Oppenheimer Park Golf Club

The Oppenheimer Park Golf Club is situated in the city of Welkom, which belongs to the South African province of Free State. It lies in the middle of a green oasis with tall, old trees on the gold mine Welkom and next to the large Witpan pond, which is home to thousands of flamingos. From Welkom’s center, the Oppenheimer Park Golf Club, also known as “Oppie”, is quick to reach in three minutes, while the journey from the province’s capital of Bloemfontein via the R 30 takes 90 minutes. The club opened an 18-hole parkland course with par 71/72 and a length of 6,264 meters in 1949. Well-known golf course architect Robert Grimsdell was responsible for the design, scattering the course with fairways densely lined by trees on both sides, doglegs, harsh roughs, cleverly placed bunkers, and water hazards. Water comes into play at 6 of the 18 holes, with these bordering on the pond and thereby providing high tactical and technical demands for golfers. Additionally, the 10^th hole is remarkable, with a bunker protecting the green, as well hole 17, at which water is placed directly in front of the green. The course at Oppenheimer Park Golf Club hosted the 2001 Powerade Classics and the 2002 Sunshine Tour as well as the SA Amateur Championships.