Bongani Khumalo, who represented Bafana Bafana from 2008 to 2013, initially boot-strapped it when it came to golf and played mainly at the driving range.

The former central defender, who currently serves as a director at Universal Safety Products (USP), says that because he was a well-known footballer, he was often heckled on the course in his golfing infancy, and decided to take the sport seriously after hacking around for a while.

'I live by the mantra of only seeing solutions, and it's about training your brain to see what you want, even though there are obstacles and challenges in your path,' he said from his office in Pretoria.

When Khumalo started taking golf more seriously in 2025 he was a 13.4 index and now, 13 months on, he's a 10.3. He has seen some steady improvements and says his handicap is in its sweet-spot. His golf journey began with weekly lessons with coach Sean Botha, who is based at Woodhill Golf Estate, and now he has two lessons per month to hone his craft.

'When it comes to my strengths and weaknesses it depends on the day,' says the former national captain, who uses Cobra clubs and is sponsored by Puma. 'I really enjoy my driver and when it works, it works really well. The longest I have driven the ball is 320 yards, which was on a bit of downslope, but I generally average 280 yards.'

He says that he scrambles well, but needs to get more comfortable with his longer irons. He also struggled for a while with his putting, but has invested a bit of time into that as well.

At the 2025 Absa SuperSport Shootout, Khumalo dovetailed with football coach and avid golfer Gavin Hunt, and he is looking forward to playing some coastal golf with Hunt, who this year moved from Durban to Cape Town.

'Gavin is a very good golfer and is a single-handicapper but, when it does go wrong, he shows his emotions,' he says. 'We had good fun over the two days at the SuperSport Shootout and won our matchplay competition on both days. What I put it down to was that when you've got your former coach as a partner, you tend to concentrate a bit more.'

One of Khumalo's most amusing golf tales comes from the SuperSport Shootout at Zimbali Estate. As the lanky ex-defender got into the golf cart, he was reaching for the cup holder to put his drinks down and a giant spider, 'resembling a Tarantula', appeared.

'The one thing I'm always wary of on golf courses are snakes, but seeing a spider was a first,' he said. 'It was huge, its coat was hairy and it was quite creepy. I also cycle and have come across a black Cobra on one of my rides, but for a spider, I'll jump out of a moving cart!'

Khumalo has recently been fitted with a new driver because a weight fell off his driver head.

'I'll try the previous Gem Dox Speed and there is the new OPTM as well,' he says, 'And with my irons, I'll try the semi-blades as they've been feeling a bit chunky.'

In a previous lifetime, Khumalo's international career reached a high point when he played for and captained Bafana Bafana at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored against France in the home side's 2-1 group stage win and the goal held special significance for the central defender. He and his father, who passed away in 2000, watched the 1998 World Cup together and had planned to attend the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. The No. 20's celebration of lifting his arms up to the heavens after his goal was in homage to his late father.

'I have never seen it as a World Cup goal, but rather a personal milestone and moment,' says Khumalo.

POPPERFOTO | GETTY IMAGES | BONGANI KHUMALO