Dimension Data Pro-Am 2024

The 2024 DiData ProAm came just 4 days after my 6 day whirlwind trip to George with the ladies. I managed to rest for just 3 days before I was back on that flight to George. Still exhausted, sunburned, and blistered, I made my way to the airport on that Thursday morning with the excitement of someone who was doing this trip for the first time. It was the DiData, of course I was beside myself to be taking part again this year.

FANCOURT

Arriving back in George in less than a week of leaving, felt like I was returning home of some sorts. The airport was busy with Amatuers arriving for the 4 day event that every Amatuer is always happy to be a part of.

Fancourt is one of those places where you know you will receive the friendliest welcome and top-notch service every single time. Coupled with the DiData event staff, this whole experience is short of spectacular. Registration and check-in were seamless, and I arrived in my room, to find the beautiful golf shirts and goodies from Pringle and a bottle of wine from Boschendal, just a couple of the sponsors of the event. We are definitely styling and getting tipsy.

THE SUNSHINE LADIES TOUR

The Sunshine Ladies Tour is in its 11th season and keeps growing with each season. It is the home of about 100 professional players, including international players from around the world. It consists of 8 tournaments, played between February and April. With some tournaments co-sanctioned with the European Ladies Tour and DiData with the Sunshine Tour.
The ladies Tour has seen a significant raise in prize money over the years and tournaments like the DiData showing their commitment in levelling the playing field, by significantly raising the price money from R600 000 to R2.5 million. Now that is growth.

LADIES PRO-AM DRAW

The ladies’ ProAm draw and welcome evening is a wonderful and fun night. We get to see the rest of the amateurs and catch up with old golf buddies, meet new ones, and ultimately find out which pro you’re paired with for the weekend. Being one of the Amatuers that gets to announce the draw is another awesome privilege. My pro this year was Lauren Taylor from England. I was excited because I had never met her before. One of my very favourite things is meeting new pros and watching them do what us amateurs sometimes find impossible, look so easy.

It’s a great night of delicious food, great wine, conversation, and entertainment. The trick, of course, is to know your limits and be mindful of the fact that the competition starts the next day and not get carried away.

THE DIMENSION DATA PRO-AM

“For the past 29 years, the Pro-Am has successfully brought together Dimension Data’s top business partners and the finest of South Africa and Europe’s professional golfing talent.

We invite 156 amateur men and 44 amateur women players to play golf like a professional with some of the best pro golfers in South Africa and Europe.
This will be our second year of showing our commitment to leveling the playing field as we continue through our partnership with Standard Bank to make a positive impact on women’s golf.”

MONTAGU

DAY 1

We woke up to a gloomy and chilly George. The opposite of the beautiful weather I had experienced the week before. A quick breakfast and coffee for good luck and a sense of humor, I headed to the 1st tee. It looked threatening out there, and let me tell you, I and a whole lot of others were not prepared for the conditions that followed.

It was pouring with rain when we teed off. By hole numer 3, the wind had picked up, and I am not even exaggerating when I tell you I was literally being blown away… a whole me. A few times, we had to wait for the heavy rain and gusts of wind to subside before hitting a shot. We were soaked and frozen. Trying to adjust ones game to those conditions as an amateur proved to be almost impossible. My pro, Lauren Taylor, seemed to be doing OK, even under those conditions. She played such an impressive game, and I managed to assist on 1 or 2 holes. 😅 I was finished, battered, and so was my game. Maybe a little exaggeration here, but that’s how I felt at the end of the day. The course was unbothered and still incredibly beautiful, nonetheless. Lauren and I finished the day 5th on the leaderboard. Ok, so it was not that bad.

OUTINNIQUA

DAY 2

Moving day and the weather turned out to be what we all hoped for. A gorgeous clear day with the Outeniqua Mountains in full view. Outeniqua was definitely the course to play on such a gorgeous day. Today was mixed pairs, and I was playing in the same fourball with two good friends, Pro Musiwalo Nethunzi and his amateur Thabiso Hermanus. I’ve played with these two numerous times before, and I was looking forward to the level of comfort and a slightly less pressured game than the day before. The weather and golf gods were on my side.

Golf and Day 2 were what most days should feel like on the course. I played a decent game and managed to actually assist my pro on more than just a couple of holes. Somehow, I always manage to play better at Outeniqua. I do not necessarily think it is a lot easier than Montagu, but it sure is less tricky, even on the mind. We managed to stay in the top 10 and made the cut. To think last year, my tournament ended after the first day, with my pro pulling out because of an injury. It has been YEARS since I got a text informing me I’d made the cut… This was such exciting news.

Saturday evening is everyone’s favourite night. It is party night with the best entertainment put together by our host. The talented artists that come out are world-class. It’s a night where most are carefree and can enjoy the evening without worrying about playing the next day. For the amateurs, only 10 ladies make it through for the team competition. Two days of intense golf and unpredictable weather, I was definitely feeling the exhaustion. I cut my evening short and left a raging party in an attempt to get the most rest I could possibly get.

MONTAGU

Final Day

I woke up unnecessary early to my body, almost shutting down from tight muscles and sore feet that ached when they touched the ground. Even with wearing my most comfortable golf shoes, I could not run away from the soles of my feet feeling like I had run a marathon. Taking heed of my son Cades’ recommendation, I managed to do 15 minutes of necessary stretching. It really helped.

Back at Montagu again and it was a beautiful day this time. Maybe a little too beautiful because it got pretty warm out there. We were paired with the legendary Lee-Anne Pace, and I was estatic because I had never played with her. I have followed her and watched her play several times on the Sunshine Ladies Tour events, and she is definitely one of my favourite golfers in the world. Honestly, this was a dream come true. I might not have been paired with her as a partner, but this was worth it.

Lee-Anne is cool, calm and just incredible. The absolute ease in how she goes about the golf course is truly mesmerizing. It is effortless. She was kind enough to give me a few tips here and there and really encouraging. That, to me,was the highlight of my day, possibly the tournament.

I got incredibly tired towards the end there and didn’t play the best golf on the day. Unfortunately, both my pro and I stumbled on the day and dropped from 5th position to 9th. Still, out of 44 teams overall, I’d say we did more than ok. I did, however, win the MSC CRUISE Beat your Pro competition on hole 17, par 3 with my nearest to the pin. So, a great tournament in the end.