Participating in sports, especially the beautiful game of golf, can be an incredibly rewarding experience for young people. For developing bodies and minds, golf is particularly good for building strength and endurance, teaching important skills and lessons, like concentration, how to manage emotions, and the thrill of working towards a goal.
“Unfortunately, golf can be an expensive sport to play,” says Nico Van Rensburg, a seasoned Coach and South African golfing legend with nine world championship wins under his belt. “We have numerous young golfing diamonds in the rough in South Africa waiting to be discovered. They deserve a chance to pursue the sport they love and make their dreams come true.”
As the Commercial Manager for the Ernie Els Group and having coached some of the world’s best players, including the ‘Big Easy’ himself, Van Rensburg is committed to making golf more accessible to young deserving players across the country.
To give back to the community and the sport he loves, Van Rensburg started the Vuma Golf Clinics in 2021. This initiative, in partnership with leading fibre network operator Vuma, aims to identify and support young golfers in the making who already have the talent and who wish to pursue golf professionally but are unable to access resources or afford to play on an ongoing basis.
“We invite kids of all backgrounds and walks of life to take part in golf clinics, where they get to learn from the country’s top coaches, while enjoying a fun-filled day with other young golfers, with loads of food and prizes,” he adds.
Along with the clinics, the young golfers have 24/7 access to support via theGolf Coachapp. This allows them to simply upload videos of their swing and form to the platform for coaches to view and provide feedback on.
“The clinics have helped me not only on the course but also off the course, enabling me to build relationships with others and helping me cope with the pressure,” says young champ, Daniel Bennett. The avid golfer not only broke the record at the 2023 Nomads South Africa Boys Under-19 Stroke Play Championship but also recently won first place in Boland Amateur Stroke Play in April.
Zinan Maimane also earned his stripes through the clinics, having recently won the Gauteng North Golf Union (GNGU) Closed A-Division by five shots. At the age of 15, the rising star is taking the game by storm, and dreams of becoming an international pro in the future.
“I hope to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour one day and win at least one PGA Tour event along with any of the majors,” he says.
As an ongoing mission to empower ordinary people to be extraordinary and connect young people to endless opportunities, Vuma proudly sponsors, Bennett and Maimane. They are sponsored to attend golf clinics, participate in gold tournaments and pursue their golfing careers. Additionally, Maimane will also attend the Els for Autism Golf Day at the Bloemfontein Golf Club, taking place on 3 May, to raise funds for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.
“The Els for Autism Golf Day is a day for fun and fundraising, where golfing professionals and amateurs get to play a friendly game all in the name of a good cause. All funds raised on the day will be donated to the Els for Autism Foundation towards much-needed therapy, education, and support to those impacted by ASD,” concludes Van Rensburg.
Businesses and individuals who would like to get more information on Els for Autism, sponsorship opportunities and details of how to donate can visit the official website at https://www.elsforautism.org/.
