ESTATE REVIEWS
SILVER LAKES
GOLF ESTATE
Silver
Lakes Golf Estate is situated 17 kilometres east of Pretoria , and 80 kilometres north of Johannesburg . It boasts a signature 18-hole Peter Matkovich-designed golf course and one of the best golf academies in South Africa .
The residential estate has 1,645 erven , of which only 34 are undeveloped . The estate has a strong community , with the country club hosting clubs for golf , birding , fishing , business , tennis , squash , running , wine , art , bridge , Pilates , yoga and dance .
Fifty hectares of land have been allotted to the game reserve section of the estate , and the 12 species of antelope , which now include the magnificent sable antelope , roam freely between the houses .
The ethos of the estate ’ s community has a strong bias towards responsible living and conservation . All fishing is on a catch-andrelease basis , a ‘ reduce , reuse , recycle ’ programme sees glass , cardboard , tin and paper collected weekly , and a portion of the homeowner ’ s levy is distributed to local charities .
Estate Living caught up with the new CEO of Silver Lakes , Henk Booysen , to find out more about this very successful estate , and the vision for the future .
EL : Tell us a bit about Silver Lakes . HB : Twenty-five years ago Silver Lakes was the first of its kind , and our team strives to continue to be recognised as a leader in the industry . Our vision is to maintain and enhance Silver Lakes as a world-class secure , safe , environmentally aware and good-neighbourly residential estate .
EL : What are your thoughts on governance , rules and best practice ? HB : Our board believes in good corporate governance . We are in the process of updating all rules , the MOI , terms of reference and various best practices . Through our communications portal and monthly magazine , Intra Muros , we focus on different estate-related issues , and give guidance on being mindful of the rules and considerate of each other .
EL : Have you recently made any changes on the estate ? HB : We ’ ve spent millions in the upgrade of our irrigation system , Halfway House , new pro shop , convenience store and a wine shop . This is all part of our efforts to create that ‘ wow ’ experience for our members and visitors . We are now in the process of upgrading our three conference facilities to attract the non-golfer market . With the opening of 41 Wine Shop at the Clubhouse in 2017 , the idea of starting a wine club really gained momentum . More than 40 residents have signed up to join this club ,
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