Dear Members, Clients and Friends,
As Louis mentioned last week, the club is currently at its busiest, and it is great to see so many members and guests enjoying our great course and our friendly service. We can be very thankful that last winter was a relatively good one!
We certainly can be very proud of the performances of some of our members on the international scene. Our three touring professional members, Justin, Oliver and JJ are doing extremely well. Justin is currently ranked 69th in the world! To put that into perspective, only two South Africans, Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace, are currently ranked above him! He is also lying 15th in the Race to Dubai rankings. Oliver is doing well on the Challenge Tour in USA, and JJ is campaigning well on the Sunshine Tour. We will be be following them with interest this year.
| Justin practicing in studio a few weeks ago |
Another member whom we can be very proud of is the top-ranked visually impaired golfer in the country, Prof Garrett Slattery. After so many great achievements both locally and internationally, his latest one is that he has been named Captain of the Rest of World team that will be taking on North America in the bi-annual Handa Vision Cup at Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links near Dublin, Ireland, in June of this year. This tournament is basically Blind Golf's very own Ryder Cup, or President's Cup if you will, and is played along a similar format.
I am once again fortunate enough to be able to be a part of this most humbling experience to serve as Garrett's guide. I am really looking forward to exploring the course which is ranked within the top 20 best golf resorts in the world, owned by IMG and designed by Bernhard Langer. The former owners of the land was the famous Jameson family, who themselves had already built 12 holes stretching down to the other famous golf club adjacent to it, Portmarnock Golf Club. Three of those original holes were incorporated into the layout. Rumour even has it that the guides will be able to sneak in a game before the tournament!
We still have very fond memories of the previous Handa Vision Cup two years ago, which was held in British Columbia, Canada. At that tournament, it came down to the wire, ending in a tie, with the Rest of World team retaining the Vision Cup as they had won the previous event in Italy. This did not go down well with the North Americans, so they will be seeking some kind of revenge in June, but we will be ready for them with Garrett leading the team! For those of you that don't know by now, Garrett only has roughly 4.5% vision. Despite this big handicap, his feel for the game (especially the short game) came to the fore last year when he won the C-Division of our Club Championship!
| Garrett and myself with the Handa Vision Cup we retained in 2017 in Canada |
Even though we keep mentioning these performers amongst our members, we are off course proud of all our members, grinding it out week in and week out in the competitions, young and old as mentioned in my previous newsletter about 88-year old Willem Oosthuizen, and in Louis' reports on the two senior members breaking their ages.
On the other extreme, I have been coaching 3-year old Adam du Preez for more than a year now already. He started playing when he was 2-years old and we are now busy grooming him for his first competitions! Check out his great swing with driver!
| Justin's competition is on the way |
Golf is truly a game for everyone. It however also remains a tough game, especially if you have been repeating a mistake for too long. Remember that lasting improvement cannot come from reading articles or watching videos or DIY attempts, but from the personal attention of an experienced PGA Professional. If you would like to experience more enjoyment on a weekly basis, start a conversation with me.
You may have noticed that the range has now become a totally cashless facility - please use your membership card or credit/debit card to purchase balls. If you practice a lot, consider the prepaid options and inquire with Samantha if you are interested.
In closing, remember this exciting event coming up at the range - on Thursday 28 February we will be hosting a Callaway Golf & Odyssey Custom Fitting Day. See below for more information and click here if you would like to reserve an official time.
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Please read on below for more on how you can find a path to more improvement and more fun on the course, and also why I am proud to be a Srixon brand ambassador....
Keep it on the fairways,
Erich
How right we were:
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