Getting to grips with golf proves a learning curve
Watching event was a good exeprience
Golf is arguably a sport for the chosen few. Besides it being a particularly costly game, it requires a lot of patience – a discovery made at the weekend while being part of a group of media invited to the famed Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City.
The second day of the challenge, a Friday, found the group of us heading to Rustenburg bright and early. Being a total golf novice, this was when our driver Johannes Coetzee, a jovial fellow, gave me a crash course on the sport. He showed me on the challenge app that Sergio Garcia was in the lead at the time. Then we discussed pars. He explained that one-under-par was called a birdie and two-under-par an eagle, while threeunder is called an albatross. Par refers to the numbers of strokes a player can make to complete a hole. So when you’re under par you have made less than the predetermined strokes. This number will often appear with a minus sign next to the golfer’s name. On arrival at the Gary Player Golf Club it was apparent that like every sport, golf has its fashion. Men in chino shorts and golf Tshirts in various shades and women in miniskirts milled about casually having breakfast. The day was promising to be a scorcher and the misted deck where we were seated was refreshing. Our home base was at the ninth hole. Golf appears deceptively slow, but upon closer exposure, is a gruelling sport that requires absolute concentration. We decided to get closer to the action by following certain golfers. The experience was akin to following a revered icon whom you cannot touch and had to be extremely silent around. Before a golfer can hit the ball, absolute quiet is required of the spectators. Men with signs asking for quiet shout out for people to be still. Immediately the crowd goes silent and you can hear the flutter of butterfly wings, should one fly past. As soon as the player hits the ball, the crowd let’s out its collective breath and shouts of encouragement burst out like rain drops from a cloud. If sheer will from the fans could ensure a hole-inone, golfers would be winning titles easily. We were lucky enough to catch up to Louis Oosthuizen and it was a treat to see the South African favourite play.
Of all the interesting things discovered about golf, it was a 2015 study that seemed pertinent on the day. It was found that a moderate amount of caffeine could shave off a stroke or two from a golfer’s game. It would appear, then, that our hosts Nespresso were in a position to potentially boost one or two of the players’ performance, had they just made their way to their stand.
The brand was firmly ensconced at the event, offering iced coffees for the audience and some received coffee cocktails. Iced coffee is delicious, and the boost of energy you get from it is very welcome. The flavours range from vanilla to chocolate and even caramel.
The brand recently launched its master origins coffees from countries such as India, Indonesia and Ethiopia. The brand has many influential ambassadors currently. Hollywood heart throb George Clooney can be seen in their TV adverts. Locally, musician and restaurateur J’Something is a friend of the brand. He’s provided a yummy recipe to test out.