilities including indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, tennis courts, mini cricket oval and accompanying pavillion, acres of walking and biking routes, a club house, café, spa and supervised children’s centre. For more information visit the website.