From the Founder’s Desk

 
My late father would often say “There’s more downs than ups in sport”. This was evident last week when one of my Mentorship Programme participants, James Kamte was withdrawn from the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, after his caddie tested positive for COVID. The Sunshine Tour graciously offered James an invite into this week’s SA Open at Sun City, and having tested negative yesterday, he has been given the all-clear to play. Resilience is a key component of a successful athlete. Another Mentorship Programme participant, Allister de Kock successfully made it through the pre-qualifier, after we did some work on his chipping, and will also tee it up in the prestigious event.

Our full-time academy has entered its final week for 2020, and we finish off with a 72-Hole Championship, followed by a Gala Awards and Graduation Dinner. We look forward to celebrating with students and families as much as current protocols allow.
 
 

BSI Tournament Results

 
Keeping up with the winners

We hosted two Premier Medals last week. Congratulations to Muhammad Warraich and Mark Fairly for winning on Wednesday with scores of 71 on the West Course at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC. Muhammad won again on Friday with 73 on the East Course.

In our Junior Academy section, Bernard Meyer won the BSI Junior Medal with a score of 73 on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC.

In our Global Medal, Junior Academy student, Michael Wallace won with a round of 76 at Wingate Park in Zimbabwe. The Global Medal is played amongst the BSI students who are not able to return to South Africa at the moment and are following a remote training and learning programme.
 
Muhammad and Mark
   
Muhammad Warraich Bernard Meyer
   

Matchplay Champion

 
Heinrich wins with an impressive eagle

Congratulations to Heinrich Prinsloo on winning the 2020 BSI Matchplay Championship for a 2nd year in a row, by defeating Sean Paxton at the 37th hole of a thrilling final.  

Heinrich got off to a fast start early in the match, moving 4 up through five holes. After 18-holes, Sean had reduced the margin to only 2 down. Heinrich remained solid in the afternoon session, reaching 3 up with three to play. However, Sean wasn’t finished, and he won the last three holes, including an eagle on the 36th hole to force a play-off. Undeterred, Heinrich finished the game off with an eagle himself on the 1st play-off hole. Congratulations to both players. The matchplay event spans the entire year, with players competing in round-robin league divisions to qualify for the top 16 knockout stage
 
Heinrich Prinsloo
 

Making a Difference

 
Playing the game for a good cause

A few weeks ago, we reported on the fantastic efforts of our 3rd year PGA Diploma students in raising over R30,000 for charity in their Fundraising Golf Day. As a result, the students were able to hand over a check last week for R15,000 to SuperSport presenter, OG Molefe, to go to the OG Molefe Foundation. The OGM Foundation provides golf practice and study centre facilities for local children in Soweto. At the presentation, OG spoke to the students about his work with the foundation. The rest of the money raised will go to the BSI Bursary Fund, to provide bursary funding for sports training and education in our programmes.
 
 

Another Alumni Pro Victory

 
Terence takes home the winning trophy

Congratulations to BSI alumni, Terence Boardman on winning the Southern/Eastern Cape PGA Pro/Am at Goose Valley last week. Terence is working in Golf Operations at the Simola Golf Estate in Knysna.
 
 

Let them Play and Learn

 
Putting the FUN into the fundamentals

Bring your kids down to our fun-filled 3-day Kids Camps during December and January at Huddle Park and enjoy some ‘me time’ for a few hours, while the kids have fun and learn in the fresh air. Age ranges from 5 to 12 years old. Times are 9h00 to 12h00 each day. R650 per child for the full camp or R250 per day, if you can’t make every day. Contact Jason at jasonj@bsisports.com or on 072 784 3434 to book. Limited spots available.
 
 

Alumni Profile

 
Regardt is ready to take on the golf industry

Name:
Regardt Richter
BSI Programme: PGA Diploma (Class of 2019)
Current Position: PGA Assistant Professional, Scratch Golf in Knysna.

Here’s what Regardt had to say about his experience at BSI:
 
“The best part of being at BSI is that it gives you the opportunity to study and learn more about golf and everything that comes with it, and then having fun playing golf in a serious environment that teaches you about competition.

It makes you tournament ready and you get world-class coaching from all the coaches who are always happy to help where they can and how they can. They also get you to mentally ready for what lies ahead in your work and playing career.”

 
 
Your journey starts here

Contact info@bsisports.com to apply for this prestigious post-matric programme, which has kick-started successful careers for hundreds of graduates. Limited spaces still available for January 2021 enrolment.
 

Performance Tip

 
Be tension-free for better golf

Tension is the enemy of good golf. This is true, whether it’s the full swing or your short game. To maximise distance, you need speed to flow through your body, from your torso to your arms, wrists and into the club and ball. This can only be optimised with relaxed arms and hands.

You must be relaxed; from the shoulders down through your arms, forearms, wrists and hands. Your arms should simply hang from your shoulders, comfortably straight. On a scale of 1 to 10, your grip pressure should be about 4 or 5. Jack Nicklaus would focus on ‘soft forearms’ as his key feeling. When he wanted to hit it further, he would soften them even more. This is the opposite of what most amateurs do.

For the short game, having soft hands and arms provides vital feel to control distance. There’s a reason why the longest hitters usually have great short games too. The connecting factor is the tension-free motion throughout.
 

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