Three SAGDB youngsters in EP teams

Three players from the SA Golf Development Board (SAGDB) programme in Eastern Province have been selected to represent their province during April. Kim Daniels and Rushane Peters have been chosen to play for the u/12 side, while Granwell Gelderbloem has earned selection to the u/14 team.

The players will be competing in the Fish River Challenge from the 8th to the 10th of April. The annual event also includes teams from Border, Free State, Western Province, Southern Cape, Boland and KwaZulu-Natal.

“It will be a fantastic experience for these youngsters to represent their province,” says the SAGDB’s manager for EP, John Bailey. “They will be motivated to practice more regularly and improve all the time so that they can continue to gain selection to higher divisions.”

Daniels is one of the brightest young stars in the development programme and this will be the third year she will be playing in the u/12 team. She was first selected when she was just 10 years old.

She is already an accomplished tournament player, having won the C and B divisions of the National Sanlam Cancer Challenge in 2005 and 2006 respectively. She also won the Boland Open B division title last year.

“Kim is a great success story,” Bailey says, “especially because of her drive to succeed.”

Peters has only been in the development programme for 18 months, but Bailey says that he is already showing excellent potential. The 11-year old plays off an 18 handicap and has benefited from a membership extended to him by Humewood Golf Club.

Gelderbloem has also received support from Humewood and is also a member at the club. The grade 7 pupil proved his talent when he won the regional B division of the Hayes Junior Classic earlier this year.

While these youngsters live some distance from the golf course and don’t always have access to golf facilities Bailey is particular impressed by their dedication to practising.

“Granwell and Rushane have an open field near to their homes where they play every day,” he says. “Their commitment and dedication has been rewarded and we hope this can motivate other players.”

These players have also benefited from the strong relationship between the SAGDB and the SA Junior Golf Foundation (SAJGF) in the province. The SAGDB’s top players in the region have all been given free membership of the foundation and play in at least one official SAJGF tournament every month.

“We have the full support of the foundation,” Bailey says. “We play in all the order of merit tournaments so that our players can gain points.”

Bailey believes that the development programme in EP is in good health and he and his coaches are always on the lookout for new talent.

“We are opening up the programme to new schools, searching for future golfing stars,” he says. “The regional coach is working closely with the development coaches to find that hidden talent.”