Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort & Spa Garden Route

The luxurious 100-room Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort & Spa which is situated along South Africa's magnificent Garden Route in Herold's Bay, George, forms part of the picturesque Oubaai Golf and Lifestyle Center. The Oubaai Golf Estate is a 316-acre upscale residential and golf development on the Garden Route. Overlooking the Indian Ocean on Harold's Bay, the Oubaai Estate features Ernie Els' first 18-hole championship golf course in South Africa and a Lifestyle Center and Golf Academy.

The Hyatt Regency Oubaai Hotel & Resort is located only five minutes from the George Airport in an area renowned for its pristine beaches and indigenous forests and nature reserves. This exclusive golf estate consists of a golf course, the Hyatt Regency Oubaai Hotel, residential villas and apartments, and an upscale shopping center.

The Hyatt Regency Oubaai is a 5 star luxury hotel, which is being built at the Oubaai golf resort in Herold's Bay near George, overlooking the warm Indian Ocean.

This 5 star hotel and resort on the Garden Route is Hyatt's second hotel in South Africa following the Hyatt Regency Johannesburg, which opened in 1995. Global Hyatt has more than 750 hotels and resorts in over 45 countries.

The Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort & Spa hotel includes:

• 200 seat convention centre
• Health and beauty wellness spa
• 3000m² Shopping complex
• A regency club
• All day dining
• Swimming pool and pool bar
• Speciality pub
• Exclusive Spa
• Conference centre

The Oubaai Golf Resort is situated on prime real estate with sea and mountain views, with the express purpose of developing a premier luxury Golf and lifestyle estate. In 2007 the estate was awarded the Best Resort in South Africa by the International Property Awards and best golf resort in the Southern Cape by Professional Management Review.

The Lifestyle Centre , which encompasses, among other amenities, a sport shop, tennis court, swimming pool, squash court. Building of a five-star luxury hotel worth nearly R1bn at the Oubaai golf resort in Oubaai is one of the premier golf courses in South Africa. It lies on the outskirts of the picturesque town of Herolds Bay in the Southern Cape. An Ernie Els signature golf course, it has world class facilities. It is a challenging golf course, which is narrow and has lots of indigenous fynbos.

The resort has a number of outstanding facilities such as a golf course, a restaurant which is reserved for members only, a restaurant which is open to the public, as well as a lifestyle centre, which includes a golf driving range and a gym.

Other golf courses in the area include Fancourt in George, Pinnacle Point in Mosselbay as well as Pezula and Simola in Knysna.

Oubaai is approximately 450km from Cape Town, 80km from Knysna, 100km from Plettenberg Bay and 330km from Port Elisabeth. It is 10km from George Airport.

Oubaai Golf Course

Oubaai is proud to be the first and only Ernie Els signature course in South Africa. The golf course design allows for a challenge to all levels of golfer. Oubaai Golf Club is a Championship Golf Course designed by 3 times Major Championship Winner Ernie Els. Els himself has placed Oubaai as his favourite course in the world. The Golf Course is a Links layout where veld grasses line the lush fairways and greens. The elements, predominantly the wind, play a role in the defenses of the course; the course being a coastal golf course.

However one finds generous fairways off the tees but in the spirit of the course these are well bunkered to penalize any stray or ill considered drives. The greens are in excellent condition and roll smooth and true. They are set up normally to run at 10 on the stint meter but the ability to speed them up is readily available for tournament days. Oubaai is a course that will reward the well-executed shot and penalize any wayward shots in the true time honored tradition of a championship golf course.

The course measures 6516 meters from the Pro tees. This is long for a coastal course, but the design and placement of tee boxes allow all levels of handicap golfer the opportunity to extract a respectable score given patience and good course management.

The layout of the course is traditional Links (that is 9 holes out and 9 holes back). This has enabled the Club to offer a unique two tee operation, the first being an exclusive member's only area on the 1st tee and a visitor section on the 10th tee. Each area having its own clubhouse for golfers to enjoy the tranquillity and benchmark golfing experience offered by Oubaai.

The layout of the golf course demands the full gambit of shots needed to score well. The course has 5 Par 3's and 5 Par 5's. The par 5's are all genuine par 5 as shape of the hole and bunkering persuade golfers to lay up. The 5 Par 3's are crucial to good scoring, they vary in length so club choice will differ on every hole as distance and wind condition come to bear, all greens are well bunkered and elevation cleverly used to increase the thought process required on each tee shot. The most photographed hole on the course is the Par 3 17th where the green is below you and framed by the ocean which influences you to you to short club. The short distance of the hole of 144 meters from the back tee and the downhill elevation of the hole can offer a false sense of security however it is prudent to remember the 4 bunkers guarding the green and with the breeze coming in off the sea that can add up to an extra 3 clubs on those special Cape South Coast days! All of a sudden you are looking at a much smaller target! It does make the hole even more memorable if you lucky enough to sight a whale the Indian Ocean during your time spent in this corner of the course.

Equally remarked upon by members and visitors alike is the imposing Par 3 6th which transports you to another world as you descend to the tee box. The green is framed by the Outeniqua Mountains in the distance, in front of you the gorge presents a carry of 160 meters which you need to negotiate to reach the green and accuracy of flight is imperative as steep run off areas and deep bunkers surround the target. The Gwaing River flows far below and to the right while behind and in the distance the Ocean is in sight. If you are lucky the resident Fish Eagles of the Gorge will put in an appearance. Oubaai provides for a memorable, challenging and enjoyable golfing adventure.

Oubaai Lifestyle Centre

The sport and recreation facilities have been combined with the golf academy and driving range to create an integrated centre for members of the public, residents and golf members. It is completely unique in that it offers a combination of amenities not seen in one complex anywhere else in the country. The architecture of the Lifestyle Centre and Golf Academy is striking, the flow through the building is practical and fit-out of a very high quality.

The Lifestyle Centre and Golf Academy is conveniently located adjacent to the Oubaai Village, and future Hotel and Shopping Centre. International standard facilities include a reception and waiting lobby, fresh fruit smoothie bar, kid's club, locker-rooms, squash court, gymnasium equipped with top of the line Technogym equipment, and a multi-use room with sprung timber floor. Onto the roof a combined tennis and basketball court with designer fencing has been placed to complement the architecture of the building, providing tennis with a view second to none.

External facilities of the Oubaai Lifestyle Centre include the golf academy, driving range, chipping and putting area, half Olympic-length heated lap pool, and recreational pools for adults and children. The pool deck area is the perfect place for you and your family to spend a day in the sun overlooking the driving range, with the Gwaing River Valley and Outeniqua Mountains in the distance.

The restaurant, sports shop and post box lobby which make up the start of the shopping centre serve as clubhouse and pro-shop for the visiting golfer. The Visitors Clubhouse Restaurant, has been completed to a very high standard and is open for business. The exclusive sport shop offers merchandise for golf in addition to other sports relevant to the area, and has been fitted to a standard worthy of the Oubaai name.