WGSA announces two Compleat Golfer Awards
Although only just 17 years old, Bertine, who plays out of Rustenburg Golf Club, North West Province, has a string of Championships to her name. In 2008, competing against her peers in 10 South African Provincial stroke play tournaments, won five of them, namely Boland, Gauteng, Gauteng North, KwaZulu-Natal and the 54 hole Gus Ackerman Championship. She represented South Africa at the Riverwoods Junior Championships in Holland and was part of the victorious junior team which defeated the Dutch for the first time on their home ground. She was in the team sent to play in the Rene Erichsen Salver in Adelaide, Australia in July. She is the South African Junior Champion and was also runner-up in the three other Junior Championships in which she participated. She ended 2008 at the top of the Senior and Junior Orders of Merit, showed great sportsmanship during all her tournaments and is a great role model for all those young girls wanting to start playing the game.
She is a worth successor to Ashleigh Simon who was the Compleat Golfer player of the Year for the previous two years.
Womens Golf South Africa also made a special award to Golf Administrator Vivian Horak, now retired as WGSA Secretary after serving women’s golf for the past 11 years.
In 1997, Vivian agreed to become the then SALGU secretary just after she finished her term of office as the Western Transvaal President She had built up a wealth of golfing knowledge while working on the Western Transvaal committee and as a member of the SALGU Executive when she became Western Transvaal president. Her husband Dave’s passion for the game certainly gave her all the support she needed and, together, they made a great team. The SALGU Executive realised that the new era of computers was the way to go and Vivian was willing to get involved in the new digital technology. Her first tournament was the 72 Hole at Durban Country Club in August 1997, and in spite of the computer crashing a few times and having to call on the expertise of some of the players, her determination to master this new technology never faltered and she subsequently attended courses, becoming proficient in all the programmes.
The SALGU, now under her guidance, grew from strength to strength with Vivian keeping the union abreast of all the new innovations . In 1999, she also took on the responsibility of Treasurer of the SALGU and computerised the books of account. She worked tirelessly to have this body working like a well oiled machine and was the backbone of the organisation, while Executive members and Presidents came onto the Executive, served their term of office and subsequently departed. Her knowledge, commitment, sensibility and wonderful interaction with clubs, provinces, players and sponsors was always much appreciated. In addition, she is a fine Rules Official, has served on the Board of the SAGDB, and is, without a doubt, the most knowledgeable on the history of the SALGU. Throughout this time, she has remained dignified and humble about her achievements.
Womens Golf South Africa salutes a lady who is held in great esteem by all who have had the privilege of working with her and sharing in her passion for this wonderful game of golf.