South African golf lost one of its characters when a favourite son, Tertius Claassens, went to the big fairway in the sky. DALE HAYES pays tribute in Compleat Golfer.
It’s hard to believe that Tertius Claassens and Bobby Cole were born on the same day.
The other thing they had in common was their extraordinary natural talent for the game of golf, but while Bobby was reserved and introverted, Tertius was the life and soul of the party – and that party lasted just short of 70 years.
Tertius was known by many names. ‘Tershi Boy’, the ‘Tsumeb Tsotsi’ or as Simon Hobday always called him, ‘Claaaaassens’.
He grew up in Tsumeb in Namibia and took to golf at an early age. He would follow his father around the Tsumeb Golf Club and I’m certain only two things scared Tertius – his father and fast downhill three-foot putts!
Many people would envy the way he lived his life. It was simple. Material objects were of no interest to him. He loved golf and he loved having fun. To do both, he had to be around people and Tertius was easy to like. With either a beer, a blonde or a club in his hand, he would have a smile on his face.
I first met Tertius in the mid-1960s when the SA Boys was played in Cape Town and he had travelled down from Namibia. He was already easily the best golfer in that country and the trip was a test to see if he was good enough to make golf his future. His long, languid swing was admired by all, as was the incredible distance this tall, good-looking man could hit a golf ball.
Barely out of his teens, he turned professional and travelled to play firstly on the Sunshine Tour and then on the European Tour. That was 1969, and the European Tour wasn’t quite ready for this lady magnet from the southern tip of Africa. He did what he did best: played golf during the daylight hours and partied at night. By the time the Europeans realised he was there, it was too late to lock up their daughters. They had already fallen for his animal charm.
Tertius could play golf. He came close to winning big events often, but was never able to step over the line. He was always a little nervy on the greens, which contributed to the lack of a big win.
His travelling companions were Simon Hobday, Vinny Baker and Jack Newton, from Australia. In our book The Hole Truth, Simon Hobday told the story of how he and Peter Matkovich first met Tertius:
‘Matkovich and I often travelled together and when we were in London we would stay at the London Travellers Club in Earl’s Court. It was perfect because there was a little pub down the road called the Tournament, which we used to frequent.
‘We had settled into the room and unpacked nicely, with all our kit laid out neatly on the floor, ready for the following days. So, of course, we went straight to the pub.
‘Now, Tertius had arrived in London and couldn’t find a place to stay. Eventually he stumbled upon the Travellers Club and was told there were no rooms available. So he asked if there were any South Africans staying in the hotel and they replied; ‘‘No, but there are two Rhodesians in room 104.’’
‘When we got back to our room, we discovered there was someone sleeping in my bed. He had the blanket pulled up high and all you could see was this mop of curly hair sticking out of the top. I said to Matko; ‘‘I’ll pull the blanket off, you moer him.’’
‘So I whipped the blanket off, and we were set to give the guy a klap when he shouted, ‘‘Wait, I’m Claassens, I’m Claassens.’’’
In Crans-sur-Sierre one year, Tertius was challenged to a game of golf by a serious drinker who was certain he could hold his liquor better than Tertius could. This fellow was an 8- or 9-handicapper, and had agreed to an 18-hole match where they had to down a double whisky on every tee before hitting their drive. The match was called off after Tertius’ opponent got an inkling of his capacity for alcohol the evening before.
One surprising thing about ‘Cold Castle’ Claassens was that he was a ferocious reader of Western books, as Hobday remembers in the book:
‘Tertius Claassens is a different character. He only played golf to make money so that he could party. He used to read Louis L’Amour books – that was his thing.
‘I often used to share a room with him, so I started taking his bookmark and moving it back to the chapter before. He kept reading the same chapter. Eventually he worked out that he’d read the same chapter over and over again, so when he finished reading that page, he just tore it out and threw it on the floor. That’s how he used to keep his place.’
Tertius will always be remembered as one of southern Africa’s great characters. His play on the Sunshine and European Tours earned him a living for many years but unfortunately when he reached his fifties he started having physical problems that stopped any thoughts of a serious Senior Tour career.
He was a thorough gentleman on the course playing the game he loved. Tertius, wherever you are I know you will be centre stage at the party. Cheers!
– This article first appeared in the June issue of Compleat Golfer, on sale now!
