1966 – Britain's Tony Jacklin Rewrites the Record Books in Kimberley

On 26 February 1966, the Kimberley Golf Club witnessed one of the finest rounds of golf ever played on its course.

English professional Tony Jacklin, who would later win both The Open Championship (1969) and the U.S. Open (1970), produced a magnificent 65 on the final day of the Kimberley 4000 tournament. The event, sponsored by De Beers Consolidated Mines, offered prize money of R4,000—a substantial sum at the time—and attracted many of South Africa's leading professionals.

The tournament featured golfing greats including Harold "Horse" Henning, Bobby Locke, Graham Henning, Terry Westbrook, Cobie le Grange and Dennis Hutchinson. Harold Henning had set a new course record of 66 during the second round and matched it again the following day, while Terry Westbrook also carded a 66. Jacklin saved his best until the final round. His brilliant 65 not only established a new course record but also brought him level with Henning on a four-round total of 273.

As Henning had already departed to catch an international flight, no play-off was possible and Jacklin was declared the winner—his third professional tournament victory. Kimberley Jacklin's record stood for more than two decades before being broken by Hugh Baiocchi in 1989. His victory in Kimberley remains an important chapter in the city's rich sporting history and a reminder that some of golf's greatest names once competed on Kimberley's fairways.

Did You Know?

Tony Jacklin went on to become one of Britain's greatest golfers, winning both The Open Championship and the U.S. Open, and later captaining Europe's victorious Ryder Cup teams. His Kimberley course record was one of the early highlights of an extraordinary career.

1985 – A New Home for the Diamond Fields Advertiser

On 26 February 1985, the Diamond Fields Advertiser (DFA) moved into new premises on the corner of Bean Street and Villiers Street, beginning another chapter in the history of Kimberley's oldest newspaper.  Founded in 1878, the DFA has chronicled Kimberley's growth from the bustling diamond fields into the modern capital of the Northern Cape. For generations it has reported on the city's triumphs and tragedies, preserving the stories of ordinary citizens alongside events of national importance.

The move also brought the newspaper together with Northern Cape Printers, another business with deep Kimberley roots. The printing company's history stretched back to Holroyd and Creer, established in 1914, before evolving through several ownerships to become one of the region's leading commercial printers.  For decades, newspapers rolled off the presses in Kimberley before being distributed across the Northern Cape, helping to keep communities connected long before the age of the internet and social media.

Did You Know?

The Diamond Fields Advertiser, first published in 1878, is one of South Africa's oldest continuously published newspapers and remains an important record of Kimberley's history.