SAGDB's gift to Hess keeps on giving

SAGDB graduate Jacquin Hess had an incredible finish to 2011

Although Jacquin Hess had to leave the SAGDB's golf development programme when he turned 18, the Boland golfer says that their gift to him still keeps on giving.

In the last two months of last year, Hess capped his 2011 season with three successive victories. Two of those were national titles, which also helped the 20-year-old from Robertson to launch to 47th in the South African Golf Association's official rankings.

"These were definitely my three best performances as an amateur," said Hess, who started his run by winning the Robertson Open by one stroke with rounds of 71 and 73. He then took his winning form to Maccauvlei Golf Club where he claimed the 54-hole rain-shortened Harry Oppenheimer Trophy with rounds of 67-70-60.

He completed the triple in early December when he won the 72-hole University Sport South African Stroke Play Championship. Hess carded rounds of 74-70-69-75 at Stellenbosch and Somerset-West Golf Clubs to win by an impressive four strokes.

The Human Resources student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology credits the SAGDB with all his recent success.

"Just because I had to leave the SAGDB when I reached the mandatory age doesn't mean I stopped benefitting from everything they taught me," he explained. "I believe the basics I learned in the SAGDB programme have given me a solid foundation, both on the golf course and in my everyday life. I always go back to the basics when I step on to a golf course and this has served me well. That's why I call it the gift that keeps on giving."

Hess joined the SAGDB programme in 2004 after Boland Development Manager Andre Rossouw spotted him playing at the Robertson Golf Course. The teenager blossomed under the tutelage of Boland coach Isaac Mahoney and in four short years, the hard work started paying off.

He was selected to represent the Boland Under-18 team that triumphed at the Inter-provincial tournament in Durban, he made the SAGDB's Elite Squad that played against a top Scottish team in 2010 and was selected, on merit, for the senior Boland IPT team a year later.

In 2010, Hess, together with fellow Boland SAGBD player Cedric Rooi, was also given the opportunity to fly the flag for South Africa when he qualified for the SA Universities team that competed at the 13th Golf World University Championships in Málaga, Spain. The six-man squad from South Africa finished 13th in the team competition.

Life certainly hasn't been easy for Hess, whose father passed away when he was still very young. But his commitment and love of the sport is evident and he has a strong desire to continue raising his game.

"The SAGDB taught me the values, principles and life skills that guide my life every day," he said. "I was given a lot of opportunities to grow and develop that I otherwise would never have received and they opened a lot of doors for me."

"It's a tough act to balance my studies and golf, but I am determined to do both to the best of my abilities. At this point I don't know if I will look for work in the Human Resources field when I graduate or if I will give the professional circuit a try, so I have to work hard at both."

"I need more competitive experience, but thanks to my performances I have secured some sponsorships that will enable me to play in more national tournaments this year. I've also qualified for the SA Students team that will compete at the Golf World University Championships in the Czech Republic in August, so there are a lot of things to look forward to."

In the meantime, Hess keeps honing his game at Robertson Golf Club.

"I've been without a coach since I left the SAGDB, but I keep going back to the basics they taught me and this as served me well," he said. "But it is great to know that if I do get stuck and need a little coaching or guidance, that the SAGDB is just a phone call away."

"Like I said, the SAGDB is a gift that keeps on giving."