GOLF IN THE YEAR OF COVID-19

THE YEAR 2020

Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club

2020 was a year that brought unimaginable changes to our lives. Suddenly the world was faced with a pandemic that quickly spiralled out of control and had us switch to panic mode. As the panic set in, the changes in our lives set in just as fast and what we saw as a normal way of life became not so normal and the term “a new normal” became set in our vocabulary. The restrictions that came with it affected how we socialized and just like that, being in the presence of other people, work, social gatherings, sporting events and your basic daily life were a hazard. The world went into lock-down and I found myself isolated alone for months on end without the one thing I considered my outlet, my therapy, my happy space….golf. Life as I knew it was cancelled for a while.

Fast forward… After 77 days into South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown, the government finally eased up on some social activities and golf was unlocked. As a golf blogger and amateur who plays regularly, this has been one of the toughest times. Golf is not just a hobby, it’s a way of life for me personally and has become a source of my livelihood in so many ways. I get to spend hours outside walking, it provides mental well-being and emotional balance. I call it my mental, emotional and physical therapy. The unlocking of golf came with understandable strict protocols with regards to social distancing. Those included bookings all done on-line to avoid interaction with the pro shops, encouraging walking and pull-carts, rather than using golf carts or no sharing of carts and limiting golf carts to one person, setting extended times between fourballs tee-off times, distancing while putting, raised cups for easy ball retrieval to enable no touching of the flag stick, no access to locker rooms and immediate vacating of premises after a round. The list is endless but golfers were more than happy to comply, as long as we got to play and golf courses went above and beyond to make sure we complied.

Slowly but surely we eased into level 1 of lockdown and more golf was being played. The world of Golf Days came alive and for a short while things looked somewhat normal. The Sunshine Tour was back in full swing with it’s tournaments, allowing professionals to get back to work. South African golf was back on our screens and I could not have been more happy to see some of my friends and faves getting their lives back on track. Even if it meant watching from the comfort of my own home, it was still great to be able to watch. By October, my birthday month, we were well into trying to make up for lost time and dusting off the cobwebs from our swings. My annual birthday golf was a trip back to the quaint Clarens, curated by my favourite fourball. A trip with the girls that turned out to be incredibly special and one I will treasure forever. I shot my best score in a long time, Clarens was forgiving.

As I tried to cramp in as much golf as possible before the end of the year. I managed to get a few rounds on the home course Royal Johannesburg and the other fave Houghton Golf Club, by far my two favourite courses in Johannesburg. Their level of pristine fairways and greens makes golf so enjoyable no matter how your game turns out on the day. Coupled with their impeccable hospitality.

I managed to end my 2020 golf diary with some serious flag collecting highlights that came in the form of an invitation to play in South Africa’s oldest tournament, the 110^th edition of the The SA Open ProAm (yes, I’m still pinching myself). The change of venue to its new home The Gary Player Country Club at Sun City Resort was met with excitement after the Nedbank Golf challenge was cancelled because of the pandemic.

Arriving at Sun City Resort I was expecting all the check points from the gate all the way to hotel check-in because I had been there just a couple of months before for the opening of the Gary Player course after a long lockdown. Though no spectators allowed, the Sunshine Tour and Nedbank really went all out to create inclusivity with fans through social media with the #PlayYourPart campaign and Fanmode App. Hosting a ProAm meant making sure that every amateur had their Covid test certificate and no real interaction with the Pros for safety reasons. I have to commend the Sunshine Tour for the lengths they have taken to make sure that the players are safe. It was 2 amateurs to 1 professional, no touching, distance to be kept at all times, which of course was not an issue because pros play a different part of the course than we do anyway. 🙂 We take the scenic route pretty much all the time. Sunshine Tour masks were provided, sanitizers at every turn. As sad as I was that we could not have caddy’s for the first time at Gary Player, I completely understood the safety precautions that were being implemented. The cart was definitely a welcome substitute in the North West heat, even though I would not recommend playing that course without a caddy. My playing amateur partner did not get his Covid test done so he could not play, which left me with the pro and basically playing alone. I did get an assist on a couple of lines on my putts but it was mostly a solo event for me. It was my pros first time at Gary Player and I thought I saw a little distress at one point and knew he needed all the space to figure out how to navigate this beast. I did have some great holes and with that a cheer from the pro and his caddy but my overall game was not it hey…I have had better games here. The course was interesting without the grandstands knowing that it was a big tournament and biggest surprise and curve ball being that they turned the course around making the back nine the front nine, which turned my nemesis, the ever so picturesque 9^th hole the 18^th and an intimidating finishing hole. Missed a par and walked away with a bogey and a cartwheel was in order. The overall experience was truly spectacular and our hosts Nedbank, Sun City and Sunshine Tour came to the party, hospitality was nothing short of spectacular from check-in to goodbyes.

Leaving Johannesburg on a high I headed straight to Cape Town for what was a devastating reunion with my long time best friend, sister, confidant and the original day 1 golf partner Karen Opperman, who had just lost her beautiful 20 year old son Keenan aka Biggie K who was like a son to me, to a car accident. A brilliant kid, super athlete and avid golfer. What a devastating reunion. It had been at least 5 years since Karen and I played together and it was time to dust those clubs in honour of Keenan. Our golf story started out some 16 years ago in Zimbabwe where we both started out with lessons from Tim Price, brother to Nick Price Zimbabwe’s most decorated golfer. Tim turned Karen and I into Mashonaland’s most improved golfers in a space of 6 months. Golf was how we met, bonded and turned into a friendship that would lead to a sisterhood. A natural bond created by a Capetonian and Joburger in a foreign country. The most fun I have ever had on a golf course has to go to her and I believe there is not a course we did not play in Harare and the Eastern Highlands. Golf was our happiest place and we chose it to celebrate Keenan and his natural golf ability. We chose his favourite course to play, Durbanville Golf Club. Which by default has turned out to be my home away from home when in Cape Town. Our fourball consisted of people closest to his heart, mom Karen, big brother Aydon and his childhood best friend and regular golf partner Christopher (brilliant golfer) and me his aunt who never got to play with him. Something I will regret forever. As always, Durbanville Golf Club was the perfect host with their super friendly and helpful staff. It was my 4^th time playing here and the course is continuously upgrading and improving and it’s beautiful to see. The course was looking stunning as usual, the greens were super quick and bunkers were all in play on that day. The views of Durbanvilles winelands mountains at a distance never get old. I truly enjoy playing here and it is definitely worth a visit when you are in Cape Town. It was a perfectly beautiful day for the Inaugural Biggie K Family Golf Tournament test run. Thank you Durbanville. ❤

#RIPBiggieK Gone Too Soon.

CLOVELLY COUNTRY CLUB

My last game was a new flag collection and one that has been on my bucket list for the longest time. Clovelly Country Club, what an absolute delight. To say I was ending on a high would be an understatement. Situated between Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek and nestled comfortably in what feels like a valley as soon as you enter. A tight par 72, the layout is modelled among the sand dunes and water hazards disguised as beautiful flower ponds where course management plays an important role. The spectacular views of the ocean and mountains are enough to create even more beautiful distractions and my tree loving self could not help but be excited by the number of trees on the course. The wonderful welcome and reception from Paul Stoner and his team with Covid protocols in place was all one needed to let me know that the Clovelly experience had just began. My fourball and I were beyond excited. Trolleys in hand we set out from the sharpest dogleg left 10^th tee I have ever seen. A relatively flat short course and that definitely makes it a walking course and an ideal holiday golf destination. Not an easy course by any means. I donated my share of golf balls on the course. The wind picked up on our second 9 and my Johannesburg golf skills were no match for that coastal gust. The 18^th is a beautiful finishing hole with its elevated green, a view of the Clubhouse and it’s mountain backdrop. It was a busy day on the course and something tells me this is the norm. hoe can it not be with such a gem. Some of the lady members were nice enough to ask me how I enjoyed the course and invited me to a game next time I am in Cape Town. how could I refuse, plus they looked like a fun bunch to play with. So Pat Quill, we have a date and thank you for the kind words.

What a way to finish.

Catch you on the fairways,

Felicity Shiba

FIRST ROUND

Gary Player Country Club Open for Play.

When the COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly forced the world to shut down. There were periods of uncertainty when it came to whether major tournaments would take place. To every golfers disappointment, the decision to cancel or postpone some of the biggest and longest running majors was announced. The world was under attack from a virus that was spreading like wildfire and no one was safe. In all of this was of course Africa’s Major, The Nedbank Golf Challenge held at the Gary Player Country Club Sun City Resort. On it’s 40^th Anniversary, Sun City Resort had to announce that the 2020 Nedbank Golf Challenge would be cancelled and the whole resort went into lockdown. For my own selfish reasons, my heart broke but with entirely understanding the circumstances involved in that decision, human lives first.

As much as this is the time in the year where all African golfers, pro or amateur get to see up close and personal. All of our favourite golfers from around the world battle and fight in our very own backyard. We get to use our own notes and experiences on how we might have tackled the same holes they were tackling. It is our time to shine when routing for the local boys at home, knowing that they can feel the energy and love on their home ground. A time where we get to see another new addition of a South African golfer making the list of Nedbank Golf Challenge players and hear their beautiful heartwarming stories of how many times they walked the tournament as kids hoping that one day they would too get to play there as a professional among the greats. As one of the Nedbank Golf Challenges biggest fans, one of my dreams is to see more black South African golfers make that field.

I am one of the amateur golfers lucky enough to get the chance to play in the LAST ROUND before the preparations for the tournament. This round happens a month before the Nedbank Challenge and its an official shut down of the course to the public while the team prepares the course for the pros and what usually turns out to be a spectacular set up and event. By this time, the grandstand on 18 is already going up and structures are being erected all and around the course. One can not help but feel the magic happening in that moment already. One of the many joys the pandemic has managed to steal is getting to take part in the the 2020 FINAL ROUND.

After months of complete shutdown, lockdown levels and hardly any activity. Golf was slowly and finally coming back and Level 1 came with some much needed good news of travel within the country and the tourism industry could now resume. This was topped of by an invitation to play in what was being called the FIRST ROUND on the 19^th September. A symbolic return of golf at the resort with the First Round since the reopening of golf courses nationwide. Sun MVG loyalty golfers had the chance to win R1 million prize for a hole-in -one on the par 3, hole 12. As the 12 hole would have it, no one won. One of the most deceiving holes on the course I think, looks short, plays longer and I can never read that green. Perfect place for a challenge.

Driving into the resort I was met with a number of COVID security checks that will put every cautious person at ease. Even more checks as one checks in at the VIP desk at SOHO and even more checks at the hotel check-in at The Palace and in no way did I find any of this tedious. Instead, I found it comforting to see measures that have been taken for guests and staffs well being. In just a short time of opening, the resort was already bustling with guests. Imagine that for a second…in all of 40 years, the resort had never not had guests. It had never not had golfers coming in to try their luck on the extremely challenging Gary Player country Club. Wanting to know what that experience was like and the challenges that came with it. I sat down with Brett Hoppe, General Manger Sun City Resort and later with Ken Payet, Operations Manager for Sport and Recreation at Sun City.

After going on at length about my heartache of the cancellation of the Nedbank Challenge, I finally let Ken say a word or two.

“The initial part of lockdown was OK because it was only supposed to be 3 weeks. Then it got extended for another 2 weeks. Even then we were still quite optimistic about having the event. Unfortunately as it went on it became more and more difficult to see it happening. The inability to put on an event that we know and love for so many years, crowds, grandstands, networking, socializing was one of the huge factors in our decision. Also being out 40^th addition, it was best to cancel the event and move it to next year where we hope we will be in a better position to have an event. We feel it was the right decision. During this time we had a small grounds team and we tried to maintain the course as best as we could. We didn’t do anything with the bunkers, we cut the tees, the fairways and the greens. We just did the bare minimum and it was a nice opportunity to do a some pruning on both golf courses of trees that had outgrown and blocked views and we managed to opened up the golf courses a bit.” – Ken Payet

After talking to Ken and stepping on to the first tee at hole number 1 I had high hopes of not losing any balls on this course this time around. The field was full and I and I, a rose among thorns. I choose to hit off of the men’s tee box on hole 1 and I walk away with a par. OK Gary Player, its you and I today me thinks. I did go on to play the rest of the game from the ladies. My first 9 was the best 9 I have ever played on this course but of course I was never prepared for the crumble on the back 9. I tried to finish strong but my dream of shooting 90 or less at Gary Player was shattered. I did however manage to not swim on my nemesis hole, hole 9 and went off at 18 with a Callaghan for my round, thanks to my caddy who managed to find the couple of balls I thought I had lost. The course is looking amazing, the greens are exactly what you would expect from Gary Player Country Club, well manicured and difficult to read. It was such a wonderful thing to see everyone happy to be back on the fairways.

“For a resort that’s operated for 40 years, 365 days of the year to suddenly be locked down in March. No people, no cars, we had a small team of people working and a small team of ground staff. You kind of walk through the hotel lobby’s and it’s only your footsteps echoing. So it was a bit eerie in a way. It became quite emotional as it unfolded and endured for longer and longer. Simply because of my role at Sun City, you consider yourself responsible for the staff. We’ve been in lockdown for 177 days, the caddies haven’t worked for 177 days. Thankfully at Sun City all green fees contribute to the caddy foundation so what we managed to do with that is use those funds to create food parcels and from a resort point of view we contributed to that at varies intervals. We were able to do food vouchers for the caddies to help them sustain themselves. The lockdown has given us chance to look at the things we can improve on and implement those and change the way we do business where change needs to happen. So we are ready to welcome our guests back. We are prepared and we’ve spent a lot of time around Covid protocol. In essence we’ve tried to create a bubble at Sun City that complies with track and trace and our philosophy is, if you feel safe and the family feels safe then we are ideally positioned because once you’re in at Sun City, you don’t have to feel exposed. We are doing fully inclusive packages for families both at Cabanas and at The Palace. We have the ability to do high end fully inclusive”- Brett Hoppe

The hospitality from The Palace and the resort staff is always a highlight for me and this place leaves me with a feeling of looking forward to getting back every time I leave. Thank you Sun City Resort.

Catch you on the fairways.

CARRY, PULL or CART?

A return to the fairways….

A short note as we are gearing up to get back on the fairways and with it trying to navigate a round of golf in a pandemic. The big question is…will people walk, use pull carts or carry their own bags more so now or use carts instead? Will it be a cart per person for a fourball, making it 4 carts per fourball? Do clubs even have that many carts? Can they handle the demand? Will the individual electric golf bike become a favourite? If so, what of the caddies? Will ball spotters become a prerequisite maybe?

If we all choose to walk and pull our own weight. How does this impact on slow play, on the number of people on the field per day? How does the golf course keep its “tee times booked and played numbers” up? One thing is for certain, this is our new normal. We all have to play our part in making sure that our courses and this game that we love so much remain intact.

What a challenging time for all golf courses and members. I have no doubt that all courses will take all the necessary steps and procautions to make sure everyone is safe and taken care of, on and off the course. It is also entirely up to us too as golfers to make sure that we are sensitive to our own safety and to other golfers around us. Things like cleaning out your cart of all your trash, to make it easy to sanitize and staff do not have to handle it. These new normals should be effective immediately.

With all that’s said and done. We are more prepared now than ever.

Looking forward to returning to the fairways.

GOLF in the TIME of CORONA.

The global coronavirus pandemic has had irreparable effects on daily life throughout the world. Massive temporary changes have had to be put in place in order to slow the virus’ spread. With the world going under a necessary lockdown, all sports, more importantly (from where I’m sitting) golf felt the impact almost immediately with Majors like The Masters having to cancel or postpone to a much later date. Leaving professional and golf fans alike feeling lost and unprepared to deal with the implications of withdrawal symptoms.

The devastating impact of the lockdown on the golf community as a whole has been enormous. South Africa has over 500 golf courses that employ hundreds of thousands of people from caddies, ground staff, hospitality, golf tourism, events…I could go on… Our caddies being affected the most. Courses like Royal Johannesburg, Copperleaf, Serengeti…just to name a few, including their members have done an amazing job with trying to assist the staff during this trying time.

Sunshine Tour to the rescue with something less devastating than the results of the pandemic, with a fun and lighthearted entertaining way.

Sunshine Tour Virtual Golf Challenge

Sunshine Tour Virtual Golf Challenge game 3. Pebbles vs Portato

The Sunshine Tour’s professionals have been making up for a lack of live tournament golf during the COVID-19 pandemic by challenging each other on the Sunshine Tour Virtual Golf Challenge game.

Each week two Sunshine Tour professionals accept a challenge and then play 9 holes against each other online, and which is live streamed via YouTube for the country’s golf fans to watch.

The 3rd match, a rematch of the virtual challenge between Brandon Stone and Haydn Porteous took place this past Sunday 10th May. After Porteous’ untimely exit from the first match the Sunday before due to wifi technical difficulties. He was fired up for the 2nd round rematch and the match was tougher and more entertaining this time with both players wanting the win.

Unfortunately, unintentionally I seem to have been a big distraction after asking Stone a serious question about his foundation, that required him to take some concentration off his game during a crucial putt. My bad!!! 😂😂 This led to Porteous tying the match at 1-1 and the trophy being shared as a final result.

I sincerely apologize for my part in “The Stones” dimise but must say I was happy with the response to my question about his foundation. Who’s launch that was scheduled for the 7th April 2020 unfortunately had to be postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak and subsequent lockdown. Look out for any news on this great initiative in the future that is aimed at giving back in more ways than just golf.

Personally I’m a big fan of both golfers and an even bigger fan of people who like to help others win in life too, through giving back and gratitude.
If you haven’t already tuned in on one of these, I suggest you do next Sunday. Thoroughly entertaining and lighthearted way to get to know your Pros.

Catch you on the fairways….

Lejan Lewthwaite

At the last @GPInvitational I caught up with the newest member of TaylorMadeSA member & recently crowned #SuperSportLadiesChallenge Champ. It’s her birthday today, show some love. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lejan Lewthwaite, hope you have a great one. She is going into Dimension Data week as one of the favourites. Good Luck. ❤️🎉🎈🎂💃🏾#WCW

HIGHLANDER FOR A DAY.

Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate

My last game of 2019 came in the form of a postponed birthday present. Not wanting to leave it for the next year, we decided to squeeze in a girls getaway before December. So we set out to be Highlanders for a couple of days. Just under 3 hours, the drive to Dullstroom from Johannesburg is pretty easy. Nestled in the Steenkampsberg mountain lies the majestic Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate. Because of where it is situated and my love and knowledge of that part of the country, I expected the rolling hills and vast open spaces that would make you feel insignificant in the midst of them. What I did not fully anticipate was the grandeur of what has now become one of my favourite courses in the Highlands.

The 18 hole Ernie Els signature golf course is everything and more that it is hyped out to be. From the minute you drive in, you know you are about to embark on an adventure of pure majesty of scenery. An early tee time allowed us to truly enjoy the course without it getting unbearably hot. After all, it is summer in what I fondly call “the sunshine state” Mpumalanga, when translated means ‘where the sun rises’. You can not help but catch your breath as soon as you enter. This place is green everywhere, on some parts even the hills look like an extension of the fairways.

The immaculate condition of this course is a visible indication from the first tee box. The attention to detail with all of its tee boxes with signature names and descriptions carved on a stone, on every hole is a lovely touch. It has wide lush fairways with enough bunkers for an exciting challenge but whatever you do, make sure to stay out of the rough because finding and retrieving your ball is near impossible. Picking the right club is of utmost importance because of the long carries between tee boxes and fairways and the danger that lies between. The insane views on most holes are enough to slow any day down because of all the picture taking and sightseeing, but I think they know this, so the planning and spacing of fourballs is taken into consideration. At no point did we feel rushed or holding anyone up. I lost balls, and I have to say I was not upset about that, considering where I lost them. So many blind spots that really require you to hit them as straight as you possibly can because even just 3 meters to the right, you are most likely to get there and find your ball has rolled down the side of a mountain.

One of the biggest challenges came from what might be my favourite hole, the uphill hole 3, par 3 also known as ‘Thunder and Lightning’ an appropriate name for this little monster with nothing but danger between the tee box and green and no fairway. The distance on the day was 140 meters for the ladies which would be a solid 8 iron for me, an up, I mean UP hill lie. Taking an extra club I was still about 30-50 meters short straight into the mess. With no hope to find my ball, I reloaded with another extra club, now I am playing a 6 iron for 140 meters off the tee, mind blown. Managed to place it just off the green, there for 3 and happy to walk away with a 5 if I can. There is no fairway on this hole so its up the mountain on carts to the green. The views from that green are just breathtaking, and I was going to savour this moment…but my stubborn self decided to go and look for my first ball down the valley and finding it and many others that had not been retrieved. Figured I would play it, sand wedge in hand, chipped it onto an elevated green I couldn’t even see the flag. A WOOP and applause from my playing partner was the only indication I got that it was a decent shot…a meter from the pin. I walked away extremely happy with a par, that was officially my hole for the day. I played a solid first 9, and the wheels came off a bit on the 2nd 9 but overall happy with my game and the way I tackled this incredibly challenging course.

I could go on and on and give you a hole by hole breakdown but I will instead, tell you to make your way to Dullstroom. I will definitely be back.

Happy 2020 Golf and Catch you on the fairways.

Felicity Shiba

http://felicityshiba.co.za/TGGD/home.html

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WOMEN’S MONTH

PHENOMENAL WOMEN IN GOLF.

It is Women’s month, which means we get to be celebrated for things that we do on a daily. We get to celebrate ourselves, our achievement’s and other women we admire. In this article I would like to celebrate some women who I am so lucky to call friends and are doing amazing things in the golfing space.

Portia and I went to primary school together. She was a class or two ahead of me and we were never friends but we knew each other well because I was friends with her younger sister.. In our early 20’ we occasionally found ourselves in the same company of mutual friends. Fast forward 20 odd years later we find ourselves in the golfing space and a true friendship blossomed. We discovered we had in common a love for this sport that was allowing us to do amazing things. Not only is she an incredibly intelligent and successful woman in her field of work but she is a mean golfer too.

PORTIA MAHLALELA
Founder – ZURI Golf Club
CSI Coordinator 7D1D80F5-392C-41D8-864C-F0361DC20F87

How and when did Zuri come about and what was the inspiration behind it?

“Zuri came about as a suggestion actually, four ladies playing golf decided to form a ladies club as it was not easy to find ladies who play golf, it was mainly male dominated. I was one of the founding members that suggested this actually. We are now 4 years old.”

How has it evolved since it’s conception?

“The membership had grown and our ladies golfing abilities have improved over the time with handicaps dropping. The most significant has been our ability to give back through our development programme at Rebongwe Primary school. We are not only viewing golf from a fun, travelling and networking perspective but our members are actively involved or supporting activities that introduce children to golf as an extra mural or even at some stage maybe they will turn pro and earn a living from it.”
Years ago I was desperate to find other black ladies to play with and a friend insisted I meet a woman named Inno who also played golf and knew a few other ladies that played. That meeting led to me meeting a phenomenal bunch of women who were passionate about golf almost as much as I was. We then formed a fun, colorful, golf school and called ourselves The Iron Ladies. Unfortunately most of the ladies had demanding jobs and busy lives that didn’t allow for this wonderful bunch to flourish. What cane out of that brief encounter was friendships and bonds that have now become sisterhoods and incredible golf buddies, business partners and so much more. Inno and I spoke casually yers before about the need for a golf range that understood the African women and her shape. So when she told me that she was started a golf range that would also include men. I knew of there was anyone who was going to get it done right, it would be her.

INNOCENTIA (INNO) MOTAU
ITU GOLF WEAR
What was the inspiration behind this brand? CB41FA88-76F4-4263-97F1-1FD7EB67F2E6

“Golf fashion has always been my passion. I have always appreciated innovative designs for golf apparel and I have personally collected a few the world over. One day it dawned on me that it’s time to try and design my own styles using a number of inspirational pieces I come across at different golfing platforms. I don’t posses any sewing expertise or infrastructure and I have always yearned to partner with a developmental project that I could collaborate with in order for me to use what I love to advance the lives of others. I then came across an incubator sewing project that offered CMT services.. then Voilà ITU Golf Wear was born with me being the designer, fabric out sourcer and a model and the project giving me the amazing hands that are today sewing all my garments.”

How have you found the response towards your brand so far, coming into a space dominated by iconic brands? Also, being the first young black woman entering an unfamiliar territory?

“The response has been pretty positive and nothing less than amazing. Iconic brands have been there for a long haul, they understand the game and have economies of scale. So for new entrant like myself venturing in such a space really called for me to stretch myself beyond my comfort zone and be in the game to win it. From a commercial perspective I always have to stay competitive and be able to consistently remain innovative with styles and designs that will make the ITU brand stay abreast with the big names.”

What’s the next step and your vision for your brand in the future?

“The next big step is the launch of our kids range which will happen before the end of the year. We will also be growing our bespoke offer on golf day apparels, which has been growing more than our exceptions.
The big vision is still to have an international foot print and stay on par with competition through focusing on innovation, performance and comfort with all our garments.”

What these ladies have created is something so special, needed, relevant and I can not help but marvel and we should all be proud and want to support them in every way possible. They can be contacted at on their Instagram pages and websites.

http://www.zurigolfclub.co.za

ITU golf wear is available online at http://www.ituwear.com

HAPPY WOMEN’S MONTH

Catch you on the fairways.

Felicity Shiba

Ladies Tees And High Tea with Sun City Resort.

LADIES TEES and HIGH TEA

Golf trips are different from travelling alone. They require some company and preferably company that is as crazy about golf as you are. We all know that travelling as a group in any situation can be very tricky when some egos and personalities clash. So finding a bunch of ladies who were easy going was my number one priority. As much as I had spent time with each of them separately and had only really travelled several times with my golf buddy and long time friend Sonia Booth, they were not
friends and had not spent any time together at all. Recipe for disaster…nope not this time. It turned out we were all prepared for fun times minus the drama.

DAY 1, 6:30am, coffee, two cars and four ladies and we were off headed to our 9:30 tee time at the Gary Player Championship course, home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Two of the ladies were playing it for the very first time. The excitement was all around because even though I and Sonia had played there more than a couple of times, it had not been pretty and we are always trying to improve on the previous scores. We arrived with enough time to change and get organised before teeing off but we found a very busy morning field. So we opted to tee off after everyone so as to not feel the pressure of anyone behind us. We were there for fun after all.

The change in tee times gave us enough time to grab some much needed breakfast. Playing the Gary Player will never get old, it Is an ultimate Bucket List moment every single time. The weather gods were kind enough with a sightly overcast cool day that was appreciate by everyone including the caddies because they were in for slightly longer day than usual, plus when the heat is on, this course can be ten times more brutal. With my newly acquire M6 TaylorMade clubs and vital golf lessons from the good Dr Dickson, I played my best game that day. The short game let me down but I am liking where my game is headed.
My bravest moments came on hole 11 par 4 stroke 10 where I chose to head over the trees on the left instead of the safer open fairway on the right. I can not describe the satisfaction of waking over that bridge up the fairway to find my ball sitting pretty for an open second shot to the green, which landed just short of the green….then the short game showed me flames and I walked away with a double. How you ask? I too, do not know. The second moment was playing hole 8 par 4 stroke 1 beautifully, second shot on the fringe and 3 putting to end up with bogey. A whole THREE putts.
A couple of pars and plenty of bogeys later, I would do it again. Still a much better score than the last time I was here. I choose to take that away. The day ended with a wonderful dinner at The Grill and my very first attempt at karaoke at the famous Vibes. Lets just say The
Counting Crows would sue me for butchering Mr Jones.

DAY 2, my body clock betrayed me, for someone who only got to bed at 1am. I looked outside my window and it was another perfectly cool overcast day, or it seemed like it at the time. A perfect day to play some golf. Breakfast with the girls and everyone was critical but stable and ready for the scenic Lost City Golf Course. I was truly looking forward to this one. It is my favourite of the two courses. Though the last time I played was at The Gary Player Invitational, where I played like a tool.
The overwhelming excitement of being invited in the first place and so I was back for a make up game. It was a very busy morning on the course with fourballs lining up to tee off and us, the only fourball of ladies. A much better start on the 1st tee than the last time where I almost took the head off of the photographer with my epic shank. The bravery of taking my very new M6 driver off the first tee straight down the middle just before the bunker on the left was evidence enough that I really truly love these new clubs.
Anyone who has played with me will know that the honours of the 1st tee and pretty much every tee after that for at least 6 holes is reserved for the 6 iron. Missed pars on the first two holes for both Sonia and It was a sign that this had the potential of getting better up until mother nature came through with the rain and the chill just as I teed off on the 3rd. We rushed back to the clubhouse to stay warm and wait it out. 45 minutes later there was a slight drizzle that we were prepared to play in. Back to the tee box and the rain picked up again and what was a fourball became a twoball. It got cold and wet very quickly, Neo and Seiphati opted to go back to the hotel and get warm, understandably so. Sonia and I were not playing mother natures game, plus we love this course and we are addicts and we had a score to settle with our previous scores here. So, yellow raincoat, umbrellas and towels to keep us dry and warm, the game was still on. We really were on fire, even with the rain coming down hard at times we were still keeping them on the fairway, our putting seriously let us down. The amount of fun we had in that rain was worth it. Soaking wet and happy, we headed straight to the Spa at the Gary Player Clubhouse to meet the rest of the crew. Who we found lounging comfortably in the warmth of the luxury spa.
In all my years of visiting Sun City Resort, I had never ventured to the Spa and gym, what a lovely and much needed moment. That moment of pampering brought the heat back into the body and we were ready for our High Tea at The Palace.
High Tea turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. The spread of food and desserts was all a girl with a sweet tooth could ask for. It was a combination of a beautiful set up, the girls really showing up looking like the queens that they are, yummy food, exotic teas and easily flowing and engaging conversations. We overstayed and were the last ones to leave.
Our table was the only table left while the stuff bustled around us preparing for dinner. The conversations carried on over dinner. I would take these girls anywhere. Thank you Sun City for coming to the party with this wonderful Ladies Tees and High Tea trip.

Catch you on the fairways.

Throwback 2018

IT’S A WRAP!

It’s the last month of the year and all of a sudden 2018 seems like it went by so fast. I can not help but think of all the golfing highlights and the incredible #Buckelisting that i have managed to get done this year. January kicked off with the European Tour BMW SA Open hosted by the City of eKurhuleni at the beautiful Glendower golf Club. One of the oldest championships in the world saw its first two black golfers make the cut. Musiwalo Nethunzwi and Toto Thimba created such a moment that had everyone cheering as they walked up the 18th green holding the South African flag between them. That particular moment will forever be an important one in SA Open and golf history.

The ladies season started off with The Tshwane Ladies Open hosted by the always challenging Pretoria Country Club. The tournament saw their prize money being raised to R400 000 this year by their sponsor Canon. Of course compared to the men’s purse, it seems like peanuts but it is a good raise nonetheless, which was much needed in the Sunshine Ladies Tour. A very deserved Stacey Bregman took home the silverware. This was followed by The Joburg Open ProAm that was held at the much anticipated Soweto Country Club and the official shut down for the club that has been undergoing an entire revamp, redo, upgrade, facelift….by the Gary Player Design team. As the original course designer in 1972, Soweto Country Club has a special place in Gary’s heart and taking on this project again came naturally. Gary Player is providing his services at no cost and is determined to give back to the game of golf by providing opportunities and inspiring young golfers in the Soweto and surrounding communities. The course is scheduled to reopen in 2019 and we wait in anticipation.

One of my favourite highlights for the year was the big hitting Nobuhle Dlamini’s win in the Sunshine Ladies Tour. FINALLY! Having had a few close calls and being on the verge of winning in several tournaments. She clenched a title in the form of the SuperSport Ladies Challenge hosted at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club in March this year. I’ve been watching her for several years now and the confidence in which she finished that tournament proved that she was definitely ready for the big leagues. Fast forward November and she is winning the Pre-Qualifiers final stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School in Morocco, which has landed her a spot in the final stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School 16-20 December. I’m excited for what Nobuhle is doing for every young black girl golfer out there. It’s bigger than her and I’m here for it.

2018 was about traveling with the golf clubs and experiencing new courses. In total I managed to collect 12 new flags and I still have 28 days left in the calendar. The prettiest drive came when I to Hans Marensky Golf Club, Golfing In The Wild. It was never on the list but somehow it made it. Traveling through Magoebaskloof turned out to be the hightlight. May came and my #Bucketlisting and #FlagCollecting picked up momentum. My American Summer (winter) in the US with family kicked off my bucket list adventure with me playing a course I’ve wanted to play for the past 9 years. A private course in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama. A place I call home and was home. Inverness Country Club, a championship course with the #1 Clubhouse. What an experience, a Southern welcome to the club.

My return home to a cold July was definitely warmed up by my next course to play, I finally made it to Blair Atholl. In the midst of winter it was dry and cold and I didn’t have the best game. I had been waiting so long to play here and my experience was dampened by the harsh joburg winter. Though the beauty and elegance of it did not go pass me and it was the best time ever with the ladies that came out to play. The next one on the list was a serious wowza and I was excited for it. The Links at Fancourt, could easily be the best course I have played this year, where I discover I actually have a thing for links courses or was it just that particular links course. I plan to test that theory next year. I discovered knysna in a beautiful way, the way of the picturesque Simola Country Club and the absolute lush Outiniqua Golf Course. I haven’t even scratched surface of this golfing paradise that is the Western Cape. I was pretty sure nothing could top this until I found out I was going to play with the legendary Gary Player and Nedbank defending champion Branden Grace at Blair Atholl hosted by SAP. Surely this was it, I can now retire my bucket list? If I tell you this is by far the highlight of all golf highlights to date, you will not need convincing. Back at Blair Atholl after the rains was like experiencing a whole new course. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! Playing with and watching Grace up close and the gracefulness in which he hits that ball has to be on my top 5 things done this year. I followed Gary’s instructions and I swung my hips and pointed my toes so much that day, I woke up the next morning with everything hurting. Muscles I had forgotten exist and my hips a little tender. I call it The Gary Effect. Seriously, I’m happy to just retire whatever it is I’m doing but wait, there’s more. The Nedbank Golf Challenge came with all its glory and boy was I there to see it all inside the ropes. I stalked Rory, selfied with Sergio, pictured with Ryder Cup winning captain Thomas Bjørn, had a chat with Westwood before the banger of a win, touched Martin Kaymer :-), found all my favourites Stone, Fritelli, at the beach party. Met new favourites and had a blast of a time. I was ready to call it quits and The Gary Player Invitational invite came through. It could really have been my Christmas party right there because that was it for the year. The cherry on top. WHAT A TIME. As I edit this from the Island of Mauritius for the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open…..

2019 is proving to be geared up for more golf and it’s adventures. Starting of with the bucket listed San Lameer Golf Club in South Coast of the majestic Kwa-Zulu Natal, for the The PLeace Awaken Celebrity & Living Legends Golf Tour. A series of celebrity golf events, initiated to bring people of influence from entertainment, sports and politics together for change. As an international roundtable and think-tank, PLeace G.O.L.F. sets the stage with music, food and roundtable discussions to shed light on environmental, socio-economic and humanitarian issues, momentarily tearing apart communities and even whole nations. The approach of PLeace Awaken is to bring insiders, experts and pioneers of working solutions in front of a highly influential international audience of celebrities, dignitaries and world economic leaders by getting them together for a round of golf and help create positive change at grass root level in different areas around the world. If you can make it to this event, please do because it is going to be that one golf event you wish you had made time for.

Also, TIGER WOODS is back. In Tiger Woods words “the entire year has been amazing.”

The Evolution.

The evolution of women’s golf wear has been on a steady rise and golf fashion has come a long way. As someone who studied Fashion Design and History of Fashion. I appreciate the changes that women’s golf apparel has undergone. Traditionally, golf as a whole has been rigid since the Stone Ages with its rules on attire amongst other things. Those rules of course have some what changed in the past 10 to 15 years.
Golfers are a lot more colourful, daring with their attire, funky if we can call it that. The women are leading the men on that regard but there are also those guys that stand out like Rickie Fowler. Who caught my kids eyes earlier on in his career purely because of his colourful gear. They started to watch him play and wanted to see what he would be wearig next. Which then followed by them wanting him to win and loving his game.
He grabbed their attention just by looking like someone they could relate to on the golf course. I could mention a few other names of really stylish, fashionable male golfers but I am not here to speak about the men. This piece is dedicated to the ladies.

The women’s golf fashion trends are possibly the fastest growing trend in fashion at the moment. The choices have shifted and changed drastically from the conservative old fashioned look and have entered a new school lifestyle fashion trend. Women have become more adventurous with colour choices, shorter shorts, tighter shirts, the introduction of the skort (a personal favourite) over a decade ago by Golftini.

The skort in my opinion, is a sexy edition to women’s golf apparel. What is probably the greatest thing, is how comfortable the gear has become too. The fabrics that designers are using, me included, are durable and super flexible. This is one of the most important factors because, in spite of trends and wanting to look good out there, it is still a sport and one must try and perform at the highest level without interference from unsuitable gear. The other trend I find appealing and rather great is the golf leggings, tights seen worn by the likes of Michelle Wie. Michelle has been one of the biggest trend setters in women’s golf fashion. She has been voted the most stylish female golfer several times. She is spunky and relevant in terms of fashion for female golfers out there. Her outfits have gotten her into some trouble and maybe even banned on some greens but the younger golfers get it and love her bold style.

Other female golfers I find extremely stylish are Korean golfer Soo Jin Yang and Russian golfer Maria Verchenova who both have their own golf clothing ranges. I find that a lot of our South African lady pros are still very conservative with their gear.

We now enter the topic of body shape and the struggles of finding golf gear that is suitable for my body shape as an African women. We require a little extra room around our hips and my research has shown me that most garments have been made to a typical European size, figure and shaped woman. I have found this to be one of the biggest problems with the amateur lady golfers and friends, who might be a 32 waist but a 36 bottom.
Hey, the heritage calls for it and it is pride for us but a disadvantage when trying to find suitable, comfortable golf gear. I also realise that in the past not many women with this type of figure, if any, played golf, so it is to be expected that we will only find European sized garments at any golf shop. Garments that when you buy, you still need to go out and find a tailor to resize and custom fit. Yes, its a huge problem. You do have some brands that are actually trying and understanding the African woman’s figure like Greg Normans range and Clubhouse Collection just to name a couple.

Most women I’ve spoken to sometimes have to go to a regular retail store to get a pair of pants or shorts for a guaranteed fit. The problem with that is you then lose all the necessary details needed for golf gear, like the extra pockets and tee holders. There is still a lot of improvement and necessary changes that need to happen with regards to sizing. Sometimes it takes someone who understands the struggles of any situation to change it.
I know, through my own experience that most times when I’m out there looking good, feeling comfortable, I’m going to play some good golf and I’m pretty sure some of the ladies will agree with me. I’m achange interested to hear from the ladies which brands they prefer and find are the most comfortable
Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages and taken the time to send me encouraging words and relatable stories about starting out on this golfing journey.

Catch you on the fairways. 🏌🏾‍♀️