NELSPRUIT GOLF CLUB

Mpumalanga, South Africa

THE JOCK

"Let winning not be your only aim, it also matters how you play the game."

Lest we forget

Know more about The Jock:

Jock founders

Jock history

Message from one of the founders of Jock

JJ & Famie van Rensburg - Durban - February 1992

What a great honour and surprise to be asked to contribute to the brochure for the 25^th Anniversary of "Jock of the Bushveld".

However it certainly dates one when you think back and realize that the exuberance of youth led to the birth of "Jock".

Ken Myers, J.J. van Rensburg, Rip Riphagen

The concept grew initially from a suggestion by our very good friend Rip Riphagen that Nelspruit Golf Club start a tournament for "golfers" not champions. Thankfully the concept proved to be correct as we encouraged golfers to visit us annually from the length and breadth of the Republic.

When we decided to commence with the tournament, we obviously had no idea what type of response to expect, and I clearly remember the jubilation when we started getting entries from the reef, Jan Weber and his merry men from Kempton Park were some of our first "foreign" entries and then that of the Witbank boys followed and we were on a roll.

Our early years were some of the most pleasant as we were able to meet, get to know our visitors personally, many of whom have stayed close friends ever since. Unfortunately in the halycon days, computers were still an unknown entity and all our entries, draws were done lovingly by my darling wife Famie.

I recall one evening after having spent hours trying to arrange the draws to ensure a competitor who had teed off at 08:00 for the 1^st 18 hole competition did not appear in the draw for the 2^nd 18 hole and have to tee off at 10:30 hours, and it had become a habit of mine to leave breathing space in every 8^th Fourball for substitutions and alterations, etc by putting in A .N. Other as the 4^th player, and after typing the first page Famie asked whether I thought that this bloke A.N. Other was a superman as I had included him in 8 four balls for the day.

Memories keep flooding back while contemplating the past, but some of the highlights musts surely be when the Grand Ole Master himself 'Arthur D'Arcy “Bobby” Locke agreed to make a guest appearance in our early years. This was followed in later years by some of the top amateurs of the day, John Fourie, Hugh Baiocchi, Dale Hayes and the regular visits from the Transvaal Eagles - under 25 team, so ably managed by Bayton Sullivan.

Our joy at the time when we were granted permission by the Trustees of the Percy Fitzpatrick Trust to use the casting of "Jock" were unbounded.

It is a tribute to golfers throughout the country that this tournament has caught and held the imagination of players through 25 years. All credit must go to the various committees over the years who have always persisted with the arrangements and carried on the tradition.

To the organising committee thank you for retaining the tradition of "Jock" keep up the good work and may the 25^th be the happiest and best ever.

It is my fervent wish that all competitors enjoy themselves in the true tradition of "Jock” and continue to support the event for many more years to come.

Remember “Let winning not be your only aim, it also matters how you play the game"

Good luck and God Bless you all!