Golf season starts in earnest for Southern KZN

The start of the premier league golf season is around the corner for the Southern KwaZulu-Natal team.

It promises to be an exciting year, with the team having gained promotion from the A division last year.

No players have departed, although this may be the case if Jason Gilliver (Umdoni Park) has success at stage one of Q school next week.

His mates thought his pro dream had been put on hold, but it seems that is not quite the case just yet.

Evergreen Gavin Sole (Southbroom) will spearhead the team and seems to have found his spark again, with a bunch of low rounds resulting in a handicap that doesn’t get him too many invites into alliance games.

Jean-Marc Bouic (Southbroom), one of the most improved golfers in the region, will captain the team again and aims to build on the successes of last year.

His steady manner and efficient organisation, combined with his people skills make him a perfect fit for the position and who knows, he may go on to captain an IPT in the future. Not many would be surprised if he did.

Jack Cubitt (Umdoni Park) will be looking to build on his good golf from last year and aims to go the college golf route in the USA in August, if all works out.

The team does have an import of sorts, in Matt Sutherland. He’s based in Ballito but has chosen to play for the team he represented a few years ago when living on the coast.

He’s signed up at Umdoni Park and if he keeps on maintaining the good golf he produced last year, will play in one if not two IPTs this year.

There are some more veterans in the middle order, including Jan McDermott (Umdoni Park), Chris Zietsman (Selborne) and David Rush (Southbroom).

All bring some added weight to the line-up, especially so after the Christmas holidays.

Jokes aside, McDermott and Zietsman played for the Mid-Am IPT last year and thoroughly enjoy the matchplay environment.

Kai Hielckert (Southbroom) provides some youthful enthusiasm but has a big year as a prefect and star hockey player at Kearsney College so may be on a limited schedule for golf.

Whatever the case, he has also shown much improvement and will want to feature in team whenever possible.

There are others, though, knocking on the door, including the likes of Graham Fabricius (Umdoni Park), who is returning to competitive golf.

Then there’s Robert Mavundla (Southbroom) but he may have another go at the Vusi Ngubeni Q school.

Also on the list of players who won’t let the side down are underrated senior Gary Purtell (Southbroom), big-hitting James Coull (Port Shepstone), Koos Jacobs (Umdoni Park) and Elvis Khawula (Margate).

Graham Sole (Southbroom) is emerging from the junior ranks and would love to force his way in, and it won’t be too much longer before Cameron Olivant (Port Shepstone), still only 12, starts challenging for a place.

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