About Us
To whom it may concern.
It was the coaching of 450 under-privileged children that brought my attention to the fact that these youngster loved to hit golf balls but became bored and stopped playing because of not getting on to golf courses to keep their desire stimulated. I tried various options but to no avail and eventually started a virtual club called Little Kids Golf in 2003/4.
Young Golfers has been in operation since 2005 after I left Little Kids Golf to grow Golf to all Young people without the self serving of some of the committee members.
The Younggolfers have their members play off shortened tees for each age group; We already have some 6 and 7 year olds shooting par and below.
We are now planning a venture whereby we will allow handicaps and statistics to the Younggolfers. The software will allow a seamless expansion to all area of South Africa, so we can do proper Regional and then National Qualifying, and have this funded, so that the wealthy do not get to make the teams, but the better players.
The objective of Younggolfers is to teach the youngsters to have fun on the Golf Course and Driving Range. In that regard ongoing discussions are had with parents who become too obsessed with their offspring’s success.
It is our intention to host a local World Qualifier at the end of the year to get our best players selected to be able to compete in the world arena of golf.
One of my Younggolfers, Casey Jarvis, has just made second place in the under 8 years old in the US Kids European Championships played in Scotland.
Dylan Naidoo, 13, scored 71, 68 and 71 (6 under par) in the Optimist Junior Championships in the USA to make third place, two behind the winner, and 7 shots ahead of 4th place.
I know that we can get together at least 20 Younggolfers from ages 6 and up who are all single figure handicaps at their respective distances, and It would be great publicity and excellent for the game of golf, if these Younggolfers could play in the Pro-Am of the Johannesburg Open, and in some of the Sunshine and European Tournaments at the end of the year.
A section 21 Company has just been formed and lodged and I am awaiting the registration numbers shortly.
Below are a few excerpts from the constitution which encompasses all that we do and believe in.
- 3.2.1 Junior Golfers shall mean golfers between the ages of 3(three) years and 23(twenty three) years of age up to and including the child’s birthday, broken down into 13 (thirteen) categories:
- 3.3.1 Ages 5 (five) and under3.3.2 Age 6 (six) years3.3.3 Age 7 (seven) years
- 3.3.4 Age 8 (eight) years
- 3.3.5 Age 9 (nine) years
- 3.3.6 Age 10 (ten) years
- 3.3.7 Age 11 (eleven) years
- 3.3.8 Age 12 (twelve) years
- 3.3.9 Age 13 (thirteen) years
- 3.3.10 Age 14 (fourteen and 15) years
- 3.3.11 Age 16 (sixteen) years
- 3.3.12 Age 17 and 18. (seventeen and eighteen)
- 3.3.13 Age 19 to 23.
Each age group plays off a distance suitable for his age. Each Age group should get at least three prizes.
4. OBJECTIVES
- 4.1To promote junior golf in South Africa including those disadvantaged Young people that have not had the opportunity to experience the game.
- 4.2To provide the best coaching and training to junior golfers and parents relating to Etiquette and Rules of Golf by Members of the P.G.A. of South Africa.
- 4.3To provide basics for these coaches from the book “Simply Golf” written by Bryan Roelofsz, ensuring junior golfers enjoy a high level of consistent training.
- 4.4To negotiate with golf courses to provide time on their Golf course for our Young Golfers to play without interference from Club members.
- 4.5To negotiate with golf courses for Tournament tee off times for Young Golfers.
- 4.6To shorten the Golf course for the various age groups mentioned above to the First Tee, and other US junior tournament specifications.
- 4.7To educate Parents to allow the Younggolfers to grow in the sport without being “pushed” to become champions.
- 4.8To encourage Younggolfers to learn the skills of Integrity, Honesty, Sportsmanship, Confidence, Courtesy, Etiquette, Good Judgement and Perseverance. These skills will contribute to make these children upstanding citizens and examples to their peers in their communities.
- 4.9To make Young Golfers through the medium of good coaching, proficient on the golf course, with an understanding of the Rules and Etiquette of the game of golf and to give them every opportunity to be known on the World arena of Golf.
- 4.10To promote golf to underprivileged Young people via P.G.A Professional training throughout the regions. Younggolfers Executive to select participants and make available revenue generated from sponsorship.
- 4.11To stage qualifying tournaments locally and nationally to find the best Younggolfers in South Africa that could compete in major junior tournaments throughout the world.
- 4.12To find sponsors for these players to participate in other countries.
- 4.13To expand to all cities of South Africa.
5. MEMBERSHIP
- 5.1 An application for membership must be made in writing to the Younggolfers’ specific region
We would like to qualify our great Younggolfers by order of merit, and a qualifying tournament to compete in different tournaments in the USA, Europe, Canada and Asia.
It is our intention to raise funds for these Younggolfers to assist them to compete overseas, thereby getting rid of the stigma of golf being an elitist game.
Please see the web site www.younggolfers.net for more information.
Yours in better Golfing,
Bryan Roelofsz
Remarks from Richard Lyon (Chairman South African Senior Tour 2002-2003)
Bryan Roelofsz is a contemporary of Gary Player and you would be hard-pressed to discover which one of them knows more about the golf swing. However, one thing is certain - Bryan has given many more lessons and taught many more pupils than has his more famous fellow countryman.
Now he has distilled the accumulated wisdom of the years he has spent giving lessons into this easy to read, easy to understand, easy to follow guide to the game of golf.
From driving to putting, from pitch shots to bump and runs, from sand traps to mind traps, Bryan has covered them all in this extensively illustrated e-book. I am convinced that if you read this book intelligently, concentrate on Bryan's drills and then put in a little practice you will shed strokes off your handicap.
Richard Lyon
Chairman South African Senior Tour 2002-2003
"I have been playing golf (or, rather, attempting to) for just over ten years now. I have read just about every book on golf tuition there is, including numerous so-called "fail safe" tips from tour pro's. The end result was confusion and a 24 handicap that has not budged in ten years.
When I came across Bryan's website, the first word that caught my eye was GUARANTEED. I thought to myself: "If this guy is confident enough to guarantee results in a game that I found totally impossible to understand, he must either be smoking some illegal stuff, or he must be very good". I gave him the benefit of the doubt and downloaded his e-book. It took me about an hour to read. The first thought I had was that it could not possibly be this simple. After all, I have learnt from all the other books I've read that the game of golf and the golf swing is extremely complex and not meant to be understood. I had to find out more, so I booked a course of lessons with Bryan. The conclusion is that it really is that simple!
Bryan has a profound understanding of the game and the swing, but even more importantly, the ability to teach it simply. After a few lessons, my confidence and outlook on the game has changed completely. To give you just two examples, in ten years of hacking I have never been confident over either a bunker shot or any length of putt. I have never holed a put longer than six feet, and more often than not I've left the ball in the bunker at my first (or even second) attempt. After a single putting lesson, I holed putts of ten feet or more consistently, and after another lesson, I hit about thirty balls out of a greenside bunker onto the green, without leaving one in the bunker! You can do the math to figure out how many shots I've saved right there.
Golf is a game, and by definition it should be played for enjoyment. It is also not the cheapest game around, so it makes sense to get as much enjoyment out of it as one can. In Bryan, you have the means to do just that, regardless of age, gender, build or ability
Thanks again.
Adriaan Buys
21.10.2003
