History of the Country Club Johannesburg
Here is a look at how the Country Club Johannesburg started.
A brief history on the Country Club Johannesburg:
With just 400 members, the Country Club Johannesburg opened its doors on December 22, 1906.
A year following its opening, the club doubled in its membership and by 1930 it had exceeded 2 600 members.
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The site formed part of the Lindeque Farm and its farmhouse remained on the property. The site had a wooded area of 30 acres with a further 18 acres adjoining.
Squash, swimming, croquet, hockey, cricket, bowls and tennis, were the sort of sports that the upper echelon who were attracted to the club, partook in. There was also hunting available once the golf course was added.
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According to the Parktown Association site, polo and even hunting provided some adventure and a taste of ‘home’ for the many expatriates in the town. The hunt involved a sack smelling powerfully of jackal being dragged along a course which led down what is now the Parkview Golf Course, up through Parkwood and around the Sachsenwald (Saxonwold) and Hermann Eckstein Park, back to Auckland Park.
The site also explained the golf course was laid out at a cost of £10 000, which extended up into Brixton and involved the crossing of many suburban streets. The club offered various indoor activities, such as whist, rummy (poker not being permitted until 1937, when it was agreed that it ‘was not a game of chance’), and billiards.
This information was sourced from researchers of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation as well as the Parktown Association website.
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