‘South Coast could have next Tiger Woods’
The former tour commissioner is keen to see youngsters taking up the game.
ARNOLD Mentz is back on the South Coast, and doing what he loves most: teaching golf to youngsters.
He believes the coast could be an area capable of producing a superstar in the game.
“If Albertina, near Mossel Bay can produce Louis Oosthuizen, then it’s possible,” he said.
“We’re looking for the next Tiger Woods or Ernie Els,” he said. “The talent could be here, we don’t want to see it falling by the wayside.”
He was the professional at Southbroom Golf Club from 1990 to 1996.
He then went on to become the Tour Commissioner for the South African PGA, a position he held from 1996 to 2000.
Thereafter, he worked as the executive director of the South African Golf Development Board.
He was also a founder of the Ernie Els Foundation, with one of the early intakes being 2010 Open champion Oosthuizen.
At one point Arnold was the professional at Stellenbosch Golf Club in the Western Cape.
His passion has always been coaching, in particular youngsters.
Arnold returned to the area about three years ago. He felt strongly that there was a need to draw youngsters into the game.
He will be offering his coaching services free of charge at Port Shepstone Country Club, on weekdays from 2pm to 5pm.
Local schools are welcome to send along any aspiring golfers.
When Arnold was the pro at Southbroom he held clinics every Saturday morning, and they were popular.
Back then, one of the rules was that juniors had to attend school in order to attend the clinics. That was very important.
Andrew Curlewis was one such junior who attended from time to time. At that stage, young Andrew seemed more interested in cricket than golf!
Now he is doing well on the Sunshine Tour, and could break through to the European Tour in the future.
Others, like Costa Peyios and Adrian Konrad, pursued careers as coaches, in Sweden and Austria respectively.
The Nqoko brothers, Wonderboy and Emmanuel, developed into decent golfers at the time, before pursuing other careers.
Richard Sikobi went on to become a senior caddy at San Lameer, as well as playing in a few pro events now and then.
Southern Natal Nomads also played a big role in promoting junior golf.
Tim Clark was one to benefit, and he has never forgotten his roots.
Arnold thanked Port Shepstone Country Club for making the opportunity available.
South Coast Golf Academy hosted by Port Shepstone Country Club
A message from Port Shepstone Country Club’s chairman Leon Reeders…
THE average age of South African golfers is in the mid-fifties. It is therefore a logical assumption that the future of South African golf lies in our youth.
We need to demystify the myth that golf is an elitist sport and offer the opportunity to our youngsters to get to grips with this fabulous – albeit sometimes frustrating sport – at an early age.
Most clubs offer very competitive rates for junior golfers. A number of development initiatives are under way in the country to ensure the future of South African golf and as a by-product of these initiatives to ensure that South Africans continue to successfully strut the international golfing stage.
Port Shepstone Country Club is most keenly aware of exactly where the future of South African golf lies.
To this end we have has teamed up with Arnold Mentz, a resident of the South Coast who has many, many years’ experience in development golf, to establish and promote development golf on the South Coast.
We are delighted and most proud to be part of this new initiative. Juniors will be brought in and over a period of time – most afternoons – be instructed in the lore of golf. Clubs, transport and expert tuition will be offered on an ongoing basis.
Arnold will be visiting schools in order to get the initiative off the ground. Prospective juniors will be brought to “Sheppie” and a strict curriculum will be followed.
The abundance of young talent will be identified and nurtured in a progressive structured manner.
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