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| Pam Golding Ladies Open – What a weekend! |
| The Pam Golding Ladies Open could very well be one of South Africa’s biggest amateur club ladies events! 160 ladies all competing over 36 holes on two courses: St Francis Links and St Francis Bay.
We have seen a dramatic growth of this event:
- 40 ladies playing in 2023
- 80 Ladies in 2024
- 160 ladies in 2025!
The tournament’s growth can be attributed, in part, to increased sponsorship. A big thank you must go out to the amazing team at Pam Golding Properties with Richard Arderne and our host for the week Saria Blaauw was amazing!
Pam Golding has been the anchor sponsor since 2006. Additional sponsors for this year included Albert Saunders Attorneys, Ooba Bond Originators, Cape St Francis Resort, and Fitch & Leedes – all of them playing their part in making this an exceptional event.
The event kicked off with complimentary 9-hole Par 3 practice round held at St Francis Links – to get those competitive juices flowing.
Adding to the excitement of the weekend was a Dirk Ellis Volkswagen Hole-in-One prize. The prize offered was a Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI 70kW valued at R380,000! |
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| The welcome function took place at the Full Stop Café |
| This event featured a lovely wine tasting presented by Fryers Cove and included a welcoming from our host – Saria Blaauw – as well as PGA Professional Norman Riley providing an overview of the event rules and introduction to ScoreCapture – the official scoring platform for the event.
On Saturday evening, a party was held at Joe Fish. This year’s party had a fun beach theme to make it special. We had the smooth DJ stylings of our very own – Kevin McNaughton – getting the ladies to dance the night away.
Towards the end of the evening, we even had a few ladies take a late night swim to cool themselves down after all the dancing!
The tournament concluded with a Prize Giving Lunch held at the Bay.
Saria handed out all the prizes and can be seen with this year’s Champions:
Lauren van der Merwe & Lelane Straw 91 pts (41 + 50)
Please see below overall leaderboard for the Pam Golding Ladies Open: |
| We would like to also thank all those hard workers in the background:
Our amazing ladies captains: Sue Cogswell (The Links) and Noelle Pearson (The Bay), as well as all those that formed part of the tournament organizing committee: Heather Becker, Mickey Freund, Janet McNaughton and Anzet Schoeman.
The work done behind the scenes included our own golf operations teams who are also commended for a successful special event, that will keep on growing from year to year!
We would like to also congratulate all of our ladies that participated as well as finishing in the prizes. |
| The operations team celebrating after scoring with a little power nap! It was a long weekend! |
| Exciting Developments at Our Club – Its not only our clubhouse that is improving! |
| Recently our SUPERvisors, Jason, Nora, LeeAnn and Rhoshart attended a webinar aiding in our journey towards enhancing the quality of services we provide. As we work diligently behind the scenes to elevate our facilities, we are equally committed to improving our service standards to match the clubhouse upgrades. |
| “Ethics for Frontline Staff,” led by speaker Roger Collins |
| The session was centred around the theme “When Principles Meet Reality,” which provided an insightful exploration into how compassion, responsibility, and choice play crucial roles in our workplace dynamics.
The webinar addressed critical issues such as personal biases and ethical blind spots that can influence behaviour at work. By challenging participants to confront their own delusions and recognise the gap between beliefs and actions, this training is expected to foster a more ethical workplace culture.
The insights gained from this webinar will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the growth and improvement of our company. By focusing on ethics and responsibility among frontline staff, we are laying a strong foundation for enhanced customer service and employee satisfaction.
As we continue to implement these learnings into our daily operations, we anticipate seeing positive changes in team dynamics and customer interactions. The combination of improved facilities and a stronger ethical framework will create an environment where both employees and members feel valued and respected.
We are optimistic about the future of our club as we embrace these changes together. |
| Our unique push-up greens at St Francis Links means that there is also no drainage underneath the putting surface like other USGA spec greens built on other courses. Drainage issues are bound to occur due to compaction and low groundwater. In the last month the team has taken on 2 problematic greens, and the work was done so well, with the greens drying out almost overnight. Our putting green’s lower section and the left side of our 18th green were done to ensure a better playing surface in wet conditions in the future. |
| The 16th bunker project was also completed to allow for better playability |
| World Golf Awards nomination! |
| We have been nominated in the 12th annual World Golf Awards for:
South Africa’s Best Golf Course 2025: St Francis Links
Voting is now open and members of the golf community – consumers and industry executives alike – can vote for the brands they consider the very best in golf tourism.
The full list of World Golf Awards 2025 nominees can be viewed on the website where votes can also be cast.
Voting runs until midnight 1 October 2025. The winners will then be notified and the 12th annual World Golf Awards will take place in beautiful Madeira, 12-13 November. |
| 2025 Majors at St Francis Links |
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| REFLECTION TIME |
| THE GOOD SPIKE MARK |
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Spikes in your stress level or blood sugar are bad. Spikes of exhilaration and enjoyment are great.
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| As you reflect on golf this year, what are the best moments? How many of those were with a putter in hand? How good were you with your putter? |
1. Did you plan your longer putts well? Was it a sink-or-miss approach? Did you embrace the fact that you will sink far more testing 4 & 5 foot 2nd putts going straightup hill, than going downhill or across a slope?
2. When reading greens, did you think enough about the slope in the last few feet when a slowing speed makes the ball more vulnerable to slope?
3. What method did you use to control distance? How calibrated was the size of your backswing with the distance you’re putting?
4. With your misses inside of 10 feet, was it an ‘aim’ or ‘alignment’ challenge? |
| The first thing you should do … |
| If you’re interested in shooting lower scores, then the first thing to do in is to sharpen up your game on the green. For most regular golfers there are immediately 2 or 3 shots to be saved, and more exhilarating spikes to enjoy. |
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You want a softer feel on all pitch shots, chip shots, and putts. The soft thin cover, on the Srixon Soft Feel Golf Ball, together with the soft centered core provides you with a soft feel off the face and more control over spin and distance. But there’s no compromise. Off the driver face there is more speed and less spin for maximum distance. And on approach there is a sweet, solid feel, with stopping power on the green.
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