News

 

It seemed like SANAG had beaten all odds to host the event, until Knysna awoke to thunder and lightning on Sunday morning. An hour before the planned start at 10am the heavens opened and flooded the course, the bunkers were dams, and the greens looked like ponds in an English landscape. No-one, including the staff at Simola could believe that every single player who had entered for the event, arrived to register. Those who had bought new balls, shoes and even clothes the day before now had to make a fast stop in Knysna to buy rain gear. The entrants had come from as far away as Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

 

Second place on the day, Ernst van Jaarsveld sank this putt on the first for par, racing it through water.

Finally, after a 30-minute delay, the very excited and nervous field started teeing off. Bunkers had become free placing zones and balls were getting plugged, but the field wanted to play, and play they did. That is until the first group reached the 5th. On the 6th the hole-in-one car, sponsored by Knysna Toyota, had to wait as all the water in the sky came down amidst spectacular lightning. Marking their golf balls, the golfers raced to the clubhouse in their carts, snaking up the mountainside in what can only be described as a convoy in haste.

At the clubhouse the drenched players gathered around heaters with a glass of Matuba wine to discuss the course, the rain, the pressure of playing for money and of course whether to carry on should the rain lift. Not a single player, handicaps ranging from +2 to 18, wanted the event called off. They wanted more, young and old, male and female. With water still running down the slopes and covering the greens, the field rushed out again 30 minutes later.

"Never has golf been played by such enthusiastic people", remarked the staff at Simola. It seemed like nothing would stop them and in the end nothing did.

Resuming play at the short 6th hole, the golfers choked under the pressure of shooting that elusive hole-in-one to drive off with the brand new Toyota Yaris. Unfortunately no-one could claim the car, and in fact only two players hit the green. Not only did the golfers have to contend with the pressure that tournament golf provides, but they were also up against the clock and really had to pull out all the stops to finish before it became too dark to see. The final four ball picked up a birdie and the longest drive on the very last hole as darkness closed in. The longest drive proved to be very interesting in the sense that Francois Schoeman was the last player to tee off for the day and up until that time, Ernst van Jaarsveld was the clear-cut winner. Francois hit a real cracker of a drive and quite unbelievably it came to rest dead in line with where Ernst had placed the marker board, which meant that they both received a Magnum of Matuba wine as a prize.

 

During the function it was obvious that new friendships had been formed, talking around the fire about the conditions, the format, the prize money on offer and asking when the next event will be.

SANAG wishes to thank all those that went out of their way to make this historic event possible. To our Title sponsor, Matuba Wines, thank you for your incredible support and for being there to play under the conditions as described. Thank you to the King George Protea Hotel in George and Knysna Toyota for your sponsorships.

A special thank you to Simola Golf Club, Alistair, Meyer and all the staff. We are sure you could not believe your eyes.

The forthcoming schedule of events is posted on our SANAG website with the next sponsored event again belonging to Matuba, and will be held on 11 August at Paarl Golf Club.

 

Nothing could stop these golfers from playing, not even buckets of water.