investment that can be gained from a
smaller event, which has an exclusive feel
and makes every guest feel special.
The result of our discussions with the SABC
was the National Golf Academy Series which
was run in South Africa’s nine provinces.
In very simple terms this was a tweaked
version of a coaching programme that I had
been running since the mid 1980s.
It offered a dual schedule: all the invitees
met as a group as they checked in. Then the
established players attended a master class
hosted by the head pro or head coach at the
venue, after which they went on course in a
pro-am format and played eighteen holes.
The novices’ programme provided an
introduction to the game of golf, with
three sections to cover the full swing,
short game and putting. When this was
completed the group was then taken
onto the course for a couple of holes with
the coaches in several groups to see firsthand what a golf course actually looked
like from a player’s perspective.
The SABC’s staff were spread across the
groups, and by about 17:30 both of the
programmes had been completed and the
two groups joined for the evening
function, prize-giving and presentations.
The formal proceedings were followed by
the one-on-one networking that makes
this type of event and golf in general so
successful as a business tool.
After the event, each player received a
swing analysis on a branded USB stick, the
delivery of which provided the SABC staff in
the region with another reason to go and
meet with the guests.
The success of any programme really rests
on the returns that the host company
generates from the initiative. As far as the
effectiveness of the SABC Golf Academy
Series is concerned, let’s give the final word
to Leon de Klerk:
“The effectiveness of the teaching
programmes and event platforms that John
created for me during our National Academy
Series in 2005 certainly contributed to the
financial success achieved by my business
unit for that financial year.”
John Cockayne
Golf Editor Estate Living
CEO Buisness of Golf