Vodacom Origins of Golf – Sept 2025

South Africa’s Premier Pro-Am Arrives at Gowrie Farm This Week

Nottingham Road, KwaZulu-Natal – 8 September 2025

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This week, Gowrie Farm Lodge & Golf Course proudly hosts the Vodacom Origins of Golf, South Africa’s longest-standing professional golf series. The pro-am took place on Wednesday 10 September, and Thursday 11 September, bringing together business personalities from across South Africa to experience the country’s premier Pro-Am. The professional tournament began on 12 September with professionals from both the Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour, competing side by side for equal prize money.

Now in its 21st year, the Vodacom Origins of Golf has become a cornerstone of the South African golfing calendar. The 2025 series teed off at Parys Golf & Country Estate in mid-August and now arrives in KwaZulu-Natal for the Gowrie Farm leg, before moving on to Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate and culminating with the Grand Final at Pezula Championship Course in November.

With R2 million in prize money at stake this week, Gowrie Farm is set to provide a true test for some of the country’s leading professionals. Alongside tournament play, the pro-am format will see Vodacom customers and VIPs teeing it up with the pros, while young golfers from the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) will benefit from hands-on coaching clinics.

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A Historic First for Gowrie Farm

South African golf legend Dale Hayes highlighted the significance of the week: “This is the first time in 40 years that a Sunshine Tour event has been played on a golf course less than two years old. Gowrie Farm’s 18-hole course only opened in March 2024, and now it will test the country’s best. Jonathan Broomhead is the defending champion and will be teeing it up in the R2 million Vodacom Origins of Golf event. Many other experienced Sunshine Tour winners will be in attendance too, including Daniel van Tonder, Oliver Bekker, George Coetzee, Michael Hollick, Yurav Premlall, Hennie Otto and Heinrich Bruiners. There are also five Sunshine Ladies Tour players in the field, led by Cara Gorlei. The players will face a new challenge at Gowrie Farm. There is the possibility of some wind, the greens are pristine, and with three drivable par 4s, it’s going to require good course strategy. The round finishes with a risk-and-reward par 5 – always a possible card wrecker. As the great Bobby Locke would say, this is a golf course where you need to use your 15th club – that’s the one that keeps your hat on.”

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Gowrie Farm Welcomes the Series

As the newest host venue on the tour, Gowrie Farm’s classic design and Midlands setting will provide the perfect stage for world-class golf. This week’s event not only highlights the course’s championship pedigree but also places the Midlands community on the map as part of South Africa’s premier professional golf series.

Jonathan Menteath, Golf Director at Gowrie Farm, says: “It’s a privilege for Gowrie Farm to host a series as established and respected as the Vodacom Origins of Golf. Our course was built to test players of every level, and we look forward to seeing Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals showcase their talent here. The series’ commitment to equal prize money reflects the true spirit of the game, and we’re proud to welcome players, members, and the wider Midlands community to be part of this special moment in Gowrie Farm’s story.”

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For further information, please contact us:

proshop@gowriefarm.co.za / +27 73 346 0847 / +27 33 266 6348