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The Windsor Park golf course is situated in the northwestern suburbs of Johannesburg. This was the ‘first’ course of what is now the Randpark Club and was formed during wartime, with the first formation of a committee in late 1940 and the recruitment of 123 members (71 men and 52 women). Thereafter, work began on the construction of an initial 12 holes, designed by Messrs. A F Tomsett an J Naven. The course was expanded to 18 holes in 1948. A complete redesign of the course was undertaken in 1952 – the architect being none other than Robert Grimsdell. The “new” Windsor Park, now a course of aristocratic provenance, opened to play in 1954 and has remained substantially unchanged to the present day. Windsor is pleasing to the purist as it offers good ‘balance’ - that variation in length, shape and direction of holes, which good designers strive to achieve. The imposing clubhouse was opened in 1971 serving both the Randpark and Windsor Park courses. It made sense that the club chose the two tees nearest the clubhouse to serve as the 1st and 10th, which meant that the order in which one now plays Windsor Park’s holes is now different to that envisaged by Grimsdell. In recent years, a number of holes have received the attention of Messrs. Golf Data and architect Mark Muller. The surface of the tees, fairways and semi-rough are Kikuyu grass with Bentgrass (L93) on the greens. The qualities of the ‘old’ Windsor Park club have not been lost. The Windsor Park course exemplifies these all but bygone charms, and is the perfect compliment to the upfront challenges and bigger ‘muscles’ of its championship sibling. Windsor Park is a hugely appealing course to play – it is not easy but its demands are not beyond the reaches of average golfers. The layout is blessed by being heavily treed. It is the trees, which more than any other factor dictate the playing strategy at Windsor. It is a very attractive golf course indeed, planted with enough evergreens to avoid every looking bleak, and in autumn, is very striking. As with every good parkland facility, a watercourse runs through Windsor Park, flanking some holes but contributing more to the course’s aesthetic than to its challenge. Let its charms escape you no longer – play it, it will please you enormously. Windsor Park Scorecard
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