Project Team
Golf Course Design: Golf Data in association with Ernie Els Design
Golf Course Construction: Golf Data
Landscape Architect: Uys & White KZN
ZIMBALI LAKES GOLF COURSE
The Zimbali Lakes Resort Development on KZN’s north coast comprises, amongst many other things, an 18-hole golf course, the focus of which is on sustainability and preserving the unique landscape of the area. Wayne Krambeck, Senior Vice President of Operations at Zimbali Lakes, says that what sets it apart is its “breathtaking landscape and stunning views of the sea, lakes and inland scenery.”
Despite the proximity of Zimbali Estate’s 18-hole golf course, it was deemed that the Zimbali Lakes course would add further value due to the manicured open spaces and green corridors with elements of forests, dams and lakes all adding to property value and lifestyle.
Brief and course design
and rough areas and creating more fairway space; they are wide and allow for the ball to feed back towards the inner part of the fairways and green surrounds;
• greens complexes are in general larger than normal, with gently undulating slopes. They were seeded with a Bent grass called Super 7, a creeping variety which has been genetically modified to handle the humid coastal conditions experienced in Ballito. It ensures a highquality putting surface.
The golf course spans the entire 300 hectare property and forms a buffer between most of the M4 and N2 highways, although these are not visible from most of the holes. The design of the course ensures that most of the homes sit well above it, ensuring privacy for home owners.
A number of holes have views of the sea and lakes, with three holes playing directly onto lakes and a further three having water features.
The challenging topographical undulations allowed the design to be very creative, whilst working around environmentally sensitive areas, of which there are many on the property. This is critical as it ensures that nature blends in well with the course and the housing estate itself.
The brief from the client was to design a course that would primarily cater for the average golfer, but give all levels of players the opportunity to enjoy their game and look forward to returning to Zimbali Lakes repeatedly. It was therefore important to take the topography and natural landscape into consideration when designing the course, as topography has a significant role in the design and difficulty of play. Difficult terrain was negotiated to ensure the best possible golfing experience for all levels of golfers.
the following design modifications were implemented:
Golf Data has in the past collaborated with Ernie Els Design, and they are well-versed in the design principles and construction specifications required. To achieve this,
• the number and size of bunkers on the course were reduced and a large variety of tee box options was included on each hole, ensuring that regardless of the players’ level of skill, inclement weather or coastal winds, they can still choose the appropriate set of tees to play off; in addition, the course can be set up to accommodate the daily wind direction;
• fairways, planted to Cynodon ‘Royal Blue’, were extended by limiting semi-rough
Piet Pieters of Ernie Els Design says that this is the company’s first project in KZN and they are looking forward to offering “an unforgettable golfing experience to players of all abilities.”
Construction
The construction process took approximately one month per hole, followed by a grow-in period of four to six months. Each hole was precisely crafted and followed a strategic sequence to align with irrigation lines, cart paths and landscaping. This created a playable and well-balanced
Bent grass on the green of the 4th hole
Bonsai created from a fallen Spekboom tree
The 4th hole
Panoramic view of the 4th hole
course, with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 17th and 18th being standout holes.
Bulk earthworks on site comprised cut and fill operations, and no soil was removed from the site. It was instead used to create golf course platforms. Shaping was done to accommodate KZN’s soft rolling hills and dunes, with a dedicated focus on sustainability and preserving the unique landscape.
Soft and hard landscaping
The natural KZN indigenous landscaping has been maintained and will be encouraged going forward. A few selected trees and plants species will be included throughout the golf course area. Landscape architect Lucas Uys says the landscape has a “dramatic topography”, and most of it interfaces with the golf course by means of ridges or valley lines which have been rehabilitated in keeping with the coastal dunes and forests of the KZN north coast.
In terms of hard landscaping, there is a full concrete golf cart path from start to finish, due to the distance and harsh terrain which does not lend itself to walking the
course. Cart paths were designed and constructed by Golf Data.
Bridges are clad in natural rock from the area.
Estate landscaping
Countryline Horticulture has been appointed to carry out the landscape installation for Zimbali Lakes Estate over the next five years. To date, Gavin Foster and his team have completed the main entrance landscaping surrounding the 4th hole, in time for the launch of the golf course.
To assist with this and promotional events, the client requested an instant landscape in these areas and this was completed within the required time frame. Says Foster: “The entrance was of course built on a prepared civils platform with the required layer works. We had to excavate 1.2 m of layer works across the site and fill with a suitable growth medium. We imported 10m high trees, fully grown shrubs and groundcovers and due to the extensive ground preparation, the landscaping experienced excellent growth, maturing within 12 months.”
Irrigation and drainage
A Rainbird system has been installed and the course is irrigated with recycled grey water from SIZA Water; rights have been granted to extract water from the Tongati River, if necessary. No potable water is used to irrigate the golf course or estate landscaping. The irrigation system was installed by Golf Data’s in-house irrigation team. The course will be open to the public for full time play by early 2025.
Photos by Andrew Martins and Jacques Mizen
Flora and fauna around the main gatehouse
A natural green area alongside the 13th hole
Begota Dam which feeds grey water into the irrigation system for use on the golf course and landscaped areas
Aerial view of the 4th hole with tee box in the background
The 18th hole