Arabella Golf Club

Overview: Arabella Golf Club is a Peter Matkovich course on the Bot River Lagoon near Kleinmond, framed by the Kogelberg mountains and the indigenous fynbos of the Western Cape. Its par-72 routing uses open fairways, sand, water and the natural contours of the estate to create a course that is scenic without becoming merely decorative. The published championship setup reaches 6,978 yards, while different tee positions let the same routing change its demands. The eighth and 18th are especially important landmarks, but the course's broader character comes from its lagoon-side setting and varied approach angles.

History: Arabella was designed and built by Peter Matkovich in 1999 as part of the Arabella Country Estate. The course helped establish the property as a golf and resort destination on the Whale Coast, while the surrounding fynbos landscape retained a strong influence on the visual character of the holes. Its long ranking history reflects a course that has stayed relevant through its combination of natural setting, tournament scale and consistent architectural identity.

Did You Know? The area around Arabella is recognised as a fynbos biodiversity hotspot with more than 1,600 recorded plant species. That ecological setting is not background scenery only: the course sits inside the landscape that gives the Western Cape its distinctive low, fragrant vegetation.