The Els Club Copperleaf

About Copperleaf

Laid out on rolling Highveld grassland between Johannesburg and Pretoria, Copperleaf routes its 18 holes through indigenous grasses, rocky outcrops and wetland, with the Magaliesberg range as a backdrop. Ernie Els shaped the par-72 course to USGA construction standards, and it opened in 2007 as the first of the Els Club properties. At altitude and stretching well over 7,300 yards from the back, it plays as one of the country's longer layouts, and once included a par-5 that ranked among the longest holes used in European Tour competition.

The course reached a wider audience when it hosted the European Tour's Tshwane Open in 2013 and 2014, won by Dawie van der Walt and Ross Fisher respectively. That exposure helped establish Copperleaf's reputation as a genuine championship test rather than simply an estate amenity.

Visitors find generous, well-conditioned fairways paired with demanding, water-guarded approaches, so the back tees are best left to low handicaps while forward tees keep the round enjoyable. As a semi-private estate club, Copperleaf also runs a clubhouse, golf shop and spa, making it easy to build a round into a fuller day out.