Sun City’s Gary Player Country Club is changing the way a round begins. Ahead of the 2026 Nedbank Golf Challenge, a new opening hole has created room for something the course previously lacked: a dedicated practice range.
According to the DP World Tour’s account of the changes, the new first is a 470-metre par four. It runs parallel to the original hole, on higher ground towards the mountainside. The former first-hole site becomes the practice range, with a putting and chipping green behind the range tees.
A different use for familiar ground
The wider programme includes new professional tees on six holes, additional bunkers and an enlarged dam beside the second. A spectator viewing area has been created between the seventh and 12th greens, while new paths through the bushveld connect greens to the professional tees. The Tour also reports greenside bunker refurbishment and a more open approach on the ninth.
Taken together, these changes concern more than the difficulty of individual shots. Reassigning a hole makes room for preparation, while paths and viewing space address the movement of players and spectators. That is a useful way to read a resort golf project: as a landscape with several simultaneous jobs.
An established part of the resort
Sun International’s course guide describes an 18-hole, par-72 walking layout designed by Gary Player. It traces the resort’s construction to 1978 and the course’s association with the tournament to 1981. The clubhouse restaurant and bar also serve non-golfers, placing the course within the resort’s wider hospitality offer.
For returning visitors, the new opening sequence is the clearest physical change to watch. The tournament announcement describes the redesign, rather than setting out everyday visitor access to every new facility. Golf bookings and practice arrangements should therefore be checked with the country club when planning a visit.
See the Sun City directory entry for resort context.
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