Christy Raper, a local amateur golfer who lives in Springs and plays out of Brakpan, recently captained the Ekurhuleni B Section team in the South African Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT).

“The tournament is probably the biggest GolfRSA tournament of the year, where the country’s best amateur golfers get together to play for their unions,” he said.

“There are two divisions, and each division has six unions, or teams. You play each team once, and the team with the most points at the end of the week is the winner,” he explained.

The tournament ran from April 13 to 17. Ekurhuleni’s team came from Alberton, Kempton, Benoni and Boksburg, and it was all players’ first time winning the Premier IPT.

“It was also our player, Stewart Chtambo’s first time being named most valuable player (MVP),” Christy said.

The team beat all five of their opponents with the following scores:

• Ekurhuleni 10.5 – 1.5 Mpumalanga.
• Ekurhuleni 6.5 – 5.5 Border.
• Ekurhuleni 10 – 2 KwaZulu-Natal.
• Ekurhuleni 8.5 – 3.5 Free State.
• Ekurhuleni 7 – 5 Eastern Province.

Next for the team, after some celebrating, is getting back on the course to practice.

“There are already other national and provincial tournaments on the horizon where we want to confirm our form,” Christy explained.

“As captain, my hope is that this success also inspires other players in our district to become involved and chase their golf dreams,” he said.

Christy himself has been playing golf for years, starting with his parents at a young age. “In 2019, I began to play GolfRSA tournaments, where you get points for every tournament where you make the cut.

“In 2022, I got my provincial colours for the first time, and after that, I continued playing tournaments. Without even noticing this was my fifth IPT,” he said.

“What makes this championship exceptional is the fact that we don’t play as individuals, but as a close unit. At IPT, the pressure is heavy, and knowing that your teammates have your back when a game is decided at the 18th hole creates a bond you don’t get in a normal tournament.

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“We played for each other, not ourselves. For me, what stood out is not a specific stroke, but the way that the guys fought back on the second day after things turned against us.

“To see the team refuse to throw in the towel and play with renewed passion showed me that we have the character to be champions,” he explained.

“It changed the whole momentum of the tournament,” he recalled.

As captain, Christy says his leading style is focused on support and trust. “I believe that every player in this team is there because they are the best in their union.

My task as captain isn’t to teach them how to play golf, but to make sure they’re in the right mindset to deliver their best plays,” he said.

“When there’s tension in the team, we handle it quickly and immediately so we can focus on the game again. What makes us unique is that there are no egos in the team.

“The bond we have ensured that we get along well from the start, and we have tons of spirit, which gave us the advantage,” Christy said.

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