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A Day on the Greens

By Zak King

Following their Annual Conference, DCASA held its very first Golf Day at the Ebotse Golf Estate in Gauteng, and I got to spend most of the day in the middle of all the action.

I wasn’t there to chase a great score or even hit any golf balls around. I stick to the driving range once every 5 years and know my limits.  

Instead, I spent much of the day just helping out, riding around the greens in a golf cart, checking in on sponsors and players and generally seeing how things were going.  It was a great way to experience the event because I got to see a little bit of everything, and there was plenty to see.

An Early Start

Players assembled early, with everyone receiving a welcome pack containing hats, socks and various other gifts before heading out onto the course.

Behind the scenes, a full squad of DCASA volunteers were already hard at work. Vanessa, Zinelle, Johnny, Leandie and Annienne (and a number of others) were leading the charge, ensuring everyone was registered, organised and pointed in the right direction.

Once the Four Balls had been sorted out, it was time for players to jump into their golf carts and head off to their allocated starting holes.

There was a real mixture of experience among the players. Some had clearly spent a fair amount of time on golf courses and arrived with decent handicaps and a good idea of what they were doing. 

Others were considerably newer to the sport and were perhaps just hoping that most of their golf balls would make it back with them at the end of the day (they did not).

The diverse handicaps added to the fun.

Around The Course

The Ebotse course provided plenty of challenges.

With its links style layout, stretches of water, sand traps and other hazards, there were plenty of opportunities for good shots, bad shots and shots that disappeared into places where nobody felt particularly motivated to go looking for them. There were probably no crocodiles, but no one wanted to find out.

Throughout the day Ebotsi also kept track of the competition, including things such as longest drives, closest to the pin, overall scores and, importantly, who made particularly enthusiastic use of their mulligans.

While driving around the course, I got to see some impressive golf, less impressive golf and a few shots that were probably best forgotten. I also got to see some rather unconventional golfing decisions.

At the first hole, ONE had set up a sponsor tent with chocolates, umbrellas and sunscreen. Some of the chocolates were even shaped like golf balls! Eventually somebody looked at one of those chocolate golf balls, looked at the tee and decided to see what would happen.  The chocolate ball was carefully placed on the tee as we gathered around to watch, and then it was promptly destroyed in an explosion of chocolate.

I am not sure how they scored that, but it was just one of many fun moments throughout the day.

A Party Every Few Holes

Six of the 18 holes were sponsored, and the sponsor stands became little social stops around the course.

ONE kept the players supplied with chocolates, umbrellas and sunscreen, while SAB made sure refreshments were available.

Debtfreeze (a debt counselling practice) had refreshments, games and snacks waiting for the players.

Suremarx brought Jenga, shots, music and a very happy team who created a great vibe around their hole.

IPDA sponsored two holes and went big, setting up a massive tent and rest area where players could stop for coffee, or try one of several more adult coffee flavoured beverages.

What stood out to me was how much fun these sponsored stops added to the day. Instead of everyone simply racing through 18 holes, there were opportunities to stop, laugh, have something to eat or drink and spend a few minutes chatting. In many ways, that was what made the day work so well.

A BIG thank you goes out to the sponsors (others sponsored four balls) who helped cover the costs and make the event possible.

More Than Golf

As mentioned, golf is not a sport that everyone plays.  

Some people love it and play regularly, while others spent most of their round discovering previously unexplored parts of the golf course as they try to locate their ball.

But the Golf Day was never only about golf.

Most of us in the debt review industry normally interact within a structured setting. We tend to email or maybe call each other, we might occasionally meet at conferences, workshops or the annual Debt Review Awards. That is normally how we interact, if at all. The Golf Day provided a very different setting.

People had several hours to spend together, without rushing off to the next appointment or staring at a screen.

As I rode around checking in with the different groups and sponsors, I saw people talking, joking and enjoying one another’s company. There were naturally plenty of conversations about debt review and the industry we all work in, but they happened in a much more relaxed environment. There was also lots of laughter and even some choice cursing.

People who might normally only exchange an email or briefly say hello at a conference suddenly had time for a relaxed conversation.

That was probably the most valuable part of the day, I know, because I got to have some meaningful conversations. Golf provided the excuse, developing relationships and spending time together was the real benefit.

And The Winners Are...

Eventually the clubs were packed away, and everyone gathered for a pitstop back at the all-important 19th hole, and then dinner.

After several hours out on the course, the tasty buffet in the dining area was very welcome. Even though there were snacks and food during the day, a full day wondering around the giant course, in the glorious sunshine was enough to build up quite an appetite.

During dinner, the results from the various competitions were announced and a range of prizes were handed out. Several sponsors had contributed prizes, including golf equipment and various novelty items. Thank you to Ebotsi, SAB, DCASA and Tavcor VW.

Not every prize required outstanding golfing ability. There were also awards for fun things like the most sunburnt player, and the person who ended up spending the most time out on the course. Former Springbok, Breton Paulse (who had been MC the previous day at the DCASA Conference) was on hand to beg attendees to organise golf lessons for DCASA President and motivating force behind the golf day Mr Casper le grange.

I helped with the announcements and joined Zinelle in handing out the prizes, which was a fun way to finish off the day.

There was plenty of good-natured teasing, applause and laughter as people collected their prizes and compared stories from around the course.

A Successful First Swing

For a first-time event, the DCASA Golf Day came together extremely well.

The sponsors played an important role in helping cover the costs and added enormously to the experience around the course. The DCASA volunteers worked throughout the day to keep everything running, while the players arrived with exactly the sort of attitude needed to make an event like this enjoyable.

Not everyone who attended was a serious golfer, but that really didn’t matter. What mattered was getting people out of their normal working environment and giving them the opportunity to spend time together in a completely different environment.

We spend a lot of time talking about relationships and cooperation within the debt review industry and events like this give those relationships an opportunity to grow naturally.

By the end of the day, there were plenty of tired golfers, a few sunburnt faces and probably several golf balls resting permanently at the bottom of Ebotse’s water hazards. But there were also plenty of smiles, new conversations and stronger connections.

I suspect that, with time, nobody will remember exactly who landed in which bunker or how many mulligans were taken, but they will remember the people they spent the day with. And that’s what made it a great day on the greens.