All members of the Maccauvlei Golf Club can take pride in the fact that they belong to a very distinguished and respected institution which has made a significant contribution to the game of golf in South Africa and the development of the Vaal Triangle region. The Club also has a remarkably colourful history which has involved many famous people both in South Africa and abroad.
Over many years Maccauvlei has fostered a strong tradition in the way our players approach and play the game. This is something we have always promoted because golf is unique amongst all sports in the way it pays tribute to the history and traditions which do so much to build its unique sporting culture. So even though the game itself develops and changes it retains an integrity wherever it is played – and that is just about everywhere on earth, and famously even on the moon.
It was a love for the game, although some might describe it as fanaticism, that gave Maccauvlei its start, and it has been this enthusiasm that has enabled Maccauvlei to survive floods, fires, droughts and all sorts of economic vicissitudes. Through all this golf has emerged as the real winner and we need to keep building on that success. One of the important aspects of Maccauvlei’s consistent stature is the way it has succeeded largely through the efforts of the Club itself.
We have had the inputs of great golf course designers and many great players, but in the final analysis it has been the members who have nurtured and sustained the Club.
Looking at the current changes in the game, many may feel that some of the fine tradition is being lost. However, some change is inevitable and we all need to work together to ensure that we do what is best for the game and the Club. As one of the historic figures who hunted at Maccauvlei before the golf course was built, Paul Kruger, said “we must take what is good from the past and build on it for the future”.
The strength of the Club is vested primarily in the enthusiasm, attitude and support of members but also, we believe, in the goodwill and interest of all our fellow citizens, who also share in the successes and indeed the very existence of the course.
This book on Maccauvlei is not a definitive history of the course. It traces the background to the course and its surroundings in a series of sketches and anecdotes, often humourous and sometimes dramatic, in a bid to stimulate interest in this rich heritage and keep Maccauvlei as one of the great golf courses in South Africa.
