The commute to the site where the Mitchell’s Plain Golf Club hones its future stars is a fascinating voyage.
A tar road swiftly usurped by gravel and then, within a minute or two, a drive through a driving school until you finally see several uninhabited fields.
These are pieces of land that could genuinely be mistakenly identified as abandoned on account of the dry grass and piles of stones.
Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder.
Though co-chairman Jehad Kasu is not so naïve as to call the under-maintained fields beautiful, he and founder Richard Smith did see the beauty they could cultivate on this barren land for their community.
Famously known as the golf club without a course, the Mitchell’s Plain Golf Club has garnered great public interest following its starring role in SuperSport’s Real World Champions video series.
The campaign seeks to highlight ordinary South Africans who have overcome challenging circumstances to become heroes in their respective sporting codes.
More girls should play golf
Tyra Booysen (16), who is a product of the golf club, expressed how the sport carved her future out and how she sees life differently now.
“I think that [golf] opens my eyes more to see that things are possible and that there are many things outside of Mitchell’s Plain that one can do. One doesn’t just have to stay here,” Booysen said.
“I’d like more girls to play golf. When I play in competitions, it’s mainly boys I’m playing with, and sometimes I wish I played with girls. I think more girls should try it.”
Having picked up the golf club that belonged to a well-off uncle as a 13-year-old boy, Kasu went on to hit many shots terribly, by his own admission, except for one that ignited his love.
It would, however, be 10 years before he stepped foot on a golf course.
“The easier you make access to the sport, especially for people who are not expected to gravitate towards the sport, like the people of colour who are raised to not even think of golf as a pastime, let alone a professional sport, the better,” Kasu said.
“If you don’t bring the game to them, they are never going to find it. That’s something the young kids we work with still battle with.
“We try to make them understand that this place is as much theirs as it is anyone else’s. Even with your inferior equipment, you’re still as good as any player out there.”
Support is critical to success
With that said, the support system around these starlets becomes even more critical, particularly for the parents.
“To be honest, it’s tough mentally, physically, and most of all financially,” admits Tyra’s father, Ashley Booysen.
“I would love to see more kids from Mitchell’s Plain Golf Club excelling just as much as Tyra, but as you know, golf is a very expensive sport, and some of the parents don’t always have the means.”
