Table of contents for September 2021 in Compleat Golfer

The accent – something of a hybrid between Afrikaans and American – reveals that Erik van Rooyen is no stranger to the US, Now a resident of Florida the likeable 3]-year-old South African also spent four years studying a degree in business marketing at the University of Minnesota. It’s here where he met his wife Rose and it’s here where he has now ticked off another great achievement on his golfing journey - a PGA Tour victory Although the Van Rooyens have recently welcomed baby daughter Valerie into their lives. Erik barely had the time to master the techniques of nappy changing before he jetted off to play his next tournament. The Open Championship. Since then. it’s been tournament after tournament as he has fought to keep his PGA Tour…

Oliver Bakker remembers the conversation well. It was the week before the Dimension Data Pro-Am in May this year. After a good start to his Sunshine Tour season and then a second-place finish at the Limpopo Championship as part of the Challenge Tour’s South African Swing, the Dimension Data Pro-Am was a decision-maker for him ‘I sat down with my wife and we had the conversation. I said that if I have a good week at the Dimension Data Pro-Am, this is potentially what we are facing,’ he says. Bekker is referring to the decision to play the Challenge Tour and thereby try to qualify for his European Tour card. And when he finished tie-third at the tournament, the decision was made. And despite the obvious sacrifices Bekker and his…

In my previous article I covered the importance of sleep and, in particular, getting enough REM sleep during the night. Many readers have contacted me asking how to go about improving their quality of sleep. Here are a couple of things you can do to clean up your sleep routine and improve your sleep hygiene. I’m afraid it’s not as simple as gripping your pillow tight and heading off to never-never land! Firstly, you need to prioritise your sleep to ensure you get enough of it. So that Netflix binge session should not take preference! Try to keep a regular sleep schedule of going to bed and waking up at the same time. Most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep a night, so work back from whatever…

One might be inclined to regard the golf courses that dot the KZN South Coast as holiday courses that, on a windless day, are short and there for the taking. Yet this would tie an injustice to the many fine layouts in this neck of the woods, particularly the likes of Wild Coast and San Lameer. Throw in Umdoni, Port Shepstone and Selborne, together with many others, and you are spoilt for choice in an area that is popular for golf tours. The quaint village of Southbroom is situated in the middle of the South Coast and the golf course is a must-play gem when in the area. Certainly, it can’t be overlooked that it is a short course. But what it lacks in length, it more than makes up…

Christiaan Burke may have secured his second title in as many weeks on the Big Easy IGT Challenge Tour when he claimed the Chase to the Sunshine Tour #30 at Modderfontein GC, but amateur golf was the big winner as the top three places went to golfers from the GolfRSA National Squad. Burke, who is on a hot streak, won by four shots on a 54-hole total of 10 under par. Teammates Casey Jarvis and Kyle de Beer tied for second, with another amateur, Slade Pickering, finishing alone in fourth. The highest-placed professional was former Squad member Kyle McClatchie in fifth position. Burke led from start to finish, closing with a three-under-par 69 that included five birdies and two bogeys. Since the beginning of May, when De Beer won the…

Strict Covid-19 regulations meant the Els for Autism organisation had to put its events on hold, with the Mount Edgecombe occasion in May the last golf day before the third wave hit South Africa. It meant a nervous and rather frustrating time for organisers, sponsors and golfers, who had to adjust to a possible new schedule for the second half of 2021. When some of the restrictions were eased, the foundation was quick to get the ball rolling again, with three golf days scheduled in only 17 days. The spectacular Highland Gate maintains its original slot of 28 August, in what promises to be another exciting Saturday of charity golf in the Lowveld, before the prestigious Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club plays host on Thursday 9 September. Five days…

The past month has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me on and off the course. Every year in July and August the LPGA Tour heads to Europe for three weeks That’s normally my favourite time of the year but the Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we all travel Everything is sc much more stressful now. I was left with having to try to organise a UK and a Schengen visa in four weeks, and then 1 only got my passport back two days before leaving for Europe. I had what seemed like a mountain of forms to fill in and. of course, a two-weekly Covid-19 test. I also had a trip to Tokyo for the Olympics on my schedule but as it got closer to me leaving,…

Having come close in six of the previous seven events, team South Africa finally got over the line to win the 1997 Alfred Dunhill Cup at the Home of Golf. St Andrews. The powerful team of Ernie Els. Retief Goosen and David Frost edged Ireland. Germany and Scotland to top their group in the 16-team competition, before dispatching New Zealand in the semi-final. Up against Sweden in the final Goosen, who would end the week with a record of five wins out of five, was too good tor Jesper Parnevik. winning by four shots. Frost (741 battled hard but went down to Per-Ulrik Johansson (71) before Els (69) sealed the win by comfortably beating Joakim Haeggman (71.) in the final match The in-form Swede had shot a record 27 in…

Recently the sad news reached me that the Nedbank Golf Challenge (NGC) has been cancelled for the second year in a row. For a decade it was my habit to spend six days in December at Sun City reporting on what was then, and for many stilt is. the Million Dollar. I first travelled to the Pilanesberg in December 1992, a month after arriving in South Africa for the first time. When I look back in the archives I find that the 1992 tournament was one of the most controversial, with Nick Price and Nick Faldo being disqualified. It was. I recall, due to the recalcitrance of an American rules official by the name of Buddy Young, but time has healed that wound and my memories are all positive. I…

Brandon Stone is often asked what are the best tournaments he has played in. This year he is counting down his 12 most memorable events 5 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns Following on from last month’s column, it seems like the folk at Dunhill certainly know how to put a tournament together. One things is for certain, they know how to pick a venue. The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is played on three of Scotland’s finest links courses (St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns), with each course having its own unique distinguishing factor. Kingsbarns is one of the most beautiful courses you could possibly play. While it might not be the most challenging of the three, it does pose its own threat. When the…

Joel Dahmen is the kind of guy you’d want to have a beer with. It would be a fun beer too. In fact, he’d insist on it. And he’d pick up the tab. That’s the deal. He’s happy to pay. But you’ve got to have a good time. Before he started earning the big bucks, Dahmen worked as a valet at a hotel in downtown Seattle, Washington. At that stage, he says, he’d never seen so much cash in his life. But rather than spend his newly amassed ‘fortune’ on things people tend to blow their money on – like food and rent – Dahmen would buy beers for his mates. It’s this kind of generosity that’ll get you named one of the 30 nicest guys on the PGA Tour.…

The Ryder Cup is always a great opportunity to look at the differences in the rules that apply to strokeplay and matchplay competitions, such as this epic showdown between Europe and the United States. The Ryder Cup brings the team and matchplay formats to the fore in a week that is not only special, but also unique compared to most of the weeks on Tour and the rules associated with this. The biggest difference is that in matchplay you are only playing against your opponent and any advantage or disadvantage from rules transgressions only affects you and your opponent. The reason is that in matchplay, the goal is to beat your opponent by having a better score on each hole, and ultimately winning more holes to win the match. In…

Hole No 4, Him, par three The par-three 4th is as pretty a hole as you will find anywhere in South Africa. Big statement, but also completely true, which you will understand as you step on to the tee box You feel like you are standing on the beach as the sound of the waves envelops you Snapping back to reality, you will note the small green peeking out beyond the coastal bush, which encroaches up off the beach between the tee and green. Suddenly the 111 metres is not so simple. According to Local PGA professional Derek fames, the main difficulties of the hole are the length and narrowness of the green At just over 25m in length hitting the green does not guarantee a par as it can…

The hunt for the ultimate club champion of champions has resumed, after a Covid-19-enforced break. GolfRSA’s Club Champion of Champions event, which gives players from all divisions from across the country the chance to became the ultimate club champion of South Africa, has been relaunched. The format remains simple. Every club champion - in the A, B and C Divisions – is invited to play in a regional final, from where the winners will qualify for a national final. Winners at the national final will be crowned the Club Champion of Champions for 2021. With most clubs having completed their championships, regional finals are under way and three sets of players have already secured their spots in the national final, to be played at Kyalami Country Club from 7-9 November.…

The greatest thing for any golfer is not only to score well, but to also beat his fellow golfers in competition. Compleat Golfer, together with Windhoek, is proud to announce the launch of the Windhoek 5 Star National Pairs Series. The series will give golfers of all handicaps and ages a chance to participate in a betterball event, seeking to be crowned the champions by the end of November. After the Covid-19 pandemic hit South Africa and our golf clubs suffered massive losses, we decided to create an opportunity for the clubs in the country to generate income. The first stage of the series therefore sees members of clubs playing in their normal club competition, but over and above the club’s first prize, Compleat Golfer will give every club a…

It’s been around 15 years since hybrid clubs burst on to the golfing scene. The easy-to-hit mixture between a fairway wood and a long-iron – now present in most golf bags across the world – was expected to signal the death of both its composite clubs. Yet while long-irons have become something of a rarity, the little brother of your longest club has survived the mass culling and remains one of the most reliable clubs in the bag – and here’s why Today’s fairway woods make use of all the technology that goes into your driver, meaning they offer improved stability and more power across the whole of the clubface. Like with your driver, manufacturers are moving discretionary weight away from the crown and positioning it as far back and…

PICK OF THE MONTH THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP EAST LAKE GOLF CLUB 2-5 SEPTEMBER Last year revisited: Dustin Johnson added the FedExCup to an already glittering resume, making the most of the head start he was given over the field by virtue of being the top- ranked player heading into the final event of the season. Starting the tournament at 10 under par, Johnson was the clear favourite and held a steady five-shot lead going into the final round. While Xander Shauffele and Justin Thomas each closed the gap to two shots on the back nine, Johnson made eight straight pars from the 10th hole before closing out with a birdie for a three-stroke win. ‘Being a FedExCup champion is something I really wanted to do,’ he said. ‘I wanted to…

There have been three left-I handers who have won The Masters - Mike Weir, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson-more than any of the other Majors. No wonder lefty Luke Jerling reckons if he was limited to playing just one Major in his life, he’d take his shot at Augusta National. ‘I was fortunate to go watch The Masters in 2012 and the experience was beyond incredible,’ he says. ‘There are so many cool traditions and the smaller, more exclusive field makes it feel like you’ve reached the pinnacle of golf by receiving an invitation to play. Nothing in the world compares to those Sunday back-nine roars at Augusta.’ Having got his game going in the right direction this year with a share of third at the Cape Town Open in…

Last year, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and amid the lockdown of golf in South Africa, a remarkable thing happened. The Sunshine Tour launched a virtual golf platform that, most significantly, was supported by its sponsors and partners. When professional golf was allowed to resume last August, the Sunshine Tour announced a new series - the Rise-Up Series. Again, more significantly, this series featured new main tournament sponsors in Betway, African Bank and Titleist. All three upgraded their status as partners of the Sunshine Tour to main tournament sponsor on this series. During the most vulnerable months for the Tour, Vodacom committed to tournament sponsorship as part of its already long-standing support of South African professional golf. Sun International never wavered in its support of tournaments. And a…

Lee Trevino once said that real pressure is the day you play a match for S5 when you only have $2 in your pocket. Having lived through that journeyman pro’ reality myself over the years I would say that 95% of tournament-playing professionals would agree with that statement Like every fork in the road, there are only ever two options for a Tour player - either you make it into the big league, or you don’t. The coming-of-age stories behind the successes of Branden Grace. Dylan Frittelli, Dean Burmester, Erik van Rooyen. Justin Harding and so many others who have graduated from the Sunshine Tour are beyond inspiring To be honest, seeing those stories unfold first-hand is also what keeps the fire burning for so many of us. week after…

1. Bernhard Langer The first player to top the World Ranking when sports agent Mark McCormack and the R&A devised their worldwide ranking system was none other than the reigning Masters champion Bernhard Langer. The first ranking had a European feel to things, with the German followed by Spain’s Seve Ballesteros and Scot Sandy Lyle. Torn Watson, Mark OMeara and Greg Norman made up the top six. 2. Seve Ballesteros Langer’s time at the top was short-lived, however, as he was replaced after three weeks by Seve Ballesteros. The Spaniard spent a cumulative 61 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player, although his inconsistency showed up as he was never really able to hold on to the position for any length of time, giving it up on five occasions to Greg…