The annual Jock of the Bushveld Amateur Golf Tournament at Mbombela Golf Club is right around the corner, and time is running out to throw your hat into the ring.

This year’s Jock of the Bushveld Amateur Golf Tournament will be played between May 4 and 10 and is the 57th edition of a competition that has truly become a highly-anticipated fixture on the annual calendar at Mbombela Golf Club. First played in 1968, the Jock (as it’s commonly referred to) has consistently grown in size and stature over the years, even developing into an annual golf ‘pilgrimage’ for some.

A highlight of the very first Jock was the presence of golfing legend Bobby Locke, who entertained all with his ukulele until 04:00 on the Sunday, then curled up in the lounge and went to sleep. He was awakened for his tee-off time but informed Ken Myers that he required some ‘hair of the dog’ (an alcoholic drink taken to cure a hangover).

While the competition in its current format constitutes seven days of golf in total, the Jock started out small and was initially only played from Thursday to Sunday, with two 18-hole competitions each day and the 36-hole Lowveld Open on the Sunday.

In 1969, it was extended to include Wednesday. It was not unusual in those early Jock years for players to be called to the tee for the afternoon competition while still battling up the 18th hole of the morning round.

In 1973 the tournament was changed to its present format of play, with Tuesdays being included from 1977, and the Mondays from 1981. Currently, about 2 000 rounds of golf are played over the week by 800 competitors, and it is reputed to be the largest amateur tournament of its kind in the world.

The week’s formats
Each day of the Jock features its own unique competition that crowns a daily winner. The last three days (Thursday to Saturday) are also taken into consideration to contribute to the overall Jock competition.

The week kicks off with the Jock Men’s Open Championship on Sunday, May 4. The Jock Open is played in the medal format over 36 holes in one day. The field typically starts teeing off bright and early in order to ensure the full 36 holes can be completed.

On Monday the format will be a Fourball Alliance Team Challenge. Tuesday brings the Jock Ladies Open in the morning, played over 18 holes, in the better-ball stableford format. The men’s competition will be played in the afternoon in a regular stableford format.

From Wednesday to Saturday the format will be medal stableford across two divisions – A division, for handicaps 12 and below, and B division for handicaps between 13 and 28. The maximum permissible men’s handicap is 22 and the maximum ladies handicap is 28.

Securing your entry
Although you may be ‘fined’ for securing your entry at the very last minute, there’s still a chance for you to grab a tee time and be part of what is always a special week of golf. The process is relatively simple, too.

You can visit www.mbombelagolfclub.co.za/jock, give Mbombela Golf Club a call on 013 744 0952, or email jockgolf@mweb.co.za if you’d like to get some more information on the week while you’re at it.

Entries from people under the age of 18 won’t be accepted for play during the week, but will be accepted for the Jock Open on Sunday. If the field is oversubscribed, a handicap cut-off will be imposed.

Mbombela Golf Club: A history in brief
The former Nelspruit Golf Club was born on the night of November 14, 1928. The course was on municipal grounds, on the other side of the railway station, where the gymkhanas were held, and had six holes.

The holes averaged about 200 yards (183m), the greens were circles of sand about 15 feet (4.5m) in diameter, and the holes condensed with this. FA Murray was the municipal attorney – it was a village council at the time – and he persuaded the council to lease to the golf club a definite piece of ground adjoining the then LVCC Cricket Ground, which is where the state sawmill is now.

As the greens were made of river sand, the most important club in the bag was the scraper. This was used to smooth the sand on the greens. The club is home to an array of animals, including duiker, steenbok, the black mamba, among other snakes, many bird species and vervet monkeys.

An interesting bit of history involving the club, is that the day war was declared and the World War II began on September 3, 1939, Nelspruit Golf Club was playing a Schmech Cup match against White River in Nelspruit.