Kilbarchan Golf Club Near Newcastle to Be Sold After Decades of History

• Kilbarchan Golf Club, ranked among SA's top 10 nine-hole courses in 2024, is in the process of being sold
• Club chairman Ferdie Alberts cited mounting Eskom tariffs, rising costs and a drop in membership as key factors behind the decision
• Newcastle Golf Club has entered negotiations to absorb Kilbarchan's remaining 53 members and preserve the club's memorabilia

Kilbarchan Golf Club, situated approximately 13km outside Newcastle on the N11, is set to change hands by the end of August 2026 after club members voted to sell the property at last month's annual general meeting.

Club chairman Ferdie Alberts confirmed in a report on The Citizen that 33 of the club's 53 members attended the AGM where the decision was taken. An offer on the property has already been accepted and an agreement signed, with a deposit due on 15 July and guarantees required by 15 August.

Alberts attributed the decision primarily to worsening financial conditions. Monthly operating expenses at the club total approximately R60,000, but annual membership fees cover only three months of those costs. The remainder must be sourced through golf competitions and beverage sales.

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Rising Eskom electricity tariffs and increased maintenance and salary costs have steadily eroded the club's financial sustainability. Membership also declined sharply, from roughly 90 members in 2024 to just 53 in 2026, a drop Alberts linked in part to the closure of ArcelorMittal and its ripple effect on businesses in the Newcastle area.

A course with deep roots in Northern KZN

Kilbarchan Golf Club traces its origins to 1960, when a recreation club was established for staff at the Kilbarchan Colliery. The nine-hole golf course was formally designed in 1973 by Bob Grimsdell and Brian Wilkes, commissioned by then mine manager George Edwards. The current clubhouse was built in 1979 and had to be rebuilt in 2004 after the original was destroyed in a lightning strike fire.

The club gained national recognition when SA Top 100 Courses ranked it among the 10 best nine-hole courses in the country in 2024, with editor Stuart McLean praising its design variety, scenic value and course conditions.

Newcastle Golf Club steps in

Kilbarchan's committee is in advanced talks with Newcastle Golf Club to accommodate members wishing to transfer. Newcastle Golf Club president Johan Jonker described the incoming membership as a "lifeline" for his club, which is itself navigating financial strain from rising costs and declining player numbers.

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Newcastle Golf Club captain D Lemmer noted that Newcastle is one of only two 18-hole courses in the entire Northern KZN interior, and that the facility raised more than R500,000 for various charities through golf days hosted in 2025.

In other golfing news, the Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg made headlines after banning a golfer for flying the Palestinian flag. Meanwhile, LIV Golf SA winner Bryson DeChambeau showed his love for South Africa and took to X to praise the country.

Golf Club robbery in Pretoria turns violent

Briefly News previously reported that a golf club in Pretoria reportedly turned into a crime scene after a robbery attack that turned violent.

According to crime reporter Yusuf Abramjee, who shared the news on X, the armed robbery incident took place in Pretoria West

Source: Briefly News