SPECIAL FEATURE
Living the dream in Clarens
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E – L I V I N G T H E D R E A M I N C L A R E N S
Living the Dream in Clarens T
Clarens
he town of Clarens is situated at the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in the Free State province of South Africa and nicknamed the ‘Jewel of the Eastern Free State’. Clarens was founded in 1912 and named after the town of Clarens in Switzerland, where exiled Paul Kruger spent his last days. It is viewed as one of South Africa’s finest destinations as it boasts a myriad of wonderful activities for any taste or preference. The immense beauty that surrounds Clarens is itself worth a visit. It is situated close to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, near the Lesotho border. The most notable features of both Clarens and the Park are the golden ochre, and
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orange–hued, deeply eroded sandstone cliffs and outcrops. The tree-filled town offers a wonderful display of colourful blossoms in spring time and in autumn the magnificent autumn shades of the Lombardy and Normandy poplars are a big attraction for artists, photographers and nature lovers alike. The area is rich with Dinosaur fossils and during winter the surrounding sandstone mountains are often dusted with snow.
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The Clarens Golf & Leisure Estate
Living the dream
T
he Clarens Golf & Leisure Estate was designed by Golf Data and built by the Pinnacle Point Group during 2007. It is nestled in a valley in the village of Clarens with spectacular scenery and boasts a country style, Par 72, 18-hole golf course featuring streams, dams, many wild birds as well as a resident
previous one, due to attention to detail and the existing beauty.
herd of springbuck and impala.
A large full-length driving range is located adjacent to the Clubhouse as well as a manicured putting green. The Club has a fleet of 30 golf carts for rental to golfers. A fully stocked Pro Shop is located in the Clubhouse.
‘A short yet challenging golf course surrounded by awe inspiring natural beauty, a real hidden gem’. Due to the hilly terrain of the area the Clarens has a good many elevated tees. The quirkiness of the course, which is just 5 991 metres, is what is most appealing to members and visitors. The Clarens is very much a weekend, holiday and summer golfing venue. Great care has been taken to ensure that each round of golf played will be as memorable, if not more so, than the
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The quirkiness of the course, which is just 5 991 metres, is what is most appealing to members and visitors.
The Clubhouse and Golf Estate have separate entrances and this allows players and visitors to access the course without going through the Estate security process. Stuart McLean, then editor of Golf Digest magazine, visited the course during mid-July 2018 and had the following to say ‘Clarens has not yet found a place in the Golf Digest Top
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S P E C I A L F E AT U R E – L I V I N G T H E D R E A M I N C L A R E N S 100, but has the potential to be included in the future.’ Louis Naude of SA Golf Trader magazine was full of praise after playing the course in December 2019 and commented that it was a ‘short yet challenging golf course surrounded by awe inspiring natural beauty, a real hidden gem’.
The restaurant is well known for its delicious breakfasts and lunches, with patrons sitting on the patio enjoying the most scenic views of Mount Horeb. The Clarens Golf & Leisure Estate is dedicated to protecting and preserving this little piece of Eden for both residents and visitors. The modern Clubhouse at The Clarens has a warm, homely theme. The facilities include a restaurant, bar, lounge and events centre. The events centre can be booked for conferences, weddings and parties etc. The restaurant is well known for its delicious breakfasts and lunches, with patrons sitting on the patio enjoying the most scenic views of Mount Horeb. In winter the underfloor-heating and roaring fires make it a warm and cosy choice to enjoy a glass of wine with friends and family.
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Home owners are proud to call the Estate home. There are currently 102 completed houses with 153 vacant stands. Over the last 12 months there has been a marked upswing in building activities. A variety of features located on the estate offer great fun for the whole family to find and enjoy. Some of these features include the pergola folly, the stargazer folly and the windmill peach orchard. The estate is secured by an electric fence and guards who patrol the estate 24 hours a day. Our friendly and efficient staff at the estate entrance will ensure a smooth arrival. Distances: Johannesburg to Clarens Durban to Clarens
- 302 km - 378 km
T: +27 58 256 1270 / 1319 E: info@theclarens.co.za W: www.theclarens.co.za
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S P E C I A L F E AT U R E – L I V I N G T H E D R E A M I N C L A R E N S
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larens Brewery is one of the country’s first Brew-Pub, Cidery and Distillery set in the foot-hills of the magnificent Maluti Mountains where our fun-loving team has the thrill of brewing, talking, serving and enjoying great beers, ciders and distillate, all whilst being part of the fantastic craft revolution that is sweeping our country. Our brewer, Stephan Meyer, is a true beer lover
We brew 8000 litres a month on an 800 litre stainless steel system. We hand craft full-grain ales with the finest malts and hops sourced both locally and internationally with no compromise on quality and have been doing so since 2006. We have 8 ales in our standard range complimented by various seasonal ales and festival specials. Winter in our neck of the woods can be severe but love it since we brew Trappist style Ales to bolster us through. Stephan built the majority of the brewery himself from reclaimed vessels from the dairy and chemical industries – a fact that he is very
and was blown away by the variety of beers during a trip to the UK in the early 90’s and could not wait to start brewing his own. Our pure fruit ciders were born of a need to use all the fruits of our apple and cherry orchards and making cider is so much more fun than making jam! The love of brewing and distilling drives us to innovate and develop new products all the time. Our passion for this fledgling industry motivates us to talk to, educate, challenge and transform the novice or traditional consumer into a craft aficionado and to engage with fellow-brewers to constantly learn, share and brew! proud of. We brew close to 200,000 litres of cider under our Red Stone Cider label each year on a belt press imported from Austria in 2005 with apples, berries and cherries sourced from the local farmers. We have a range of fruit juices as well; Apple, Cherry & Pineapple. We distil both whiskey and apple brandy in a 1000l column distil affectionately called The Hunkeler. (It’s a long story). And finally (for now) our Red Stone range of fruit liqueurs are all made from local fruit. We offer free tasters and brewery tours and have a delicious lunch menu focusing on German style sausages, local organic cheeses, local breads, relishes and pickles. And our own cherry or apple juice is free for the little ones.
For us the kicker is seeing the faces of our visitors as they go through the taster panel and finding a favourite. We love explaining the nuances, flavours, styles, techniques and more. Besides a great love enjoying fine beers we’re on a mission to provide the best quality beers and ciders that we possibly can and to sway a commercial beer or cider drinker into starting the journey of discovery into the delicious world of craft beer and cider.
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It’s important to us to support and grow the industry and we work hard, every day, at building its image, creating a demand and preaching the craft-gospel. Most of all we love our brewery, our team, our little village and of course, beer!
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JOHN COLLIER 2020
ANNUAL SURVEY ON
South African Golf Courses 2020 THE YEAR OF GOOD GOVERNANCE Welcome to a brand-new golfing year filled with high expectation and genuine promise. The data from the 2019 John Collier Questionnaires received from golf clubs throughout South Africa has been analysed and these results will be published in the 13th John Collier Annual Survey on South African Golf Courses in early March 2020. During this time all clubs participating in the Survey are ranked on three levels namely GOLD Compliance Level, SILVER Compliance Level and BRONZE Compliance Level and on World Environment Day in June 2020 the TOP CLUB in South Africa will be announced. As an example, congratulations must go to The Clarens Golf Estate who achieved SILVER COMPLIANCE LEVEL for the period 2018/2019.
Clarens Facebook Page
This 13th John Collier Annual Survey provides an essential tool for chairmen, management committees and club management of golf courses as well as industry representative bodies and constitutes a benchmark for all golf clubs to measure themselves against latest trends. The focus for 2020 will be on encouraging GOLFRSA, the Golfing Associations, the Provincial Unions and Clubs throughout South Africa to have a closer look at governance compliance and where necessary make practical changes. Please do not hesitate to contact us at ajcollier@telkomsa.net
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