Barberton golfers drive among the daisies for local tourism
About 76 golfers pitted their skills against one another on the course.
Established in 1894, Barberton Golf Club has earned its place in the annals of the town’s rich history. On Saturday, the club hosted the second Dynamite and Daisies Golf Day.
Barberton Mines and Barberton Community Tourism (BCT) banded together, in an effort to promote tourism in the area.Norman Hartman, head of local economic development at Barberton Mines, explained that the initiative was kick-started to boost the tourism sector as a means of giving back to the community and creating an alternative
economy to mining.
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“The mines have been in operation for the past 130 years and there is no guarantee that we’ll be mining for another 130 years. The Barberton Mines leadership has a vision which is to make sure that the community has a future after mining operations have ceased. This is so that we have another sector to take over from mining once we are
done.
“Barberton Adventures is a company we want to use as a platform to market the legacy and heritage of mining in
Barberton to promote tourism. Our mining life is 20 years old and it is better to start sooner than losing the opportunity while we can do it today,” he said.
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According to Astrid Christianson, marketing manager of BCT, about 76 golfers pitted their skills against one another on the course.
“We’re going from strength to strength and it’s been a communal effort,”she said.
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The BCT director, Lionel Meyer, said the event started after BCT knocked on a few doors for funding and the mine manager suggested hosting a golf day to assist the local tourism entity with funds.
“This year we approached them again, and the mine manager has shown his commitment to being involved in tourism in Barberton. The reaction from the public has been overwhelming and their support has been extremely encouraging,” he said.
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Once the formalities were handled on the course, it was time to retire to the clubhouse for a bite to eat and the prize-giving ceremony to reward the players who deserved it.
Team Kal Tire scooped top honours and Werner van Vuuren, Donovan Whelan and Milas Motubatse accepted the award. They were followed by the Barberton Mines team of Norman Hartman, Werner van Vuuren, Nicky Geere and Paul du Plooy in second place. Following hot on their heels in third, were the Westvaal team of Norman Hartman, Chris Groenewald, Wayne Gebhard, Johan van Wyk, and Francois Storm.
Van Vuuren put in a notable performance and landed closest to the pin.
