On the second nine, the 16th is special.
16th Hole Par 5 - 502 Metres
On the left side of the fairway, blue gums and pines guide the fairway gently to the right. A similar assortment of trees guards the right. The mountain silhouette and residential houses sprinkled along the slopes give you the ‘Knysna feel’ of tranquillity. The fairway is wide but narrows towards the green, where water provides a finer movement to an elevated target with a long and narrow sand trap guarding the right.

THE AREA
The Knysna lagoon is the heart of this area which is blessed with forests, rivers, beautiful beaches and even an unusual nature reserve. The Featherbed Nature Reserve situated on one of the Knysna Heads, leading out to sea, was established by William Smith who was responsible for discovering the Coelacanth, a nasty looking fish but one of great historical interest. I always enjoy a day trip to the Reserve and recommend that you look for resident cranes (South Africa’s national bird).
The town itself has a craft market feel and is famous for its wood shops, good restaurants and artistic flair.
Good beaches can be found at Brenton-on-Sea and, if you should head that way, stop in at Belvidere for a good view of the lagoon. For the oyster lover, a visit to the oyster factory is a must and it may be an idea to top this off with a visit to the Waterfront development will allow an array of choice of restaurants and shopping.
Gould’s special note: Thiesen Island, in the middle of the lagoon is in the process of being transformed from housing a former timber mill, to housing permanent residents. The unique style of the homes and carefully planned environmental aspects of this ambitious project have considerably impressed me on my regular visits there.