2023 Golf starts now…
My 2022 golf season ended on one of the highest highs and then a plummet to the lowest low immediately after. My high being the insane privilege to play with a living legend and the experience of playing in the Gary and Vivienne Player Invitational with the host himself Gary Player. Honestly, I’m not about to stop bragging about that anytime soon. So bear with me. My plummet came in the form of nearly dying from heatstroke and other health complications right after and needing to spend a month and a bit in recovery mode. My Christmas and holiday golf plans down the drain.
Getting back to health was now the priority and so I retreated to a forest and a farm that are both filled with love, lazy days, and thoughts of golf and introspection. I wondered if my recent health scare would have an impact on my ability to play as much golf as I wanted or planned to, if any at all. A scary thought….but I am happy to say, by the time February came, I was healthy and ready to get back out there. The invitation to play the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt George could not have come at a better time. What a classy way to make a comeback.
DIMENSION DATA Ladies Pro-Am
The DiData Pro-am is every Amateurs’ dream tournament and this would be a dream come true for me. A bucket list moment. It is such a special event because it pairs up an amateur with a pro for the whole tournament and the competition is not just meaningful for the pro but for the amateurs as well. There are two competitions that happen simultaneously at the DiData. 54 hole stroke play (professionals only). Professionals compete against each other for a professional prize fund, the winner being determined by the lowest number of strokes over the tree day tournament. 54 hole Betterball Medal (professionals partnering amateurs) Amateurs are teamed up with a professional partner and together they compete for the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am trophy and an additional professional prize fund. Players compete using the Betterball Medal scoring system, in which the lowest stroke of either the professional or amateurs is recorded for each hole. The amateurs handicaps are taken into account.
Dimension Data coupled with Fancourt and their incredible sponsors, make this event the most sort after affair and thee event to remember for the amateurs and their guests from start to finish. The special welcome starts at the airport and filters through to the rest of the event. This part of the country being in my Top 5 places in South Africa to visit and Fancourt being the number one golf destination in the country, I was so happy to be back at Fancourt after such a long time. On my last visit I did not get to play Montagu and I was beyond estatic knowing I was going to get to play it this time around.
The welcome dinner was something to look forward to because that’s where we would find out which pro we would be paired with for the weekend and it was an honour to be up on stage assisting with the announcement of pairings. Hosted by the eloquent and hilariously funny Dan Nicoll, it was bound to be entertaining. I was paired up with the wonderful Monique Smit who was the winner of the Inaugural DiData in 2014. As a long time fan of hers and not having played with her before, I was looking forward to our pairing.
DAY 1. MONTAGU
Slightly nervous because I had not touched a club in 2 and a half months and my first time at Montagu, I made my way to the first tee to meet the rest of my fourball. Everyone was really lovely from the get go and it turned out to be a beautiful day on an equally beautiful course. My golf of course was nowhere near beautiful but boy did I have fun while playing badly. Who would have thought one would enjoy a bad day on the course. My driver was spot on and I managed to impress my fourball with my drives but the short game was non-existent and so the day went as it did. No one ever shot a decent score just by driving….for show. I spent most of the day taking it all in…. I was out walking a golf course after my health scare, the scenery and beauty of Montagu, the absolute magic of the pros every shot and the overall magnificent way in which the tournament was organised. Coming back from a hip injury and operation, it was a tough day for my pro too. Which led to her having to pull out of the competition at the end of our round. Which in turn meant I was also out of the overall competition too. Sad to not carry on with the competition but happy she made the call to put her health first and take care of herself. I managed to have a quick chat with her to find out what her plans were after that. I wish her all the best and a full recovery and hope to catch her on the fairways soon. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cokm7CMMRq_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
DAY 2. OUTENIQUA
Out of the overall competition because my pro had to pull out, I was paired up with another pro who had been on reserve and unfortunately had not made it in to play. She came in on the second day just so i could go out there and have someone to play with for fun and complete the fourball. So, with both of our scores not counting for the competition, we went out there and played some no-pressure-stress-free golf. My driver was working, the short game came to the party and I carded one of my best scores in a while. It was all alright because golf was on our side again plus I truly had the best Caddy I have ever had. What a professional who knew the course like the back of his hand. Quickly figured out my game and my distances and was just spot on every time, an overall nice guy. Happy to share his details if you ever visit Fancourt.
I played in a fourball with two recently turned pros and when i say recently, i mean January 2023. my pro, the 20-year-old from Sweden, Elana Moosman, and 18-year-old Gabrielle Venter from Bloemfontein. These girls were just amazing out on that course and I wish them all the best for their careers and the rest of the 2023 season. I have no doubt they are going to be incredible professionals. Gabrielle and her amateur partner made the cut after she had a fantastic eagle on hole 17, It was just spectacular to witness first hand and she ended up 3rd for the overall tournament. Quteniqua was as beautiful as the first time i played it. The Quteniqua mountains as a backdrop, the scenery from every part of the course was breathtaking.
The whole Fancourt Dimension Data experience is incredibly organised and well put together. A brilliant way to get to know your professional golfer and create a bond and solid fan and support for our professional players. Together with Standard Bank, Dimension Data have committed to creating a more equal playing field and for the first time the Ladies pro-am took place on the Fancourt golf courses and saw a significant increase prize money. From 2024 the tournament will become a Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned event. There is nothing that makes me happier in sport than to see the elevation of women in sport, especially golf.
Flag Collected.
I was incredibly happy and privileged to share this experience through the Partner programme with my daughter and grand kids, who had the most wonderful time on their first experience of Fancourt. Until next time…
Catch you on the fairways.
This Girl's Golf Diary 