Goose Academy

Summary of the Retief Goosen Academy 2008/09

In 2000 the Northern Province golf academy was changed to the Retief Goosen Golf Academy. Retief committed his support in the development of golf for Limpopo province.


Our mission:
To promote golf in the province.
To identify and nurture that talent.
To install enthusiasm and pride in our province.


Structures:
The structures have changed in the past 9 years by improving the training and stream lining the whole operation. From small beginnings this has grown into a real umbrella program covering most of the Limpopo province .We have six coaches promoting the game. By incorporating the South African Junior Golf Foundation (S.A.J.G.F.) Limpopo Division into our over all operations which include teams of U/12,U/14,U/16,U/18 competing against the other 12 provinces this have set new and higher standards of achievement and is being used as a barometer for our training.
±320 children are brought into the programme at the beginning of each year and every 6 months their progress is monitored. Only 10 % of these children will finish their yearly programme. Over a period of 6 years only 3 % of these children will achieve “A” levels.(senior provincial level).
Over the past 9 years approximately 2500 children have received 3 months of basic golf training and it shows in the school league which has doubled if not tripled in the last six years.
Limpopo is the smallest golf union in South Africa but a giant on performance levels.


Our Academy achievements for 2008/09 in provincial tournaments are;

  • SA under 23 teams championship 3rd (best performance ever)
  • Mpumalanga Under 23
      - CJ du Plessis 2nd
      - Marnus Nel 4th
      - Dirkus van der Walt 5th
  • Middleburg Open Champion - CJ du Plessis
  • Triangular Groblersdal - 8 man Academy team beat both Highveld and Lowveld
  • Western Province Under 23 - DJ Burger 3rd
  • Gauteng North Under 23 Champion - TJ Bekker
  • Boland Under 23 - Drikus van der Walt 2nd
  • Ekhuruleni Foursomes Champions - CJ du Plessis and TJ Bekker
  • National schools Inter Provincial - Limpopo schools team 2nd
  • National schools individual - CJ du Plessis winner 7 under par
  • Polokwane Club Champion - Hilton Hughes
  • Kameeldoring Club Champion - TJ Bekker
  • Bellville Club Champion - Drikus van der Walt
  • Mogol Club Champion - CJ du Plessis
  • Soutpansberg Club Champion - DJ Burger
  • Our top boy CJ du Plessis is 3rd in the South African Junior rankings

Extracts of the Limpopo Golf Union Presidents Report 2007 / 2008 Mr. Jan Gelderman.


"The efforts of Uncle Ray Earle and The Goose Academy are surely keeping our Province alive and well. We keep on losing players at a regular rate to our more affluent neighbors in the south – a rather depressing state of affairs. In spite of these losses there is a nice bunch of youngsters coming through and maturing rapidly – a big thank you, Ray. The ruling whereby the smaller Unions can use their players in the U23 and Senior Inter Provincial has really been a lifeline for our Province." Page 4


Without Retief's continuous support these great results would never have materialized.


Yours in Golf


Ray Earle
Director Goose Academy
Senior PGA Card holder
PGASA member