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Fabulous trip!

Just want to thank you so much for organizing a fabulous trip for my daughter and myself.  Marge (the guide) was excellent.  She worked the caves and ostrich ride before the trip to Fancourt to organize and pick up luggage and get me to the airport.  Thank you so much!

3 Night Golf & Game Package

Three nights accommodation in one of South Africa’s most famous safari lodges, with two rounds of golf: IN the Kruger Park, AND on the No. 1 golf course of the country!

Why women should play golf….

… that is, if they’re not already!

With only one event on the Ladies European Tour happening in South Africa in 2012, one may think ladies golf is not such a big thing.  On the contrary, Ladies Golf is hot and happening!

Research amongst lady golfers in the US has shown that although golf is a growing sport, yet only 25% of all golfers are female.  Cost, time and family are the three major reasons why ladies do not play more golf.  In the meantime our male counterparts do not seem to suffer from these constraints, and use the golf course as an excuse to do business, meet up with their mates or just ‘go out and hit a few balls.’

The good news is we see a growing number of ladies playing in South Africa as well.  South African lady golfers like Maud Gibb, who won the British Ladies Amateur back in 1908 (when she still played for Scotland) is known as the founder of women’s golf in South Africa as she initiated the South African Ladies Golf Union only a few years later and was very active in promoting ladies golf ever since.

Alison Sheard

More recent players like Alison Sheard, who won the British Ladies Open in 1979 and the SA Open Championship a mere 9 times spent five years on the US Tour before returning to South Africa.  A similar story goes for Sally Little, who won 12 international titles between 1979 and 1982.  During the 10 years after that she consistently featured in the Top 5 of women golfers worldwide.  Her two majors include the LPGA Championship in 1980 and the Canadian Women’s Championship in 1988.

Both Alison Sheard and Sally Little have since then returned to South Africa, making waves in the ladies and junior golf development, amongst other things.  It is women like them who have become a role model for youngsters out there, realizing there could be a career in golf for them as well.

And even if a career in golf is not meant to be, there is hardly any other activity which combines being outdoor and staying fit with a whole lot of camaraderie and opportunities to meet great people.  And to top it all off, it is a sport which can be enjoyed up to a fairly old age, can be played almost every day – at least here in South Africa – and with both men and women.

Sally Little

Having said all of this, we can distinguish three types of women golfers: the mom, who is encouraging her kids to play golf, and get a few rounds in herself at the same time, would be the first one.  Coming back to the three main constraints why women do NOT play golf, this is probably currently the smallest group.  At the same time it is the group with the biggest growth potential.

The second type of woman golfer is the career woman.  She definitely needs to play!  Our male counterparts have known this for a long time already: you get to know the character of your possible business partner quickest on the golf course.  You will see their reaction to a bad shot, a missed opportunity or general conduct towards the game, yourself and the others in your 4-ball.  Valuable lessons, which will reflect on how they will do business with you.

The third type automatically follows the above two: the mature lady golfer, who just goes out there to have a good time.  With the girls, or with her partner.  Or with another couple.  It doesn’t matter, she just wants to be out there, be in good company and have a good time.

So from the young mom, who is encouraging her kids to play golf – and play some golf herself at the same time – to the career woman who can always do with another business lead and the established golfer who just wants to be out there and have a good time with friends, it is important to play golf.  And fortunately more and more women realize this.

What, where, how?

If you’ve decided golf is the game for you, but you don’t know how to start, consider taking a few lessons.  Alison Sheard currently teaches at Arabella in the Western Cape, just outside Hermanus.  Why not stay at the luxurious Arabella Hotel & Spa for a couple of days, take a few lessons, get pampered in the spa and – if there is still some time left – explore the wineries in the nearby Hemel & Aarde Vallei or spot the whales from the famous cliff path in Hermanus.

Or why not spoil yourself and your girlfriends for a weekend away to the Southern Cape, to play Kingswood, Sally Little’s signature course in George?  Included are a round of golf at Fancourt and Ernie Els’ Oubaai and you could think you’re in golfers’ heaven!

Latitude Magazine’s focus on ladies golfers

Platinum Golf, Tours & Accommodation Marketing & Sales Manager Ypie Kingma contributed to the latest issue of Latitude Magazine, South Africa’s latest glossy magazine with a strong focus on the female traveler:

Congratulations to the publishers for a beautiful magazine!

(For more information: www.latitudemag.co.za)

Westwood headlines Nedbank Golf Challenge, Els declines invite

Lee Westwood will defend his Nedbank Golf Challenge title against a strong field of Major winners and European Ryder Cup heroes when the prestigious invitation tournament takes place at Sun City, South Africa from 29 November to 2 December 2012.

Westwood will be hoping to become the first person in the history of the Nedbank Golf Challenge to win the tournament three successive times following his runaway eight-shot victory in 2010 and then his two-shot triumph in 2011.

But the world number four will face a 12-man field of which half are ranked within the top 30 in the world, and with a combined total of 146 career victories worldwide. And nine players in the field have won this year already.

European Ryder Cup hero Martin Kaymer, who holed the winning putt in the recent matches against the United States at Medinah, is one of four Major champions in the field, joining South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen, and Scotland’s Paul Lawrie.

A total of seven members of the victorious European Ryder Cup team will feature at the Gary Player Country Club, bringing to Sun City the players who represent the current balance of power in world golf.

There are also two Presidents Cup players in American Bill Haas and South Africa’s Schwartzel.

“There is no doubt that the balance of power in the global game currently rests with European golf, and we are proud to have some of the best players in Europe competing in this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge,” said Alastair Roper, the Tournament Director of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

“Defending champion Lee Westwood has become one of the greatest players in the history of this tournament, and he now has a chance to make history at Sun City this year. We have a strong South African contingent who represent the future of the game. We have a field that has a total of 12 victories worldwide this year alone. So I think we can safely say that we have amongst the best and most in-form players in the game coming to Sun City.”

Andy Scott, head of group sponsorships at Nedbank, is particularly pleased to see the might of European golf competing on South African fairways.

“I think it is a continuing endorsement of the status of the Nedbank Golf Challenge that we can attract over half of the victorious European Ryder Cup team to this year’s tournament,” he said.

“With a strong field also assembled for the Nedbank Champions Challenge, I think we can look forward to an incredible week of world-class golf and entertainment.”

The Nedbank Golf Challenge Field:

• Lee Westwood (England)
• Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium)
• Bill Haas (United States)
• Peter Hanson (Sweden)
• Martin Kaymer (Germany)
• Paul Lawrie (Scotland)
• Francesco Molinari (Italy)
• Garth Mulroy (South Africa)
• Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa)
• Carl Pettersson (Sweden)
• Justin Rose (England)
• Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)

For more info: www.nedbankgolfchallenge.com/