Gowrie Farm Golf and Fly-fishing Estate

The Gowrie Farm Development

The Developer
The Developer of Gowrie Farm Golf and Fly-fishing Estate is the Kwa Jabu Trust. The driving force behind the concept of this development is Guy Smith, the Developer of Prince's Grant Golf Club and Country Estate (an 18 hole championship course on the Natal North coast), Garlington at Hilton and the adjoining Gowrie Village in Nottingham Road.

The concept behind Gowrie farm is not to develop just another golf and flyfishing estate. The intention of the Developer is to make this development unique. Gowrie Farm will not only offer a golf course but will remain an operating farm. Privacy is to be developed by the owners fragmenting their houses in such a way as to form groups of buildings which will define their own private spaces. The overall landscaping plan will reinforce the concept of farm-style design residential houses on a country estate.

The Developers have obtained consent to develop the properties currently known as Portions 8, 12 and Remainder of Portion 24 of the farm Gowrie No 1930; Portion 113 (of 71) of the farm Wilde Als Spruit No 1085 and Portion 10 of the farm Waterford No 15946. These portions make up the Estate which is approximately 361 hectares in extent. The consent allows for the development of a golf, fly-fishing and farm estate on Gowrie Farm, which includes:

A nine-hole golf course
A golf clubhouse facility
125 residential freehold title sites
Home owner's amenities which shall include a swimming pool, tennis courts, squash court and stables
The use of the existing dams for fly-fishing
An operating farm
Fifty four workers cottages

The Golf Course
The challenging fairways of the Gowrie Farm golf course have been cleverly designed to wrap around trout filled dams, farm fields and bird-rich wetlands. The golf course has been designed on the principles of an old "classic" golf course, the concept being for it to fit in with the original lie of the land. This entails a layout of greens moulded by the terrain, and wild bunkers that will appear to have been created by a natural weathering process. The fairways will be kikuyu, the greens bent grass and the rough predominantly local indigenous grasses - mainly rooigras (temida trianda). For this rehabilitation program we will make use of Top Crop Grass Specialists who have collected seeds from the grasslands on Gowrie Farm and in the surrounding areas.
The golf course design draws on the following three golf course references:

Royal Dornoch (Scotland): This is the course where Donald Ross, the father of American golf course design, was raised.
Merion (Philadelphia): This is the course on which the great Bobby Jones successfully completed his grand slam.
Pinehurst No. 2 (North Carolina): This is the course that is heralded as Donald Ross' masterpiece and was the 2005 US Open venue.

The golf course will remain the property of the developer who will be responsible for its maintenance and upkeep. All home owners will be members of the Gowrie Farm Golf Club which will have its own clubhouse incorporating a bar, half-way house, lounge, change-rooms, pro shop as well as a steam bath or sauna and treatment rooms to be managed by the neighbouring Brookdale Health Hydro.

Click here for further details on the golf course

Click Here to Download the Gowrie Farm Golf Club Application

Other Amenities
Besides golf, Gowrie Farm Golf and Fly-fishing Estate will provide property owners with a range of recreational amenities including an ibndoor swimming pool, tennis court and fly fishing for trout in all the dams on the property. In addition, the Estate has made provision for up to 16 privately owned stables (Sectional Title Ownership) for home owners who love horses.

Click here for further details on the amenities

Estate homes and architectural styles
Aesthetically, one of the most appealing features of Gowrie Farm will be reflected in the architectural style of the estate homes. This style, with its roots in the historic farmhouses of the Petrus Stroom and Dargle areas of the midlands, combines low pitched iron roofs with hips or gables, roof vents and chimneys and generous protective lean-to verandas into an aesthetic which is full of variety and distinctive of the Midlands character.

In certain areas of the estate the houses might even find their inspiration from homes such as Shafton Grange in the Karkloof area. Property owners, in association with the developer's architects, will be encouraged to develop modern interpretations of this architectural style as well as traditional farm homes. An attractive aspect of investing in this particular estate is the fact that purchasers have a full ten years in which to start building their homes. Once building commences, however, the home must be completed within 12 months.

Click here for further details on the estate homes and the architectural code

Working Farm
Perhaps one of the most unique features of this country estate is that a portion of it will remain a fully functional farm for the purposes of farming cattle, game, sheep and horses and planting crops. The farmland area has been be leased to a farmer who is responsible for the upkeep of farm property as well its roads and fences. This generates an income that offsets a portion of the operating costs of the estate with positive benefits in terms of the Home Owners Association (HOA) levy.

Click here for further details on the working farm

The Home Owners Association
All property owners are obliged to become members of the HOA which is responsible for managing the affairs of the Estate. Home owners will have the right to traverse Gowrie Farm on foot or horseback and will have a right of way over all farm roads. A management plan is being formulated in conjunction with the trustees of the Bill Barnes Crane and Oribi Sanctuary to ensure the ecological health of the natural grasslands on Gowrie Farm.

Click here for further details on the home owners association

Community Upliftment
As part of a social upliftment scheme for workers in the village of Nottingham Road, the developers of Gowrie Farm Golf and Fly-fishing Estate have donated land and services on a remote portion of the property for the development of 54 workers cottages. Fourteen of these are for workers employed by the estate and farm while the remaining 40 will be allocated to approved members of the local community who qualify for a government housing subsidy. The owners of these cottages will be required to be members of the Gowrie Farm HOA and will collectively nominate a member of the Board of Directors of the HOA.

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