| 13 September 2021 | ISSUE 79 | THE GOOD LIFE | On the Course | Off the Course | | | Members and Guests | | | Dear Member, The Club Schalk & Valda Produce the Old Magic in the Senior Club Champs Written by Randpark Member, Grant Winter Schalk Naude is one of those rare, talented individuals, who has reached the top in more than one sporting code. In the 1980s decade, he shone brilliantly at flyhalf for first Western Province, followed by the Blue Bulls and then Transvaal. And after hanging up his rugby boots, Schalk took to golf in a big way and now, aged 63, the sweet-swinger has represented Central Gauteng at Senior inter-provincial level for the past 11 years in a row. And over the weekend, he won our Club’s Senior Championships for the over 50s for the fifth time, after a pair of 73s – the first on Bushwillow on Saturday and then, on Sunday, another one-over-par return on Firethorn, as he sealed victory by a runaway six-shot margin. “I played the first nine on Bushwillow in four-under, and thought maybe I was going to equal or beat my age for the first time,” he says with a chuckle. “But this game is a great leveller, and I three-putted four times on the inward loop! So that was 32-41. A terrible finish! Overall, though, I was really happy with my golf. Two years back, I’d won the Senior Champs four times in a row. Then my game went a bit south, and I didn’t know whether I’d get back to form. So, to win again was pretty satisfying and proof that at 63 I’m not over the hill just yet.” Schalk’s win comes just three weeks after his son Stefan, also a Randpark member, won the prestige Nomads North and South Junior Championships at Pecanwood on six-under-par 210 for 54 holes. One talented family don’t you think! Back to our Senior Champs, and there were a bunch of prizes for the over 100 contestants, with – on the men’s side – Scratch golfers, Rouaan Bredenkamp and Trevor Labuschagne next best on gross on 152, followed by four-handicap Shane Walker one shot further back. These three players are all aged 55, and Shane has been a Randpark member ever since he was nine years old. Rouaan’s son Johan is, like Stefan, one of Central Gauteng’s young stars and plays off a plus-5 handicap, while Trevor represented Free State in his younger days. “I played against guys like Ernie Els and Retief Goosen because they were in my era as amateurs,” he reveals. So, how did he fare against the Big Easy and the Goose? “Well, I didn’t beat those two guys, but I did get the better of Rory Sabbatini, who played for KZN, in singles at Inter-Provincial. He was only 14 or 15 at the time, but that win is still a happy memory!” Walker’s 153 aggregate was made up of a fine 73 on Bushwillow, followed by an 80 on Firethorn. “I struggled a bit with the 80,” he says, “and a double-bogey at the last from the middle of the fairway didn’t help. But I hit some nice shots, and it was a great weekend, with the rest of us just bystanders as Schalk won going away.” So much for the men. In the Women’s Championship, Valda Ford took top honours with 69 Stableford points off her handicap index of 7.2. Renate Sauter was next best with 66 points, followed by Alana Bakos on 65. The surname Ford, of course, is a familiar one at Randpark. Valda’s daughter, Cara, won the Women’s Club Championships back in May for the second time. So, like Schalk and Rouaan, success at golf runs in the family. It’s been a Ford mother-and-daughter grand 2021 double. “Growing up with a golf-lover like me, Cara didn’t have any option but to get into the game,” says a smiling Valda. “I’ve been playing forever. Well, not forever actually." Before being bitten by the golf bug, Valda was a hot-shot runner, representing Western Province at half-marathon distance. Like Schalk, she’s been good at two different sports. Randpark CEO, Francois Swart, points out that in the four Club Championships held this year – the Main Club Champs, the Weekday Club Champs, the Seniors, and the Juniors and Graduates, entries totalled an impressive 701. That’s enthusiasm for you. That’s commitment. That’s Randpark. Senior Men Championship 2021 - 50 Yrs + Gross Winners (50+ Division) Pos. | Full name | Day 1 | Day 2 | Total | Trophy | Schalk Naude | | | | 1st | Schalk Naude | 73 | 73 | 146 | 2nd | Rouaan Bredenkamp | 77 | 75 | 152 | 3rd | Shane Walker | 73 | 80 | 153 | 4th | Arthur Heinrich | 82 | 77 | 159 | 5th | Brett Herselman | 82 | 78 | 160 | Nett Winners (50+ Division) Pos. | Full name | Day 1 | Day 2 | Total | 1st | Anton Coetzee | 72 | 74 | 146 | 2nd | Andreas Ritzlmayr | 73 | 75 | 148 | 3rd | William Kekane | 73 | 77 | 150 | Stableford Winners (50+ Division) Pos. | Full name | Day 1 | Day 2 | Total | 1st | Trevor Labuschagne | 37 | 39 | 76 | 2nd | Sebelo Ndabazandile | 38 | 34 | 72 | 3rd | Uli Lubeck | 39 | 33 | 72 | 4th | Wim Morland | 36 | 34 | 70 | 5th | Evert Bean Snr | 37 | 33 | 70 | Gross Winners (60+ Division) – Super Seniors Pos. | Full name | Day 1 | Day 2 | Total | Trophy | Schalk Naude | 73 | 73 | 146 | 1st | Peter Langley
| 86 | 82 | 168 | 2nd | Pieter Faure | 87 | 82 | 169 | Ladies Winners – Stableford
Pos.
| Full name
| Day 1
| Day 2
| Total
| 1st
| Valda Ford
| 36
| 33
| 69
| 2nd
| Renate Sauter | 32
| 34
| 66
|
Pos.
| Full name
| Day 1
| Day 2
| Total | Nett Day 1
| Fred Kloppers
| 71
|
|
| Point Day 1
| Herold Smit
| 38
|
|
| Nett day 2
| Alana Bakos |
| 71
|
| Point Day
| Lawrence Beukes |
| 43
|
|
| Schalk Naude & Jeanne de Power | | | Jeanne de Power & Valda Ford | | Click below for Senior Club Champs Results: Gross IPS Nett Ladies
The winners for the year were as follow: • Junior Champion – Grant Labuschagne • Graduate Champion – Conner Mackenzie • Weekday Champion – Stephanus Greeff • Senior Champion – Schalk Naude • Super Senior Champion – Schalk Naude • Ladies Club Champion – Cara Ford • Men’s Club Champion – Darren Quirk
These events will not be possible without our sponsors, the fantastic team at Randpark, and of course, without the support from our members. We would like to thank each and every one for a fantastic year.
Congratulations to Gareth Brummer and Renate Sauter for their respective holes-in-one on Saturday and Sunday, on Firethorn’s 5th! Golf Days this Coming Week
This week is a very busy week on both courses; we will be hosting golf days from Tuesday to Friday. Some of our peer clubs are also in their peak season with golf days and member events. Some clubs will be assisting with reciprocity on certain days, so please ensure you call them up first to book a tee off time. The following clubs will be assisting this week: • Dainfern Country Club • Eagle Canyon • Ruimsig Country Club
If any members need assistance, our ladies at the booking desk will gladly help. Please note the Captain’s Golf Day and Dinner is taking place on Friday, the 17th of September. It is a members’ event throughout Baobab, Terrace Bar, and Jacaranda. There will be no A la Carte available, only the Captain’s Dinner menu at R290 per person. Dinner tickets can be purchased online here. DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, WE HAVE OPENED BUSHWILLOW AS FIRETHORN IS FULLY BOOKED. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS LIMITED AVAILABILITY ON BUSHWILLOW! Congratulations to Russell Parker, the winner of the Member Attendance Lucky Draw for the Saturday AM field. The PM field will carry over to next Saturday. Thanks to our Sponsors, Ubuntu Resource Management and CTL Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd. Let's grab another win for the Best Club in Joburg! Follow these three easy steps: 1. Click here 2. Scroll down to 'Golf course' and type "Randpark Golf Club" 3. Don't forget to complete your details at the bottom and SUMBIT! Have a great week We look forward to seeing you at the Club Stay Safe, Healthy & Happy! The Randpark Team
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