Do yourself a favour. Buy a copy of the September/October Fair Lady magazine, and read
Liesl Robertson’s article, “The Joy of Being and Adult Beginner”. There was so much that
resonated with me.
Being able to learn in a group where peers “are doing the same thing imperfectly is much
easier than learning alone where the expert is demonstrating with apparent ease. And hey,
(writes Liesl) you may even discover a new circle of likeminded friends.”
Most of our lady members have learned golf in the second half of their lives. They’ve
overcome vulnerabilities, gripped their clubs and taken instruction…usually accompanied by
both frustration and laughter. Sharing that space has certainly led to new levels of
confidence on the course and empathy and kindness with fellow golfers.
Thank you, Phil, for providing the platform (beginners clinics, group and individual lessons)
and to the increasing number of Gowrie Gals, for the value you add to our golf. We can’t
help but grow and develop.
Some highlights this past month: The Inaugural Mixed Tournament at the end of July was
great fun. It was great to play with our partners for two days…and still be friends
afterwards! The dense mist and cold chased us into the club house where we enjoyed a
delicious, delectable Sunday lunch. Thank you to Hugo and Wilna du Plessis for donating
the trophy for the Mixed Tournament.
Gowrie Gals came up trumps in their league match against VCC A played at Maritzburg Golf
Course at the beginning of August. The final score was 73/71 to us. Joanna Duminy trotted
out in Gowrie colours for the first time. Well done, Joanna, on taking on the challenge and
playing so well.
Gowrie hosted another league match on Monday, 29 th August. The team played against VCC
C. They won their singles 37/35 and their Betterball score was 21/15. Unfortunately, rain
and mist stopped play,( a common occurrence in Gowrie) and the Foursomes results were
inconclusive. To quote Carmen Seele, “Serious commitment yesterday in that weather!”
Well done ladies. Our appreciation to Phil for his ongoing patience, encouragement and
mentorship of the league ladies. To Wilna du Plessis, our league captain, thank you for your
calm and conscientious attention to league details and for deflecting curved balls so
admirably.
The latest clinic has just come to an end. There are exciting new players who, we hope, will
hone their newly learned golf swings and skills on our course. Welcome to Kate Hampton,
Les Trollip and Tina Davies who have braved 9 holes on a Thursday.
Should Thursday mornings not suit, please remember that you are welcome to play 9 holes
on a Tuesday afternoon. Contact Michelle Burger on 082 306 6113.
– Kath Du Preez
From Angie Arbuthnot on her trip to Leopard Creek:
“With much excitement we set off for Malelane and a weekend of adventure on a sugar farm near Komatipoort. 15 August was the designated day for our Leopard Creek Prize (thank you very much Annie Balcomb from Boschoek.) Kath du Preez, Nicola Frickel, my husband, Mark, and I polished our clubs and filled our bags with balls for this once in a life time trip!
The iconic Golf course set on the banks of the Crocodile River overlooking Kruger Park, comes with a package of conduct codes which had set us initially in a flutter, but when we arrived we experienced nothing but genuine friendliness and grace. The course was pristine, the weather perfect but our golf was…. well… average!!!! We, nevertheless, had a great deal of fun and much laughter trying to play a course “blind” with nothing but a small book of drawings to help us! Each hole was announced by a most amazing sculpture of a leopard. We were told the 18 holes tell the story of a chase and kill! This was truly a wonderful day, not so much about the golf and more about the experience.
