The first female greenkeeper in South Africa, Sue de Zwart is regarded as one of the best. This has stemmed from a remarkable degree of perseverance as she worked her way from a landscaper to the person who was instrumental in actualising Johann Rupert’s vision for one of the world’s great golf courses, Leopard Creek.

How did it all begin for you?

My journey in the golf industry began when Mike Wallington arrived as the superintendent of Mount Edgecombe. I was doing landscape installations and maintenance but was drawn to the detail on the course. I told Mike I wanted to do what he did. He told me to go to Pebble Beach and learn from the best. I had to ask where that was! My grandpa had left me enough money to buy a plane ticket, so I phoned Pebble and said I’d like to be a superintendent within two years. They laughed at me, but I begged for a chance and had two three-hour interviews with them. I sorted out my work permit and enrolled in a college, and spent three weeks in Canada. They eventually gave me a job. They also allowed me to do their Audubon Society registration for Spyglass Hill, which was a great experience. Because I knew I only had a six-month work permit, I asked if I could do all their record-keeping in the evenings so I could learn that way. It really tested me because when I arrived, they gave me a tractor-loader backhoe, and I had to spend the first two weeks loading trucks in the dump yard. I was eventually allowed to work overtime on the golf course. What I loved was that I got to operate machinery from a chainsaw to a brushcutter to a rotary mower. I learned to do every job, which has given me a very good understanding of how to programme people and understand how to do things.

What was the first tournament you worked at?

It was the 1997 AT&T Pro-Am – I will never forget meeting Kevin Costner as I came off mowing the 18th green, and Jack Lemmon walking his dog on the 18th tee. This is where I met Johann Rupert, Grant Hepburn, David Frost and Fulton Allen. I ran to the 6th tee and I said, “Hi guys, I’m from South Africa!”

How did you get to work at The Masters?

When I was interning at Pebble Beach, they asked me if I’d like to work at The Masters. Naturally, I said yes. When I arrived, they wondered what they were going to do with me. I told them to treat me like one of the guys and I’d be just fine. So they told me to head to the mechanic to find which greens I’d be mowing. There were mowers I’d never used, and the mechanic gave me a map – if you know me, I cannot follow a single direction! – and told me which my four greens were. I was also told that if I scalp, I’m gone for life. The first green I found was the 14th, the par four straight after Amen Corner. I stood at the bottom of the green and I could not see the other side of it, it was so undulating, and it’s 9 880 square feet! I also remember mowing the second cut one day. The ropes were up, and I wasn’t used to ducking machinery under ropes. Once again, it was a case of if I spin a tyre, I’m gone. I was concentrating so hard on the 4th tee bank and as I got to the top, Seve Ballesteros was waiting to tee off. I apologised and parked with the other mowers, and he came to chat with all of us. There were so many moments like that. And learning from the best in the world was incredible.

What happened on your return to South Africa?

I bumped into Frostie again in Augusta; he heard I was going back to South Africa and he said I should call Mr Rupert. I called and told him I’d love to live in Cape Town and could he recommend a golf course. He said, “No, not Cape Town, Malelane.” I didn’t want to live there but two weeks later, I started working for him. I just loved his vision. He showed me a photo album of Leopard Creek and said he wanted to make it the Augusta of Africa. That was exactly what I was after. After spending time on the course and doing some tests, I told him the way he’d built it, I couldn’t give him that. So he said we’d rebuild it and do it right. We rebuilt all greens to spec. The challenge is that it’s a drastic climate in that region, so there is no margin for error. But I was young and prepared to put in the hours.

SUPPLIED/CARL FOURIE/SUNSHINE TOUR