Soweto club on a journey to find its own Tiger Woods
18 August 2015
The Soweto Country Club has acquired the services of one of Johannesburg’s rising coaches to realise its dreams of unearthing the city’s own Tiger Woods.
The club on Saturday played host to golfing legend Gary Player’s 80th birthday celebrations, organised jointly by the City of Johannesburg, Sunshine Tour and Investec.
It was announced at the celebrations that proceeds from the golf tournament played in Player’s honour would be used to spruce up some of the club’s facilities. A few months ago, the City’s social housing company, JOSHCO, awarded work packages worth a total of R1,5-million under the Jozi@work programme to 10 community-based companies to undertake remedial work at the golf course, including the painting of boundary walls and fence.
“We have brought Prince Modiba on board from the upmarket Eagle Canyon Golf Estate to infuse new blood in our development programme. He supervises four development coaches currently grooming about 70 kids,” says club Chairman Bushie Modise.The development programme, Modise proudly says, has so far produced six wins in the Winter Tour.
“Everyone’s hard work is starting to pay off,” he says.
The club is affiliated to the South African Golf Development Board, a non-profit organisation that has helped in the development of more than 17 000 youngsters since its inception in 1999. The Andrew Mlangeni Foundation, the Gary Player Group and the Department of Sport have been pumping resources into the programme.
This has allowed the Pimville-based club to establish outreach development clinics in Chiawelo, Dobsonvile and Mapetla.
“Through the programme, we’re trying to get the basics right. Most black professional golfers are exposed to the basics much later in life. We’re changing that with this programme.
“Fortunately, we’ve established good relations with other clubs and use the Crown Mines Country Club as our home base during competitions because they have better fairways. Sometimes our kids go to other courses, such as Observatory, when we host other clubs,” says Modiba.
The club also tries to ensure that players who turn18 are not lost to the system but remain in the programme until they turn professional.
“The programme’s goal is to unearth and nurture golfing talent. We also want to ensure that youngsters who have gone through development are not kicked out of the system once they turn 18. Some of them are forced to turn professional too early and fail to make the grade because of a lack of funds, sponsorship and mental toughness.
“Sadly some of these young golfers come back deflated and become caddies. If that also doesn’t work out, they wash our members’ cars outside and become nyaope smokers.
“We’re working with the SA National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence to get six of our boys hooked on illegal substances to quit and focus on being great golfers,” says Modise.
Some of the development programme’s graduates are Bafana Hlophe, Sipho Kojela and Muzi Nethunzi. Modise says another budding golfer to watch is Godfrey Phage.