Wanderers Golf Club

Wanderers is an iconic club having been the permanent host for 23 years of what used to be SA’s premier tournament, the Lexington PGA Championship. This annual showcase from 1972 to 1995 drew large galleries to follow world stars. Winners included five major champions – Gary Player, Ernie Els, Tom Weiskopf, Hale Irwin and Corey Pavin. Many leading South Africans have their names on the trophy: Dale Hayes three times (1974-76), Hugh Baiocchi, John Bland, Bobby Cole, Fulton Allem, Tony Johnstone, Mark McNulty and David Frost. The PGA had such status that the winner was invited to the World Series of Golf on the PGA Tour. Today the Wanderers remains one of Gauteng’s most beautiful parkland courses, its undulating fairways lined with majestic rows of distinctive mature trees. By modern standards it’s a shortish course, yet tight off the tee. A new dam has been built at the par-3 sixth. The course opened with 10 holes in 1939, designed by Bob Grimsdell and club member Felix Oliver, with 18 completed a few years later. Wanderers is one of a few courses where the starting hole on each nine, 1 and 10, is a par 5.