Joburg Open reaches out to youngsters
Lynley Main
12 January 2012
Scores of youngsters from Johannesburg townships learned the tricks of the trade from some of the best golfers in the business at the Joburg Open's annual golf development clinic this week.
The €1.3-million Joburg Open, an event co-hosted by the Sunshine and European Tours, tees off at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Thursday.
On Monday, top golfers taking part in this year's event took time out from their preparations to give 80 kids from the township of Alexandra and, for the first time, 10 children from the Ivory Park informal settlement, some introductory golf lessons at the Alexandra Driving Range in Lombardy East.
Tips on how to improve their game, such as advice on grip, swing and stance, were at the heart of the clinic, and who better to learn from than top local and international professional golfers?
This year, 10 golfers from the Sunshine Tour and European Tour took to the tee boxes to impart their skills to the young players.
There were six South African golfers from the Sunshine Tour: Attie Schwartzel, Teboho Sefatsa, Alpheus Kelapile, Michael du Toit, Kyle Scott and Steven Basson.
The remaining four professionals were from the European Tour: Barry Lane from England, Niclas Fasth from Sweden, Benn Barham from England, and Raymond Russell from Scotland.
Also in attendance was the member of the mayoral committee for community development, Chris Vondo, who spent some time with the children and guided them with their swings.
Tickets for the 2012 Joburg Open are on sale at the gate of the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club until 16 January; single tickets are R30, and a full event ticket, which covers all four days, is R80. It is free for pensioners and children under the age of 16.
Alternatively, Supersport 1 will broadcast all four days of action between 12 noon and 4pm.
The Joburg Open is a co-sanctioned Order of Merit event on the PGA European Tour and Sunshine Tour. Sponsors include the City of Johannesburg, Bwired, Volvo and Legacy Hotels and Resorts. New sponsors have also got involved in the tournament this year, and BMW, Investec, EOH and Primedia Outdoor are the latest companies to join the competition.
Source: City of Johannesburg
