Leopard Creek Country Club has always been one of the most spectacular destinations on the European Tour but the new practice facilities and par 3 course have taken the venue to a new level.
Described as “the best in the world”, “state of the art” and “hugely impressive” by various players, the 55 hectare area offers everything you could ask for to hone your game.
While the 360 degree range opened ahead of last year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, the par 3 course, with holes built in the spirit of some of the great holes around the world, is new for this year and is being showcased with a new par 3 tournament ahead of the tournament proper.
Richard Sterne, winner here in 2009, was among the many full of praise for the new range.
“I think it is the best in the world,” he said. “There is nothing I can think of that comes close to it. It is by far the best in the world that I have ever seen and it is great they have added it here at Leopard Creek.
“This range offers you everything,” he added. “You can hit balls from every angle, 360 degrees, which is fantastic as you can practice in any wind direction. The chipping facilities are fantastic - up to 100 yards at least and four or five greens – I can’t think of anywhere else that can compete with that. Then you have the putting facilities, the par 3 course which is also second to none. The only place I can think of with something like that is Augusta.
2011 Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel, a four-time winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship was equally effusive.
“This is as good as you are going to get anywhere in the world, as good as I have seen,” he said. “The range offers you so much, so much variation on what you can work on. The short game facility is so impressive. There is nothing here you cannot practice and it is in such great shape. When I first went to Augusta I was afraid to take a divot. This gives you the same feeling.”
Derek Muggeridge, Maintenance Director at Leopard Creek, has overseen the whole project, transforming what was a sugar cane farm into a facility to rival the best.
“Leopard Creek always had a very poor practice facility, and one of Mr Rupert’s ideas was to have a proper practice facility for members and pros to use at Leopard Creek - and to have one of the best practice facilities in the world.”
The initial brief was for a 360 degree range, with five tees, so players could practice in any direction. The chipping area with three greens followed, each one about 300 square metres to fine tune skills from about 100 yards in. Then there are the variety of bunkers with different sands providing different consistency and textures.
Part of the build included creating a wetland at the bottom of the range to collect run off from the site for irrigation.
“Mr Rupert saw that and thought be a great place to have some holes in the water,” added Muggeridge. “Last year they put in the first of the par 3 holes. One of them is the 18th here a Leopard Creek so members can practice that. It is that final 100 metre shot across the water that gets so many players so we thought ‘let’s let them practice it’. Then the contractor came up with some other suggestions and put in another two holes before Mr Rupert said let’s make it nine. So it became a full size par three course designed in the spirit of some famous holes. They are not replicas but they are in the spirit of these holes with some similarities.”
These holes include iconic holes such as the “Postage Stamp” at Troon, Augusta’s 12th and 16th holes, the 17th at Sawgrass and Muirfield’s 13th.
Watch live coverage from the Alfred Dunhill Championship Par 3 Contest on European Tour TV and on Facebook.
