INSIDE THE ROPES
An
OPEN
book
The simple things In life keep this ever-popular Sunshine Tour professional coming back for more
BY MICHAEL VLISMAS
Wallie Coetsee loves the fact that the village of St Francis, where he and his family live, doesn’t have a robot and he can walk to the golf course. For a man who still doesn’t own a TV and enjoys nothing more than to engage with people, this is heaven.
And if the 53-year-old veteran Sunshine Tour professional and former South African Senior Open champion had some advice to give the younger generation of professional golfers, it would be along these same lines of enjoying the simple pleasure of life, and golf.
And to remember that while this is a very serious game, there’s still time to enjoy it out there and share a bit more with each other.
‘I know this is a serious game, but I think some of the young pros would do well to live in the moment more’
IN 30 SECONDS
What would be your biggest piece of advice to a rookie professional?
Be patient. There are many young pros who are in a hurry to win in their first year or two. But take the time to learn. The longer you take to win, the better, because you get hungrier. I always said that winning is a privilege. I’ve won three tournaments in my career but I learned more when fighting to make a cut than I did from winning.
Do you still braai twice a week?
It’s three times a week now. Our new home in St Francis has a lovely braai under the trees.
Your favourite movie?
It’s still Scent of a Woman. That’s my favourite of all time.
‘I decided to go and play the Mopani Zambia Open on the Sunshine Tour earlier this year, just to see whether I still have something in common with the guys. It struck me that some young pros make their worlds very small.
‘They’re very much in their own world, and they don’t share a lot with each other. They also take it all extremely seriously. I know this is a serious game, but I think they’d do well to live in the moment more. Sometimes when I’m at regular Tour events it looks like a funeral because everybody is so serious,’ says Coetsee.
As someone who turned professional in 1992, when Vijay Singh was still playing and winning on the Sunshine Tour, Coetsee has seen multiple evolutions of the game. And yet he remains as in love with playing as ever.
‘I play as much as possible. There is some exciting news on the horizon about the Senior Tour in South Africa and I think there are some big things coming, which will be good. I’m looking forward to that because I love competing.
‘I don’t spend too much time on the driving range. You get too many driving range professionals these days who, when you put them on a golf course, haven’t got the course management.
‘I like being an artist and trying to create shots. I also like swings that have rhythm’
CAREER IN NUMBERS
1
Hole-in-one made on Tour.
2
Sunshine Tour wins (1997 Namibia Open, 2014 Zambia Open).
16
Most consecutive Sunshine Tour cuts made.
56
Times he finished in the top 10.
354
Highest official world ranking.
5.7
mil
The amount, in rands, earned on the Sunshine Tour.
‘I also believe you should walk and not take a cart, and carry your own bag now and again. Find the older, more experienced professionals and play practice rounds with them. They can teach you a lot.’
It seems inevitable that a man who grew up in Tzaneen as the son of a tomato farmer was, and still is, one of the most humble and down-to-earth professionals on the circuit. He is a pro-am dream and believes in making sure his amateur on the day has the best experience possible. And don’t be fooled, he is a much deeper thinker than many people give him credit for. He reads widely and has even dabbled in meditation.
But Coetsee still has a few opinions on a game that brought him not only two victories on the Sunshine Tour but also a lifetime career, which is often harder to achieve.
Gallery below
When it comes to pace of play, he says: ‘I’ve always said golf is a game of see ball, hit ball. I think young pros will play better if they play faster. There can be a level of overthinking out there.’
As for the style of play in the modern game: ‘It can be just about power and numbers and yardages and clubhead speed. I used to always say straight is great and long is wrong. I’d far rather be consistent. A lot of times I play just on feel, without a yardage book or range finder. I like being an artist and trying to create shots. I also like swings that have rhythm.
‘Maybe that’s why I like watching so much women’s golf, because they swing with great rhythm and within themselves. It often reminds me to do the same.’
And on the value of senior professionals: ‘Ask them for advice. They will gladly help. And remember, we still have the stories to tell. The young guys tell gym stories, but we tell the fun stories.’
THINUS MARITZ/CARL FOURIE/LUKE WALKER/PETRI OESCHGER/SUNSHINE TOUR/ANTONIO LOURO/SUNSHINE SENIOR TOUR
