Advertisement
THE PEZULA CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSE, LOCATED WITHIN THE PEZULA GOLF ESTATE IN KNYSNA, SOUTH AFRICA, WAS DESIGNED BY RENOWNED GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS RONALD FREAM AND DAVID DALE.
The course offers spectacular views, undulating greens, and a variety of holes that provide a challenging round for golfers of all skill levels. The design also emphasises environmental conservation, with careful attention to preserving the area’s flora and fauna. When the course opened for play in November 2001, it was a ‘course’ that launched a thousand dreams, and continues to do so to the present day.
The Pezula Championship Golf Course was the catalyst for investor confidence in the new development called Pezula Golf Estate, and today is the foundation that drives enduring value and brand loyalty in the community. The shared vision for Pezula Championship Golf Course among the homeowners is based on the principle that the success of the golf course enhances the value of the estate, which benefits all.
With its foundations secured, Pezula Golf Estate has developed into one of the most dynamic residential communities in the country. The estate – albeit rooted in the golf course – is much more than a golfing estate. Look out from the clubhouse terrace, and you’ll not only see the view of a championship golf course. You’ll also have a view of South Africa’s first unfenced national park: the 155,000-hectare Garden Route National Park (GRNP) that protects much of the landscape of the coast between Wilderness and George in the west, and Tsitsikamma and Storms River in the east. However, the estate isn’t just a neighbour of the park – since it is built around the 45-hectare Sparrebosch Nature Reserve, which it also owns, the estate itself is registered as a portion of the GRNP.
The estate prides itself on its fynbos and forests – its evergreen yellowwood and stinkwood forests (Afromontane forests) – of which Sparrebosch Nature Reserve is an excellent example. The forest starts within the estate and is accessible via the Fisherman’s Walk – a 2.5-kilometre trail that leads from the estate past a spectacular seasonal waterfall and all the way down the cliffs to Cove Beach. The HOA has established facilities at Cove Beach, including a hut for storage, and benches and loungers for residents to enjoy.
There is no denying that Pezula Golf Estate is positioned in a spectacular location. In all, the 250-hectare estate is laid out with 418 private properties, of which fewer than 80 remain to be developed. The environmentally sensitive nature of the location precludes any further development beyond the original 418 plots laid out at inception.
Post-Covid, and with the Garden Route growing in popularity with families semigrating, Pezula Golf Estate is experiencing a growing change in homeowner demographics – overall the new buyers are younger and choose to live on the estate permanently. Although the estate is still a highly prized investment destination for European investors and golfers, the larger group of permanent residents has added a new community spirit, which the HOA supports through several activities and initiatives.
Facilities on the estate that are available exclusively to residents include a secluded communal area with swimming pool, tennis court and a children’s outdoor play area. The HOA is in the final stages of signing off plans to upgrade the pool house and include a gym for residents. The estate is pet-friendly and the architectural guidelines allow pet owners to secure their property. The rules cater for two dogs and cats – with cats wearing a bell on the collar to protect the resident wildlife. Recently the HOA built a 3km walkway along Lagoon View Drive to improve pedestrian safety and create an exercise route.
Protecting the environment has been one of the estate’s stated aims from its inception. It was designed with very low densities, which means that only about a quarter of the site is reserved for development with the rest being made up of forest and fynbos. Pezula Golf Estate is officially registered with CapeNature as part of the Knysna Coastal Conservancy – a total of about 880 hectares of land that has been identified as an important coastal corridor and ecosystem.
Advertisement
The HOA, which owns the golf course and holds the majority of the shares in the course’s operating company, is rolling out its environmental management plan with particular emphasis on renewable energy and water security. And, while the golf course is already irrigated with grey water, the plan prioritises the secured supply of potable water to residents and the golf clubhouse. The architectural committee has updated its guidelines to support renewable energy solutions such as solar installations and water conservation measures, while the management team addresses security and road safety.
It’s this combination of planning, long-term vision, and capable management that makes Pezula Golf Estate a great place to live. You hear it in the pride the management team has for the community, you hear it in the chairman’s voice as he echoes the vision of the estate, and, most importantly, you see it in the ongoing reinvestment that the HOA is making into the community. Combine this business acumen with the unique physical location, a championship golf course, a magnificent natural environment, and collaborative homeowner sentiment, and Pezula Golf Estate might be up high with the gods—definitely the best address on the Cape coast.
