Decisions in the Nicklaus Design
Wind from Two Directions
The winter northwester and summer southeaster were considered in the course's routing. Its par threes and par fives face different directions, a detail that becomes apparent when a breeze changes the club needed on successive holes. The first is an open par four with a large waste bunker right and a greenside bunker left. It gives an uncomplicated opening view, but the eighth brings considerably more trouble. At the eighth, one of the course's signature holes, water runs down the right of the fairway and deep bunkers sit to the left. The second shot has to carry water on its way to the green. Playing into a crosswind can turn the approach into a test of both distance and starting line. The club's own instructions suggest allowing extra club when that wind is present.
The Thirteenth and Fourteenth
The thirteenth, often called the postcard hole, is a par three where water can reveal a swirling wind that is difficult to feel on the tee. A bunker protects the left side of the green. The conservative miss is short and right, away from the sand. On the following par five, the tree retained by Nicklaus divides the playing line. There is room to lay up left before the approach; longer hitters may prefer to shape a shot toward the green.
Pearl Valley's seventeenth is another lengthy par three, with a raised green that sheds balls missing the central landing area. The eighteenth then plays through fairway bunkers and requires a further approach over water. Those two holes give the finish a different character from the opening fairways.
Using the Winelands as a Base
Golfers can stay in Franschhoek, at hotels such as Le Franschhoek, or in Paarl and drive over for a reserved round. The valley floor heats up quickly on summer afternoons, and the winter fronts that bring rain to the Cape reach it too. Pearl Valley appears on African Sky's privately guided 21-Day Grand South African Golf Tour, where the Winelands days are planned so the hotel does not change after every round.
Out into the Cape Winelands
1
Franschhoek's Huguenot History
Franschhoek has a Huguenot Monument and museum, galleries and restaurants along its main streets, and its cellars make up the Franschhoek Wine Route. It is worth leaving enough time to walk through the village before dinner. Many popular restaurants require advance booking.
2
Wine Estates around Simonsberg
Vineyards on the Simonsberg slopes produce a wide range of wines, and the tastings differ markedly between estates. Several other Winelands courses on our golf vacations page are close by, and Pearl Valley itself is one of the rounds on our 10-Day Western Cape Golf Tour.
3
Paarl Mountain
The granite domes above Paarl are visible from much of the valley. Nature-reserve tracks lead to viewpoints across the vineyards, although access and conditions depend on the season. The stone formations are particularly conspicuous after rain. In Paarl itself, Boschenmeer’s twenty-seven holes run beside the Berg River below the Drakenstein Mountains.
