MIND / PGA OF SOUTH AFRICA AWARDS M
that being driven by a mission and be- ing part of a team takes priority over personal desires. The values of the PGA give me motivation and a force to perform. I gain immense satisfac- tion from connecting with fellow golf- ers and hopefully igniting a deeper love for the game within them. “I was proud to be part of Bryan- ston’s Staff Monday golf group, now 22 in size, ranging from barmen to op- erations managers. The group comes together to compete and socialise on off days. Two of our teaching coach- es at Bryanston, Julie Bruyns and Llewellyn van Leeuwen, helped us and played their part in growing the game. These golfers connect with members and guests at our facility, and their shared passion for the game improves the overall experience from arrival to departure.”
Darrin Hedley National winner / PGA Management Hedley, as golf director at The Bry- anston Country Club in Gauteng the past four years, looked after 1 750 golf members in addition to hosting cor- porate days and visitor rounds. One of the new breed of distinguished young PGA professionals working at golf clubs, the 39-year-old has been described as exemplary with his commitment and service to the club and its membership base, con- stantly striving to improve the overall experience. His capabilities recently attracted an offer from the Heritage golf resort in Mauritius, and he moved there as golf director to replace fellow South African Jonathan Menteath. Hedley has come through the ranks, starting out as a junior em- ployee answering phones, to a golf director leading a team of 12 at Bry- anston. This followed a similar role at Dainfern. “I have been fortunate to be men- tored by some of the best within the PGA and club industry, particularly Bryanston general manager Paul Leishman, following in the footsteps of those who have grown the game,” said Hedley. “The PGA has taught me
Visser moved to Emirates GC in September 2023, having previously worked at golf clubs in Abu Dhabi and Qatar. Emirates is the busiest club in the Middle East & Africa, doing in the region of 130 000 rounds a year. Steyn, formerly at Rondebosch and Durbanville golf clubs in the Western Cape, moved to Vietnam three years ago where he has established a 3D simulator business with a mini golf course and restaurant. Dodds, in 2014, helped to concep- tualise and commercialise the first tri-sanctioned pro tournament by the European, Asian and Sunshine Tours, the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. The 2024 edition of the tour- nament will be the eighth event, now co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour. Dodds remains the project lead and promoter. In 2018 he set up The Golf Com- pany in partnership with the Rogers Group in Mauritius. It is a solution driven golf management company involved in the management of four courses on the island and three new golf developments at various stages of completion. Additionally, The Golf Company operates seven retail stores, a golf tour business, and distributes prominent golf brands across the In- dian Ocean region.
Murray Smit National winner / International
Formerly head of the teaching acad- emy at De Zalze golf estate in Stellen- bosch, and PGA Coach of the Year in 2021, the 33-year-old Smit became the national coach of the Singapore Golf Association in April 2023. The four other International PGA finalists were Ryan Dodds – mentored by Jeff Clause at St Francis Links – who owns The Golf Company based in Mauritius; Jonathan Menteath, former golf director at Heritage Golf Club in Mauritius; Tim Steyn, a coach based in Vietnam, and Nico Visser, Director of Golf at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai. Menteath, who first gained promi- nence as golf director at Arabella, had a busy year at Heritage in 2023, last December opening the new La Re- serve Golf Links, designed by Peter Matkovich and Louis Oosthuizen, and then hosting the AfrAsia Bank Mauri- tius Open just two weeks later. He de- signed a membership programme for La Reserve that generated R140 mil- lion in revenue. He is now returning to South Africa.
14 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
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