8th Annual Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip 2017 – Report

Home » 8th Annual Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip 2017 – Report

8 Years and still going strong, this year the scissors lady was back….. with her scissors of course, AND….. a baby bump!

Introduction:

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We are incredibly proud to announce that we had our biggest field TO DATE this year – 76 Golfers from SA such as Klerksdorp, Guateng, Bloemfontein, Hillcrest to mention a few. International players from Switzerland, France, Britain, Germany, and The Netherlands also took part in this unforgettable golfing tournament! Most of the field are return clients that have become family over the years. In the same breath, we are always pleased to welcome new comers to the Road Trip as they instantly become part of the family!

This event needs no introduction, but in case someone missed it, this tournament is about playing 9 World Renowned Golf Courses in 7 Days starting from Plettenberg Bay, and finishing off in Mossel Bay….

This Year’s Sponsors:

Without our sponsors, this tournament would not be possible! We cannot say thank you enough to EACH & EVERY ONE of you – we are so so grateful for every contribution toward making this Road Trip a success!

A Special Thank You to our Main Sponsor – Cobra Transport & Fuel!

Our 2017 Charity Nomination:

Carpe Diem School in George is a school that provide education and accommodate learners with special needs. During the 2017 Road Trip, the players  really opened up their hearts and their wallets and through raffles and our “guess the highest score of day” betting system, the field contributed a total of R10 000 toward this amazing cause.

A special thank you goes out to a few individuals that contributed bulk amounts of money at registration in the mornings, as well as everyone that took their high score winnings and gave it to the charity pool – you are all blessing this school in ways you cant begin to imagine!

We managed to raise a smashing R12 000 for this amazing school!

THANK YOU ALL SO SO MUCH!

Day 1 – Plettenberg Bay & Goose Valley (36 Holes):

8 Years into the Road Trip and as always, we love to start things off with a bang! Registration at Plett at 6am is always an awesome reunion between the GGR Team and the players. This time the scissors lady was hiding her scissors behind her 8 month old baby bump LOL! a 2 Tee start got the players off early enough in order  to make their way to Goose Valley for the second round on Day 1.

Having the custom written scoring system for the 3rd year now, we were confident that things will run smoothly this year. We were expecting the usual 2 or 3 players in the field to question their scores being cut at prize giving, but to our surprise there were no objections – seems like players started reading their tournament rules at last – YAY for the organizers hahaha

Unlike the hail of last year, we had some rain at Plett Golf Course, but that cleared up quickly. Some of the players said they actually enjoyed being cooled off at the start of the tournament – but we all know that it never rains on a golf course RIGHT???

A very smooth transition to Goose Valley ensured pace of play to be constant and acceptable for the players. We could quickly see who the teams were that were gunning for the best dressed of the tournament. In all honesty, we think there was more effort made for best dress than any other of the Road Trips we have hosted – it was pretty spectacular to witness the effort, color combinations and personalized embroidery – 10 out of 10 to all of you!

Prize giving is always a bit of a jol as everyone reunites and catches up from last year, and the new comers get to experience how we do things for the first time! Entertainment was something different this year being Jembe drummers and a fire dancer / fire breather – they added something different to the evening and we would like to thank them for an awesome performance!

A BIG Thank you to Plettenberg Bay Country Club and Goose Valley Golf Club, the teams at both courses always go the extra mile!

Day 2 – Simola:

Time Lapse Clip of the Taylor Made Putting Competition:

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Clear skies made the Simola shine in all its glory and players were amped to hit the tee boxes. With a shotgun start from 12 there was enough time sleep in a bit, get a shoulder rub, register, try out some Taylor Made Putters and for some, grab a couple of beers get the day going lol!

Simola is always a treat for any golfer and we went the extra mile to arrange massages for the field after the previous day’s 36 holes! This added some welcome relief to the stiff shoulders, neck and lower back before tackling the new day 🙂

Taylor Made was on point with a challenging putting competition before tee off ,and Deon Augustyn was the only player that slammed it on the first attempt with a very impressive put! Thank you JP from Taylor Made for your involvement!

Shortly after tee off, our shooter girls left to hit the field with the ever so popular “aiming juice” – which we all know is an absolute must for any golfer 😛

Although it was impossible at this stage to point out any potential favorites, the general feel for day 2 was that it was a bit of an off day. Yet there were some individuals with impressive scores!

With no prize giving for the evening, the players got to have an easy evening – although for some the 24 hour binge turned into a 48 hour bash hahahaha

Thank you to the team at Simola Golf and Country Estate, and especially the ladies from the Spa!

Day 3 – Pezula Championship Golf Course:

I think everyone would agree that Pezula Golf Course was in spectacular shape, along with beautiful weather, Day 3 looked like any golfers dream golfing day out!

We changed things up a little this year by having the group photo taken at Pezula. Dressed to impress with their pink theme shirts for 2017, the field really looked amazing!

Taylor Made hosted another putting comp, but a slightly easier one this time round and their involvement created a lot of interest from the field about what their brand has to offer. As the saying goes: “The proof lies in the pudding”

With a shotgun start at 9:00, the field was off to their respective tee boxes after the brief. Our shooter girls truly complimented the pink theme with pink shooters – makes for killer color coordinated pics around the course hahahahaha

The players loved the course, and with regaining a second wind on Day 3, the general feel was great, all around the group. Judging by the action out in the field, you can certainly see that everyone brought their “A – game” to Pezula!

Prize giving was held for both Simola and Pezula and we had Luzaan Preston from Lion Roars Hotels & Lodges present to talk about their product offering, and to hand out the prizes as they sponsored this leg of the Tournament – we would like to thank them for their involvement! We really appreciate it! A big shoutout to Francois and his team at Pezula Championship Golf Course, absolutely amazing!!

Day 4 – George & Kingswood (36 Holes):

Day 4 being the second 36-hole day of the Tournament, is always a challenging one! What made it worse was that we had a scorcher of a day at 36 degrees celsius!

George Golf Course is always a treat with beautifully manicured fairways and greens which we kicked off with a 2 tee start at 7:00. With the hectic humid and hot conditions we anticipated a long and rough day ahead for the field, and we know all about the pace of play on a 36 hole day hahaha!!

George went incredibly smooth and with the field being 76 golfers this year, we had to make some back up plans for carts between George and Kingswood.. Fortunately everything went incredibly well!

Pace of play did cause a bit of a drag in the field and although some weren’t too happy with it, we all know its part of the game.

We quickly released that aiming juice was not going to spur the players on, so we trust the shooter girls reached you with cold drinks and water (and shooters of course)!

Most of the field return pretty broken after a tough 2 rounds, and we take our hats off to you all for enduring the elements the way you did on the day!

A HUGE thank you to George Golf Club and Kingswood for all your arrangements and special touches!

Day 5 – Oubaai:

Driving into Oubaai Golf Estate with clear skies above us, we knew it was going to be a SPECTACULAR day for golf! Arriving at the club house, it never seize to amaze the beautiful course back drop behind the outer deck area.

Last year game of play was stopped on the 3rd due to a Springbok giving birth and every time we get to Oubaai, this is a special memory that will alway resonate with us alongside how special this course, and this tournament is to us!

From the get go, some of the players ordered their liquid breakfast of choice, for others, little or no sleep was at the order of the previous night hahahahahaha! Nevertheless, spirits were incredibly high and super entertaining!

Shotgun start at 8:00 meant we got everyone out of our hair real quick, and real early LOOOOL!! Besides the awesome vibe on the course, we did encounter a few interesting things such as balls ending up INSIDE a tree??? No names will be mentioned here, but we trust the correct rules of play were followed..

Upon returning from an excellent round of golf, the players were treated to a wine tasting conducted by Jared from Ernie Else Wines, a big lunch and of course prize giving for George, Kingswood, & Oubaai!

We were so proud to present the prize giving table with an amazing array of prizes from our sponsors!

Thank you so much to Jared, Ernie Els Wines, as well as Karen and the team from Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa, you were all super amazing!            

Day 6 – Mossel Bay:

The weather for Mossel Bay was the complete opposite of the previous day in George. Fortunately we all know it never rains or hails on a golf course – NE? Lol

Prior to the 2 tee start at 9:00, players got hit the driving range where JP setup a “Guess Your Distance” driving competition whilst the players got the get familiar with the Taylor Made range of drivers. Much technical jargon were in the midst of the some the discussions, but between the driving, chipping, and putting, the field got to warm up nicely on a chilly day!

At roughly 11:00 play was paused due to fog and poor visibility, and the field was called in for a breather until further notice. Fortunately everyone was patient and understanding, catching up on a quick cuppa or a beer, and 30 minutes later play was resumed. The organizers were puzzled with a few challenges should the field not resume, but we are grateful for not having to have made that call 🙂

Players returned from the field to a wonderful buffet lunch and prize giving. This leg of the tournament was sponsored by The Garden Route Casino, and would like to say THANK YOU so much for your valuable contribution! Also a big shout to the team at Mossel Bay Golf Course, and JP from Taylor Made, you were all so spectacular – THANK YOU!

Day 7 – Pinnacle Point:

Day 7 finally arrived and we are never sure if the uplifting spirit of the players is in lieu of the wonderful golf course at Pinnacle Point, the finale prize giving, or the fact that this is that 9th, and final course of the 2017 Ultimate Garden Route Trip.

We are pretty sure its about the last day of being cut HAHAHAHAHA!

This tournament is not for everyone, and by today, day 7, everyone is pretty exhausted, stiff, seriously hung over, “of net plain simple UIT GE GOLF”! For that reason, the players were welcomed with a soothing massage right after registration.

The final day also means we get to recap and celebrate the amazing people that we journey’d with through magnificent and some World Renowned Golf Courses offered in the Garden Route. New business contacts were established, new faces turned into friends, old faces renewed our energy and vibrance with their smiles and pizzazz every single day. Most importantly, at the end of this day, the Road Trip Family gets bigger.

With a 2 tee start at 11:00, the high spirited field got going and left the organizers with the final touches of getting the finale event ready! Our girls were out and about early to supply as much of the remaining gaming juice as they could!

Fortunately the weather held up beautifully, as Pinnacle Point can be even more tricky to play in fog or rainy conditions. Even on the last day, there were some teams that came dressed to impressed, and they certainly stood out very clearly in field, especially those “shooter to outfit” color code matched teams HAHAHAHA!

As always, we save the best for last and the players did not hold back after coming off the course. Everyone hit the showers and came upstairs dressed to kill for the finale!

They were received by Louise from Meridian Wines with an awesome wine tasting experience, as well as local live entertainment group, Ray McAdams Project consisting of Ryno and Brighitte, which did a STERLING job at providing the perfect variety of vocal and acoustic music to keep our players busy… While the organizers were running their butts off in the background sorted out the final touches LOL!

With the new conference facility at Pinnacle Point Golf Estate, we took the opportunity to have the finale in their brand new pristine building… So after the warm up in the members bar, we let group gather to enter the finale venue, for what we hoped to be a bit of a “WOW” welcoming – and we believe we achieved just that….

Our players were welcomed with a spectacular setting overlooking the ocean. The venue and tables were decorated to make any golfer smile from ear to ear, from the center pieces on the tables, to the massive prize giving table! The staff were incredibly efficient and the food was fit for a king, from starters right through to desert!

We would like to send a special shoutout to Nick, Jerome, and the team at Pinnacle Point Golf Course, as well as Michelle and her F&B team at the conference center! You guys did a sterling job! We appreciate all your effort!

Before we got going with pride giving, we initiated a new “special award” to our longest standing players! These are golfers that have supported and played this road trip for a minimum of 5 consecutive years!

And they are listed in the following categories:

5 Years:

Nico Swart, Wayne Nel, Arnold Botha, Christo Swanepoel

6 Years:

Henry Erasmus, Stephan Snyders, Anton Pretorius, Norman Pretorius

and a massive Shoutout to the 2 longest playing Road Trippers at 7 consecutive Years:

Deon Augustyn (far left) and Daan Le Roux (far right)!

Moving onto the overall standings….

10th Place with an overall score of 348 Points on a count out:

Mike Vroomen and Johan Barnard!

9th Place with an overall score of 348 Points on a count in:

Deon Augustyn and Herman Anderson

8th Place with an overall score of 350 Points:

Jannie Barnard and Andre Britz

7th Place with an overall score of 351 Points:

Anton Pretorius and Norman Pretorius

6th Place with an overall score of 352 Points, and the Tournament Main Sponsor:

Dicky Swanich and Christo Spies

5th Place with an overall score of 355 Points:

Joos van den Heever and Gerhardus Combrink

4th Place with an overall score of 356 Points:

Hans Lichtenberg and Sue Dieners

3rd Place with an overall score of 360 Points:

Christo Swanepoel and Duncan Powell

2nd Place with an overall score of 363 Points:

Jaco van den Berg and Jacques Dippenaar

The 2017 Ultimate Garden Route Road Trip 2017 Grand Prix Winners, with an overall score of 365 points…..

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Stephan Snydes and Hennie Anderson

Congratulations to EVERYONE for completing 9 Course in 7 Days, you have all done exceptional! We look forward to seeing you again NEXT YEAR!

God Bless!

The Scissors Lady and Team!

Gallery of the Finale:

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