Loerie ladies spread their wings

KNYSNA NEWS - The second annual Seeff Knysna Ladies Loeries golf tournament was recently held with great success, as 64 ladies from around the country descended on Knysna for two days of fun golfing action on 8 and 9 October.

The event is the brainchild of Meyer du Toit, general manager of Knysna Golf Club, with the idea to raise the bar and create an outstanding event for ladies golf at local as well as national level.

One of the main focuses is to empower women in the golf world and give them an opportunity to have fun playing golf and networking.

The first Ladies Loeries tournament was held in 2021, and according to Du Toit it fast became one of the most sought-after ladies golf tournaments in the country.

"I was always under the impression that men can have a good time at a golf tournament, but the ladies are taking it to the next level," Du Toit said.

This year there was a golf clinic for the less experienced golfers, which was organised by Fairways to Africa. "Ladies Loeries is Fairways to Africa's flagship event" said CEO Cale Jansen.

"We have created a very appealing and unique event, bringing in many sponsors, nationally and locally, to create something truly special and dynamic.

"With lots of hard work and research, our team has purposefully targeted a very diverse field of ladies from around the country that is a brilliant representation of our country.

"The event is quickly turning into the most talked-about ladies amateur event in the country. It's been an absolute pleasure having Seeff Knysna as the headline sponsor."

Fun weekend

For the 2022 event, the ladies all arrived on Friday 7 October and received a fantastic welcome at Simola Golf & Country Estate, followed by a Mexican-themed evening of scrumptious food and dancing.

On Saturday 8 October the ladies took to the course at Simola for a day played under the four-ball alliance format where only two scores counted. On the day Vanessa Cloete, ladies captain of Knysna Golf Club, shot her first hole-in-one.

On Sunday 9 October, the final day, the ladies played Knysna Golf Club and were split into pairs for the betterball Stableford format. The ladies ended off their weekend with a spectacular high tea followed by the prize-giving where the weekend's winners were crowned.

Team Zuri, made up of Gwen Makhathini, Kgomotso Ndugane, Futhi Mtoba and Innocencia Motau (captain), was crowned the overall winners with a total of 155 points. Several prizes were also awarded for longest drives, closest to the pins, best dressed team, and much more.

With the first two years' events a great success, Du Toit and the organising team have no plans to slow down and plan to grow even more. "We just want to make sure that the girls keep having fun."

The large group of ladies that took part in the 2022 event.