The latest in our series of introducing you to the people behind the golf clubs in South Africa. This month we stop off at The Els Club, Copperleaf.
Tell us about your journey in golf.
I grew up in a golfing family; my father and brother both work in the industry. I started at 18 when I moved to Dubai to work in golf operations at Montgomerie Golf Club. I spent just over a year there, when The Els Club, Dubai approached me. I was then promoted to outside operations supervisor, where I spent a year. At 20 I became the head professional and operations manager at Oubaai Golf Club. I spent just under three years at that great course. Then there was an opening for a golf manager at Rondebosch Golf Club. It was a great experience. After spending just over two years at Rondebosch, it was time for me to move back to the estate environment and use all the experience I gained in the past seven years to take The Els Club, Copperleaf to the next level.
Do you think it is the destiny of the club professional to move around?
I think it is important to gain experience in different environments while you are young. When a better opportunity presents itself, I believe you have to grab it and make the best of the situation. It paid off for me, being a golf director at the age of 25 at a big estate and course like The Els Club, Copperleaf.
When did you start playing golf and when did you seriously consider a career in the sport?
I started playing when I was four years old. I won my first tournament when I was seven. I represented South Africa in the US at nine, 10 and 12 and saw a career in golf at 14. I represented the PGA of South Africa in Australia at the Future PGA Championship in 2016. It’s always been a goal to play on Tour but working in the golf industry has been great.
What are the big differences between running estate courses and more traditional courses like Rondebosch?
On public courses you want as many rounds through the course as possible and you do not really have the time to give the person a great experience. Estate courses are also about rounds, but you would rather have a better rand-a-round income. At estate courses, people pay for the golf course and the 5-star experience that goes with it.
What separates The Els Club, Copperleaf from other golf courses in the area?
I think the answer is in the name. The Els Club brand carries a lot of weight in this industry and with it comes a great golf course and layout. The experience we offer is unforgettable and we strive to make every customer feel like royalty.
What are your main duties at Copperleaf?
As director of golf I work closely with our maintenance team and superintendent Matt Crystal. We spend quite a lot of time on the course, constantly raising the standards and making sure the course always plays to the best of its ability. I’m not very big on office work even though this job requires a lot of admin. I prefer working with members and visitors and spending time with the operations team on the floor. The most important aspect is customer and employee satisfaction. I like playing golf with the members at least twice a month.
The Els Club, Copperleaf is an ideal venue for professional tournament golf, particularly when you can stretch it to 7 360m from the tips. When do you foresee tournament golf returning to Copperleaf?
We are in the process of resurfacing all our greens and reconstructing all the greenside bunkers to improve the quality of our course. This will allow us to host a pro tournament, so I’d say a pro event is definitely on the cards in the next three years.
The Copperleaf practice facilities are first class. Do you get many pros and young talents coming through?
We have one of the best practice and warm-up facilities in the country. We have quite a few pros using the facility and Jacques Blaauw gets lessons from our on-course pro Eugene Swartz. Jacques also has his junior academy based here. True Fit’s headquarters are based here and they are the official fitters for the Sunshine Tour. There are a few youngsters coming through this club, so watch this space.
What are some of the challenges and perks of working at The Els Club?
The perks are definitely the people you meet and celebrities visiting the club. The other perk is all the big names who were here before me, people like Kevin Stone and Dave Usendorff. They are legends in this industry. The challenges are the estate environment – there are a lot of non-golfers who live on the estate and managing that side can become quite challenging.
How do you ensure the visitor experience at The Els Club is memorable?
The experience starts at your booking system, preferably being online. The next step is at the security gate, where the visitor will be greeted and directed to the bag-drop area. As soon as you know the name of the customer, each department needs to know exactly what their tee time is. Once you get your cart you will have an allocated bay on the range to warm up and then proceed to the 1st tee. The starter explains the rules to the player and advises them who the marshal is for the day. The marshal should visit each group at least twice on a nine to make sure they are having a great time.
Interview by Brendan Barratt
– This Q&A first appeared in the January 2022 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine. Subscribe here!
