Being back in Johannesburg will always mean I try and find time to play my home course, Royal Johannesburg Golf. It always feels like coming home. When the halfway staff tell you they’ve missed you, you should come more often, and the front desk and proshop are always on point and are ready to assist with anything. The grounds staff going out of their way to ĺook for my daughters lost phone on the course and actually finding it. One of my favourite things about this course is also just how my kids absolutely love it too. Any excuse for them to tag along is always a good day out on the course.
WEST SIDE
The beautiful and scenic West Course is most definitely a good place to start. With my fourball not quite getting it together on the last minute. I ended up going out alone. I managed to get my good friend Precious, who doesn’t play at all to tag along for great company. We have spent many hours on the course watching tournaments together, but after this ride along, she’s ready to start playing. The beauty of the West did the job. One down, a few more to go. If I could get all my friends to play, my job would be done.
Birdie time!
It was such a gorgeous day out. The weather was stunning, the course pristine as usual, and the game was not too bad after coming back from a diabolic episode at Fancourt. There is nothing like the home course to show you love. I realised how I miss playing alone. Something I used to do quite often. Maybe I should get back to basics, and the game will come back to me…
Flag Collected!!!
EAST SIDE
On this day, I said East on a Wednesday, and the response was “any day for the beast.” With my daughter and her partner Duncan, we set out to try and tame the ever so gorgeous beast that is the East Course. Something we know we can never do, but we try anyway because the feeling you get when you’re putting for par on that stroke 1 can never be duplicated.
East will take your breath away every single time. Regardless of how your day is going, it just never gets old. It can play really long when you’re having a bad day, and yet the beauty of it still keeps your emotions in check. You keep hoping the next hole will be better. On a good day, when your game is on fire,well now, that will make you want to come back the next day only to find it in beast mode. This is why we love it so much. The number of people who tell me how it is on their top 5 on the bucket list is evident enough.
East or West with you forever. ♥️
I had a horrible day with my driver and a better day with the short game, which saved me. The highlight was watching Maxine hit some beautiful shots on the 2nd 9 and her remembering that she has a mean swing, even on the East side.
With my boys being in a far, far away land, it was such a treat going out to play with my daughter. Her hectic schedule doesn’t allow for us to have a lot of time on the golf course. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t let it pass. After all, she is my day golf buddy. As a teenager, she would come to the range and weekend lessons with me. We’d make it out to the course when she wasn’t at a sports meet somewhere.
Like me, she spent all her school years being the athlete and making every team possible. So her golf game came naturally. Even without playing at all, I can still see a glimpse of the girl who has the potential to beat me on a good day. I can only hope that she does too, because that would mean she’d be playing more.
Flag Collected!!!
One of these days I will get this team in one fourball. Every golfing parents dream. Now, wouldn’t that be something.
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.
Masked
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.
Royal Johannesburg – West
Houghton Golf Club
Parkview Golf Club
Durbanville Golf Club
Royal Johannesburg – West A winters days.
Lost City – Sun City Resort
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 110th 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.
Gary Player Country Club
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 9th hole the 18th 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.
VIP Hospitality on 18th
SA OPEN PROAM 2020 – GARY PLAYER COUNTRY CLUB
Karen Opperman
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 4th 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 10th 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 18th 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.
Welcome to This Girl’s Golf Diary blog. Here I will talk about good golf, bad golf, amateur golf, professional golf, women’s and men’s golf and mostly South African golf. I am here really just to give a different perspective on the game. I will focus on golf travel, some equipment from an amateurs point of view and golf experiences from all the courses I get to visit and play. I hope to chat to some professional golfers and get some insight on their lifestyle outside of their day job.
South Africa has some of the worlds best golf courses and we are so lucky to have access to them. Unfortunately most people still feel that golf is an exclusive sport. Understandably so. Golf has been for a very very long time and elite sport and still percieved to be that to some extent. Although things are changing and the amount of diversity that is happening in our golf clubs is something to celebrate and document. Golf still can not shake that seemingly bad reputation of being a sport for the few select and majority white.
Personally, I am happy to be a part of that diversity, I get super excited when I see the number of Black folf on the golf course, especiallywomen and children. Even if they are not playing with me on that day, there is still that “hey gurlll” thing that happens when we cross paths. And we will talk more about that in the future. The future looks bright too on the Black amateurs circle. So my aim is to create as much awareness as I possibly can on the changing dynamics in our golf circles, accessibility and the influence of social media on golf as a whole.
I get asked all the time, “why golf”? Of course I always have a few answers ready but my main answer is..”golf is a way of life.” It teaches one, how to manage your time, honesty, manners, an enormous amount of patience and respect for your fellow golfers. Which translates into your daily life. It’s a great way to connect with people.
I remember when I started playing golf. I had moved to Harare, Zimbabwe with my family and we were going to be there for four years. I was a new stay at home mum and knew no one. I soon realised Harare had some beautiful courses and I always wanted to play golf but never had the time. Well, turned out I had the time and needed to make new friends who were not my husband or his work colleagues. I bought a beginners box set from Dunlop clubs from a Sportsmans Warehouse. Not even a Proshop. 😅 I didn’t even know Dunlop made golf clubs, I thought they just made tennis balls.
I joined Borrowdale Brooke Golf Club and showed up on the ladies Thursday game like it was the first day of school. I found such a welcoming bunch of ladies and soon enough the golf course became home to me. Of course I had to have a good bunch of lessons on the basics before venturing out there. Anything less would have been suicidal. I was lucky enough to get lessons from the wonderful Tim Price, who happened to be the club pro at the time. I soon played in the ladies silver division and club champs. The rest is history. When you’ve spent almost half your life playing sports like I have. At some point you can’t take part in most if not all the sports you used to take part in. With all the injuries one accumulates during those years, your body starts to sing a different tune and is no longer in tune with your mind. At some point it requires you to retire from your action sports. Golf has allowed me to remain competitive and active, even if its on a social level. I am hoping to inspire more women to play, especially more black women to play.
This will be my fun but sometimes serious golf blog. I plan to collect as much flags as possible.
This Girl's Golf Diary 