QUESTION: How old were you when you got introduced to golf and how did it happen?
GORDON: I only started playing golf in my early forties as I never rated golf as a sport. It was only after a friend and I saw a couple of Sunday afternoon hackers playing that we thought we could do a lot better and decided to give it a go. We were immediately hooked (excuse the pun!).

QUESTION: Were you also a member at other clubs?
GORDON: I was also a country member at Royal Port Alfred Golf Club in the Eastern Cape where I have a holiday home.

QUESTION: What can you remember about your first competition at the Stellenbosch Golf Club?
GORDON: All I remember was that I was rather nervous and wanted to play my shot as quickly as possible before the next fourball got to the tee.

QUESTION: What format of competition do you like most?
GORDON: An alliance because you need to know what your partners are doing all the time and this often means you need to adapt to the situation e.g. go for the green or lay-up.

QUESTION: Many members have a love/hate/relationship with one particular hole on the golf course. Which hole is yours?
GORDON: The par three 15th. I play with a bit of a fade so I have to first negotiate the trees on the left and then avoid the trees on the right near the green.

QUESTION: Which is your favorite hole on the course?
GORDON: The 8th hole, but I enjoy the 7th, 8th and 9th as I can par all three on a good day. The 8th is a great hole from the senior tees as I can reach it in two, or get it very close, with a wind from the back.

QUESTION: Who are your regular golf mates and whom of them are the most difficult opponents to beat?
GORDON: Clive Wagner is probably the most difficult player to beat as he has years of experience as a league player, but guys like Gordon Schultz, Gilmour Hendrickse, and Basil Muller are capable of playing well under their handicaps and they hate losing side bets.

QUESTION: Any funny moments you experienced on the course to share with us?
GORDON: The funniest incident was when Paul Ulrich, a German acupuncturist and ex member of the club, hit his ball in the dam on the 12th. I encouraged him to go in and get his ball plus two others lying in the dam thinking that if he went in, he would take off his shoes and socks and pull up his pants. But no, stripped to his jocks and waded in much to the amusement of the ladies in the fourball behind us.
     
QUESTION: One of your golfing mates Gordon Schultz is an equipment ‘’boffin” and often change his set of clubs. Do you stick with your old faithful clubs or do you sometimes change your equipment?
GORDON:  Gordon is always changing his clubs and believe it or not he is now on his third set of irons for the year. Please don't ask me if it has made a difference to his game. I recently retired my 12-year-old Callaway X20's and have replaced them with a set of Taylormade Sim Max irons which have made a big difference to my game. In fact, Gordon was so impressed he went out and bought a set as well.

QUESTION: Highlights in your golfing career?
GORDON:  The golf tour I organized to Pattaya in Thailand was certainly a highlight of my golfing career. The golf courses we played there were stunning and they don't call Thailand the land of smiles for nothing.

QUESTION: What other golf courses do you enjoy?
GORDON: I love playing Royal Port Alfred in December and enjoy playing George Golf Club which I still consider the best course in the Southern Cape.

QUESTION: Lowest score at Stellenbosch?
GORDON:  81

QUESTION: Current Handicap?
GORDON:  16 off the senior tees.

QUESTION: Lowest Handicap ever?
GORDON: 12 off white back in the day.

QUESTION: Have you made a hole-in-one?
GORDON:  I have had two holes-in-one at Stellenbosch. The first one was on the 13th hole. Carel Nel was in the fourball and we could see the ball on the green. Carel said the ball was lying against the pin but I was not convinced. When I turned around to put my club in my bag he shouted "it's in the hole". When I turned around the ball was gone. My second hole-in-one was on the ninth. A beautiful shot.

QUESTION: You have donated many trees to the golf club – can you name some of the species and where they were planted.
GORDON:  To be honest I cannot remember the names of all the indigenous trees I donated to the club but I did donate a lot of Australian trees. The two species were Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and Pepper tree wattle (Acacia elata).

QUESTION: Through the years many young trees have died due to the fact that they did not get water. What gems of trees did the club lost due to that?
GORDON:  These were mainly Acacia elata trees. Although they are invasive in some parts of the country, these trees are ideal for golf courses as they are fast growing.

QUESTION: Many large trees on the course are old and could be uprooted by the next big storm. Do you think the club’s plan and management of trees is on track?
GORDON: The club’s current management plan is working and they deserve a lot of credit for it. However, I know there is a feeling management should plant indigenous trees rather than exotics but there are not a lot of indigenous trees in the Southwestern Cape and most of them are slow growing. Exotics trees are generally fast growing and can create a ‘forest effect’ that will encourage the indigenous trees to grow faster. Once the indigenous trees have reached a desired height or size the exotic trees can be removed.
 
QUESTION: There are big areas outside of the normal rough at the course – do you have any suggestions to make that more “pretty” and maybe more “player-friendly”?
GORDON:  These areas should be left as is because they act as refugia (safe havens) for birds, snakes, rodents etc.  

QUESTION: What does golf mean to you as a person?
GORDON:  To me golf is not just about playing the game, but also about creating friendships and enjoying an ice-cold Castle after a hot or frustrating day on the course.