‘I have performed as Elvis, Dolly Parton, even Freddie Mercury’ It’s busy all year being the club pro at Southbroom Golf Club, but even at 65 I won’t be retiring any time soon. By Derek James, with Murray Leyden I DON’T BELIEVE THERE’S ANOTHER CLUB PRO IN SOUTH AFRICA who performs what I do at Southbroom Golf Club. I go beyond the call of duty. I am passionate about the game and love my numer- ous responsibilities. I would never be content doing one thing all day. Instead, I help run a successful pro shop, start the field, organise, and run competitions, do club repairs, work with the greenkeeper, liaise with Matko Turf on course maintenance, and provide input on course improvements. I work with club committees and engage in marketing. I teach pros, accomplished players, beginners, juniors, groups and over- seas tourists, especially our regular visitors from Switzerland and Ger- many. I love what I do and perhaps that’s why I have been named PGA Club Pro of the Year four times.
across a golfer playing No 5, the short uphill 4. The man said “This looks an interesting game, can I try?” He pulled out a 3-wood and drove the green 240 metres away! That was Richter van Niekerk, a legendary amateur on holiday from Johannesburg. A golfer phoned our shop and said his cart had stopped and he was stuck at No 4. Our caddie master went out with another cart, but returned saying nobody was there. Thinking the golfer may have been confused and was on No 13, the caddie master went there, again noth- ing. The man then phoned back, now irate, wanting to know when someone was going to bring him another cart. I asked which course he was playing, whereupon he replied, “San Lameer, of course.” ● ● ● You cannot believe what gets left behind in the shop, on a cart or the course. Clubs, balls, phones, jewellery, sunglasses. We could run a business on second hand sunglasses alone. One morning an elderly lady golfer called the shop. She had mislaid her dentures and thought she had left them on cart 17. Sure enough, they were in the cubby hole. ● ● ● My wife Sheena and I met 36 years ago in March 1989. We married two years later, and she caddied for me for five years on the Sunshine and Cana- dian Tours. A wonderful time, and we had fun together. Sheena was amazing! There were a few incidents though. It was raining heavily at an event in Mon- treal, and I told Sheena it did not matter if we both got drenched, as long as my towel stayed dry. Two holes later I dis- covered it was neither wet nor dry but lost! Caddies should always keep their hands away from the top of the bag while their golfer is playing, especially after a poor shot. Let’s say I replaced an iron rather forcefully in the bag, the clubhead making solid contact with Sheena’s fingers, reducing her to tears. Fortunately, we managed to put those incidents behind us. ● ● ● Our daughter Courtney was born in 1996, our son Connor in 1998, and I lost my desire to travel and be away from home. I was only 36 but have never regretted retiring from the tour.
A Swiss tour operator, Urs Diethelm, began bringing Swiss and German golfers to the KZN South Coast about 25 years ago. They stayed at San Lameer and played courses along the coast. I would provide a free short game clinic to get their tour underway. This relationship resulted in my travel- ling to Germany for 17 years, based at Golfclub Bodensee, near the Swiss bor- der. I worked flat out for 12 days, teach- ing each morning and giving playing lessons every afternoon. It was exhaust- ing, yet rewarding and enjoyable. I have not returned since Covid, but the Swiss and German golfers continue to return to the South Coast. ● ● ● Other than September when we carry out spring treatment, it’s busy all year at Southbroom. We only close on Christmas Day. Never a dull moment. December is crazy. I am in the shop before 5am and seldom get
home before 7.30pm. There’s hardly a spare tee-time in peak season. ● ● ● In May we hold the Ladies Clas- sic, with more than 100 compet- ing. Three fun days with a different theme each year, and they know how to party. They put on a skit and insist on dressing me up for a starring role. I have performed as Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mer- cury, even Tiger Woods, not to mention Frank-N-Furter of Rocky Horror fame, fishnet stockings and all! I enter the spirit of the occasion. The Men’s Classic in July is the club’s biggest event, over five days and attracting 160 entrants. I plan, prepare, and run the golf. Finally, we have the popular Mixed Classic in October. ● ● ● Many years ago, a burly man and his children, barefoot and in costumes, emerged from the beach and came
PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHEENA JAMES
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 99
MARCH/APRIL 2025
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