Maritzburg Golf Club

Overview: Maritzburg Golf Club’s Hayfields course is a par 72 parkland layout covering 18 holes in Pietermaritzburg. The official club figure is about 5,987 metres, making it a manageable full-length course where accurate positioning can matter more than raw distance. A stream crosses the property and comes into play through the middle and later holes, while the generally friendly, flatter ground gives the course a welcoming rhythm for golfers exploring the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

History: The club was established in 1886 and is recognised as one of South Africa’s oldest playing golf clubs. The present course is younger: the club moved to Hayfields in 1969, where Bob Grimsdell designed the current layout. Keeping those dates separate avoids confusing the long club history with the opening of the course played today.

Did You Know? Maritzburg’s place in golf history goes beyond its age. The club records the first official golf competition in the country as having been played there in June 1886, giving the Pietermaritzburg course a direct connection to the early institutional history of South African golf.