Budding young Benoni golfers tee up for promising careers in the game

Golf has long carried the reputation of being an expensive and exclusive sport, but in communities across South Africa, it is becoming a tool for teaching discipline, resilience and opportunity to youngsters who might otherwise never pick up a club. Initiatives like the Vuma Golf Clinics are changing perceptions by showing how access to coaching and mentorship can open doors to new futures. The Vuma Golf Clinics recently opened the gates at Benoni Country Club, giving aspiring young golfers the chance to take their first swing at possibility.

According to Nico van Rensburg, former Sunshine Tour player and Head Coach, in towns and cities where opportunities for young people are limited, golf clinics create safe spaces for building confidence, learning perseverance and developing friendships. “For parents and communities, the value lies not only in the trophies won but in the way the game instils focus and determination that can carry into every part of life.”

Two Free State teenagers, 14-year-old Botshepehi Phakoe and 17-year-old Xander Thompson, are proof of what happens when talent meets access.

Phakoe has dominated junior tournaments this year, claiming five victories, including the Kroonstad and Bethlehem Junior Opens. For him, golf has been both a sport and a lifeline. “Being part of the clinics has taught me a lot about myself and who I am. They’ve helped me grow into a better player and strong person, and they’ve supported me every step of my season,” he says.

Thompson has also flourished since joining in 2023, lifting five junior titles. “Every time I’ve attended a Vuma Golf Clinic, I’ve met someone new who was willing to help me elevate my game. It’s changed me to become a better person, and the coaching has been unmatched,” he says.

Guided by seasoned mentors, including van Rensburg and his friends from the golf scene, such as Leorin Pillay and Eugene Schwartz, friends from his golf circle who sometimes join him at the clinics, the Vuma Golf Clinics give youngsters the chance to learn skills on the course while building character off it.

ENDS

About Vuma   

Vuma is a leading South African fibre provider that has passed more than over 2 million homes since its operations began in 2014. Vuma connects South African communities to high-speed, fit-for-purpose internet through open-access fibre broadband. Working with more than 75 Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Vuma's value extends beyond infrastructure and empowers ordinary individuals and communities across South Africa to do more, see more, and dream of more.     

Guided by its philosophy of 'because we can, we must', Vuma strives to drive transformation and break communication barriers. The brand has connected more than 950 registered primary and high schools in the regions where it operates to free 1Gbps fibre broadband internet. This supports hundreds of thousands of young people and their teachers through access to the boundless opportunities of the internet in collaboration with its partner ISPs.     

  Among Vuma's accolades are: South Africa's Best Fibre Provider in 2019 at the MyBroadband Conference and Expo; Fastest Growing Broadband Provider in 2020 and Best Broadband Provider in 2021 by the International Business Magazine Awards; the Global Economics Award for Fastest Growing Telecommunications Company 2021; MyBroadband Best Fibre Provider for 2021 and Best Fibre Network Operator 2025.

Vuma's CEO was awarded Telecom CEO of the Year 2020 South Africa as well as Telecom CEO of the Year 2021 South Africa by the International Business Magazine Awards.     

To find out more about Vuma fibre deals visit [https://about:blank/]www.vumatel.co.za