Cotswold Downs Golf Course

Overview: Cotswold Downs Golf Course is an 18-hole par 72 Peter Matkovich layout in Hillcrest, on the inland edge of Durban's Valley of a Thousand Hills. The target's 6,775-yard figure corresponds closely to the course's published 6,193-metre club-tee length. Rolling ground, indigenous bush, wetlands, ponds and dams give the course a mountain-influenced parkland character, while bentgrass greens and changing elevation keep the round varied. The fairways can look generous from elevated tees, but the best line often depends on how the slopes meet the water and surrounding vegetation.

History: Cotswold Downs was developed across a former sugar-cane property and opened in 2006. Peter Matkovich routed the holes through the existing hills, valleys and retained wetland areas rather than flattening the site into a conventional estate course. The course is built to USGA specifications, and its mix of cool-season and summer grasses supports the lush appearance described in the club's own material. The result is a modern inland course with a strong relationship to its natural setting.

Did You Know? The par-three fifth drops roughly 250 feet from a cliff-top tee to a water-fronted green, one of the largest single elevation changes in the routing. The later stretch from the 13th to the 16th occupies the estate's highest ground, before the long 17th and water-influenced 18th bring the course back to a demanding finish.