Volumes can and have been written about this most prestigious and audacious establishment, and only volumes can do justice to its heritage, therefore here are only a few points of interest on how the Durban Country Club came into being.

At the turn of the 20th century, Durban had only one golf club – the Durban Golf Club (later to become Royal Durban) – situated on a reclaimed swamp at Greyville and extremely prone to flooding, resulting in many a golf game or match or tournament being cancelled, leading to high frustrations.

Durban was host to the 1920 South African Golf Championship – today the second oldest tournament in the world after the British Open. Floods made the course nearly unplayable, and if Durban could not come up with a solution or alternative, it would lose the status of hosting this and other events.

Durban’s next turn for the Open would be in 1924, thus time was at a premium.

A site was earmarked and development started on what was a marshland with sand dunes, a chicken farm, a dairy and the town’s favourite picnic spot next to Blue Lagoon.

When construction started, there were no power tools or machinery to level, fill and build with. It was all done manually with the help of oxen and donkeys and very hard labour.

The official opening was held on the 9th December 1922, and on February 22nd 1924 the Club held its first AGM.

Since then, DCC has successfully hosted 14 S A Opens – more than any other club in South Africa. The success of Durban Country Club is testimony to the difficult and taxing times that the founder members had to endure to see their dreams come to fruition, and stands as a proud symbol to any visiting golfer from any corner of the globe.

On the 5th May 1991 there were some anxious hours when a fire broke out in one of the kitchens on the upper level and destroyed part of the prestigious building. Fortunately the fire was brought under control before the whole floor was gutted, and only one kitchen was lost. The official cause was put down to oil in a fish fryer that caught on fire. There is a glass display case with a mounted aluminium cauldron that was melted in the fire, as a symbol of remembrance to that fateful day.

As far as the Clubhouse itself is concerned – it is steeped in history and magnificence. From the car park you make your way to the bottom of the stairs that lead to the stately carved and ornate Cape Dutch wooden doors so typical in the Western Cape and Winelands. Upon entering this impressive building you soon realize that this is no ordinary clubhouse – this is a home fit for a President. Walking through the reception area you will find an imposing carved staircase towering on your left, taking its patrons to the function rooms above.

The hallways and passages are adorned with all sorts of memorabilia, from photos to plaques to presents to pictures to emblems. From all across the world there are tokens from visiting dignitaries, statesmen and prominent members of society that range from rare photos to artwork to plaques and also some casts of visiting ship’s emblems.

There is a photograph of ladies participating in a game of golf at St Andrews …. In 1886.

One striking collection is the 21 photographs of the past Chairmen of the Club, and another is of ships that visited our shores and left behind ships’ emblems cast in bronze, but of late in aluminium.

Along the corridors one finds many historic moments captured on film, from the early days when construction got underway to the adjacent airfield during WWII, past champions, great feats (as the fourball who scored an albatross, eagle, birdie and par on the 18th hole!), King George VI playing a round here in 1947, and other wonderful memories such as the historic occasion when the talented Indian golfer, Papwa Sewgolum, won the Natal Open in 1965, preserved for the generations and visitors yet to set foot inside these hallowed halls.

And arguably the proudest section is the official display of Durban Country Club’s world ranking over the years – 72nd, 65th, 100th, 68th, 89th and 76th in 2003 – the only course in South Africa to be ranked in the top 100 courses of the world.