Page 23 - Landscape-Issue151

GOLF AND TURF FEATURE

ELEMENTS PRIVATE GOLF RESERVE:

ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOREFRONT

Text and photos by Henk Buitendach

SOUTH AFRICA’S TRUSTED PARTNER IN PROFESSIONAL TURF MANAGEMENT.

Elements Private Golf Reserve (EPGR) in the Waterberg biosphere north of Pretoria

and just outside the bushveld town of Bela Bela, offers more than just championship
golf. Since its establishment in 2004, the reserve has garnered attention not only for its
breathtaking design by renowned golf course architect Peter Matkovich, but also for its
MAINTAINED pread across 500 hectares of a story of integration between player
unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship.

and landscape, man and nature.
indigenous terrain, Elements is
Henk
Buitendach,
to
Sa blend of carefully manicured
According
fairways and untouched wilderness. general manager of EPGR and chair
It presents a golfing destination of the Gauteng Turfgrass Managers
that doesn’t just coexist with nature, Association, the course’s environmental
but actively conserves it. Now the approach was never an afterthought.
proud recipient of the John Collier “Of the many hats I wear at the reserve,”
Environmental Award (2023), Elements Buitendach shares, “agronomy is the one
stands at the pinnacle of environmental I am most passionate about. Elements
consciousness in South Africa’s golfing was designed to be more than a golf
and eco-tourism sectors. destination—it was to be a natural
sanctuary, managed with scientific
A vision beyond the fairways precision and a deep respect for
Since its inception, Matkovich envisioned biodiversity.”
a golf course that would not only provide With a professional background in
a world-class sporting experience but agronomy and decades of hands-on
also respect and preserve the ecosystem experience in turf and environmental
CONTACT US in which it resides. With a layout defined management, Buitendach works closely Henk Buitendach, General Manager of Elements
by dramatic elevation changes, rocky
with the Matkovich team in transforming
outcrops, sweeping bushveld and the property into a benchmark for Private Golf Reserve and Chair of the Gauteng
savanna views, each of the 18 holes tells sustainable golf course operations. Turfgrass Managers Association
Check us out www.salandscape.co.za Landscape SA • Issue 151 2025 21