Chilled. That is the first word that comes to mind after one meets Dane Vosloo, professional golfer and our newly appointed Golf Manager. Unarguably successful on the greens, Dane maintains a level of affability and approachability that makes you feel right at home in his company. Say hello to Dane!

Dane waves jauntily from his desk as we begin our walk down to the Fig Tree Restaurant. His motorbike helmet sits right next to his laptop, and it is the beginning of an interesting anecdote. “I started riding when I was around three years old,” Dane says. “I got into it because I enjoy the solitude. I can hop on my ‘bike, go for a cup of coffee and then come back…and that’s my day.”

Ah, yes. Coffee.

Dane smiles as he shakes sugar into the two cappuccinos in front of him (he had gallantly ordered one for me and was aghast when I said I don’t drink coffee). “You don’t drink coffee? How can I trust you, now?” He chuckles as he stirs the first cup. “I love coffee. All different types, really. I would happily go behind the bar and make you a solid cappuccino!”

While he is comfortable on the course, now, Dane was by no means a keen golfer growing up in the sleepy town of Kokstad, on the eastern boundary of KwaZulu-Natal. In fact, he thought he would always play cricket. “I played every other sport besides golf,” Dane sips his cappa. “Being from a small town, I was kind of pushed into sport because we didn’t have enough boys to field full sports teams.” He recalls playing sport until under-13, until high school, when most of his classmates began leaving the town. “So, I played club cricket for Kokstad against adults. It wasn’t that enjoyable, because our teams were small, and the games were not as fulfilling.”

So, thought Dane, he needed to find a sport he could play alone. He played an array of ball sports including squash, and dabbled in polo for a bit, but golf was where life would take him. He started playing when he was 14 years old. “I wasn’t too bad, mind you,” Dane leans back with a grin. “I played my first tournament on a Wednesday afternoon during exam time with a 27 handicap. I made 54 points, which was ridiculous.”

By 15 years old, Dane was handicapped 2, and he had still never been for a formal golf lesson. “Golf wasn’t recognised at my school, but with my parents’ support I was able to keep playing. My mom would drop me off at the golf course in Kokstad in the morning and they would fetch me later in the afternoon. I would spend my days hitting thousands of golf balls.”

A trip to Cape Town a year later saw Dane at a golf academy, where he began to realise there was more to the world of golf. “I always wanted to play, I never thought of teaching. At that point, I didn’t even know the PGA existed.”

When he got his first job at the Golfers’ Club at 18, his coach suggested he consider the Professional Golfers’ Association. “Once I started understanding what the PGA was about, I decided to go for it. I started in 2010 and only then, did I realise what a club professional actually does. It was not my aspiration, but I have found a good knack of coaching, spotting faults, helping golfers fix their swing. And, teaching juniors.”

Since then, Dane has won the KwaZulu-Natal Regional Order of Merit for eight consecutive years, the most for any PGA pro for a region in South Africa. He has also represented the PGA of South Africa twice, obtaining his Springbok colours. In 2019, he was part of the European Team Championships in Greece, against 24 other countries. In 2022, he represented South Africa in the inaugural Four Nations Tournament against New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

Though he treasures the highlights, the impressive list of achievements does not change Dane at his core. “I have been fortunate to work at some great clubs, met some amazing people and forged some great friendships through the game.” And, after six months at Simbithi, Dane has more than found his feet. He describes his role as being the ‘Swiss Army Knife’: “as a golf pro, you have to know how to do more than a few jobs. Learn the rules of the game, run the tee sheet, pour a draught if you need to, do a prize giving…I don’t do the same thing every day, and I like it.”

Interestingly, Dane does not have a favourite hole on the course. “Every hole has a unique aspect about it, and that’s why I enjoy playing Simbithi. The secret to the design of this course is that it’s never the same, no matter how many times you play it. Regardless of your skill level, the course plays differently for different golfers, every time.”

His tip to mastering Simbithi is sharp and clear: don’t overthink it. “I have seen it many times, Simbithi has a way of humbling even the most experienced golfer. Some may think, ah…it’s a par-three, how hard could it be? And, they walk back into the Pro Shop after with a completely different opinion!” He laughs, knowingly. “Before you step onto the course, forget what you think you might know. Keep your mind clear and open and just take every hole as it comes.”

Dane, we are excited to have you at the helm of golf!

To get in touch for golf lessons with Dane, e-mail sportsman@simbithi.com.