Tanglewood Golf Club was established in May 1999 to suit and meet the demands of people playing golf on a regular basis who do not have official handicaps but at the same time, have no intention of becoming member's of a golf club. Their reasons for not wanting membership of a regular club are many and various but are governed mainly by the following:
- They want to play on different courses
- They are not "club" people, and
- They cannot justify the amount of money it costs to join a regular club if they are not going to utilise the club's facilities
Surveys carried out by the South African Golf Association have revealed the following statistics. There are 165,000 affiliated club members in the country, both men and ladies. It is estimated by the SAGA that there are another 260,000 members of the public playing golf frequently who are not members of a club who do not have official handicaps!
Tanglewood Golf Club was founded to cater for the needs of these golfers and has increased in size to more than 500 members countrywide. We are associated to Cato Ridge Country Club in Kwazulu Natal and to Germiston Golf Club in Gauteng, thereby furnishing our members with affiliation to both aforementioned Golf Unions and providing them with official handicaps which are registered on the National Golf Network computerised handicapping system. Organised games are played every weekend on top courses throughout both provinces. The only difference between Kwazulu Natal membership and Gauteng membership is that members living in Kwazulu hold Tanglewood Golf Club handicap swipe cards whilst Gauteng residents have Germiston Golf Club swipe cards.
Tanglewood Golf Club was originally called "The Virtual Golf Club" which was based at Sakabula Golf Club in the Natal Midlands. In 2001 the KwaZulu Natal Golf Union requested that we change the name of our club as Tanglewood Golf Club meets all the criteria of a normal golf club in terms of their Constitution and is in no way a "virtual" golf club which was misleading to both the authorities and to the general public. In January of 2002 the club changed to its present name and was officially affiliated to both the Kwazulu Natal Golf Union and to the Kwazulu Natal Ladies Golf Association in its own right. In the same year the home base of the club was moved to Cato Ridge Country Club for two reasons, firstly because of its close proximity to Durban and secondly, to have the power to implement the rules of golf, golf etiquette and dress code in a more sophisticated environment.
We believe it is important that golfers understand the meaning of a "virtual" golf club and to know the reasons why we were requested to change the name of our club. In terms of the document relating to "virtual" golf clubs issued by the South African Golf Association, a club is a "virtual" club if it does not have its own golf course or does not have the rights to the use of a golf course. Any handicap that members of such clubs may have is not recognised by any Golf Union or by the SAGA and may be used in social or corporate golf days only. Tanglewood Golf Club has Associate Membership of Cato Ridge Country Club and full weekday membership of Germiston Golf Club and has the permanent rights to the use of both golf clubs and golf courses at all times. We are affiliated to the KZNGU and KZNLGU as a golf club in our own right and to the Central Gauteng Golf Union through our membership of Germiston Golf Club. All members have official handicaps which may be used in any tournament in South Africa. We are the same as Athlone Golf Club in Durban for instance, who do not have their own golf course but have the permanent right to the use of Windsor Park which is a Municipal golf course. This facility allows members of Tanglewood Golf Club in Kwazulu Natal the opportunity to play league golf if they so wish. In Kwazulu Natal, Tanglewood Golf Club and Cato Ridge Country Club have combined their league strengths and field three teams in the Central League under the banner of "TangleRidge".
Tanglewood Golf Club is a club that offers its members more than just the opportunity to play golf officially. We are part of The Golfers Club family nationally which affords our members discounted prices on the majority of equipment stocked by The Golfers Club which is rapidly becoming the market leader in their field. We also offer our members a 40% discount on all vehicles rented through Avis nationally.
Tanglewood Golf Club is the future of golf in South Africa in that it appeals to and satisfies the requirements of the vast majority of non-affiliated golfers in this country.