It’s the second instalment in our Hobbies of Simbithi series, and in this edition, we have unearthed a resident with an exceptionally intriguing pastime. Well, let’s see: it involves the good game, mementos, travelling, considerate mates who encourage this hobby, and…a man cave? Meet the charming René du Toit and his enthralling collection of golf markers!
The du Toit home finds itself tucked into a shared driveway on Ironwood Way, and it is quite the hubbub to manoeuvre into a suitable parking spot. The du Toit’s two dogs deliver an exuberant greeting, and René gets up from a table overlooking the pool, where he is polishing a wooden ornament. “Trev!” He whistles, catching the attention of one of the dogs. “You, too, Louis, come here!”
Dutifully, they follow René out of the house to a door just off the garage, with a curious plaque affixed to the door. “Yes, it’s the Man Cave,” René chuckles as he opens the door. “It’s also our wine cellar, so all sorts of fun happens in here. Mostly, though, it’s my space to relax and enjoy a few of my hobbies.” As the door swings open, a warmly lit room is revealed. At first, the wine collection catches one’s attention, as do the framed, autographed sports jerseys and memorabilia. Wade van Niekerk and Os du Randt’s names immediately pop out, next to a shirt from Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry. “That is the most special one, there,” René points to a frame encasing two red and white jerseys, as he sits down. “The jersey at the back is my first team rugby jersey, and in front of it is my son’s first team jersey. It is a proud tradition to share with my son, both Kearsney old boys who played first team.”
But, as one’s eyes adjust to the ambience, it is the shiny, little items that look rather like coins, arranged artfully on the shelves, that start to become particularly interesting. A step closer reveals they are certainly not coins…they are golf markers: rows, rows and rows of them! “I honestly did not deliberately set out to start this huge collection,” René says. “Every time I went to a new club, I would get their golf marker as a keepsake. The more clubs I played at, the more markers I had. There was a point when I thought…hold on, this is getting a bit out of hand,” he grins. “So, I decided to arrange them, here on the walls of this space.”
It has been almost two decades, and René is still collecting golf markers. In his collection are markers from all over the world, starting with St Francis Links, Pinnacle and our (unbiased) favourite, Simbithi, and several international markers, from Marco Simone in Rome, Italy, to Waterville Links in Ireland, to Gleneagles in Scotland. “When my friends travel, they collect markers from the courses they play and bring them back for me,” René runs his hand over a row of markers. “So, it’s becoming a shared hobby, now, which I love.”
René’s favourite marker – to date, of course, because he still has many years of collecting ahead of him – is one from the Augusta National Golf Club, commemorating Gary Player’s prowess on the notoriously challenging 14th hole, a par-4. “I treasure this one, because of the history behind it.” When asked if there are any markers he would love to get his hands on, René says he has never played golf in Australia. “I would love to play a few courses there and bring home some markers.”
As to whether having a hobby is worthwhile, René has no doubt. “I think everyone should follow their passion, and if it turns into a hobby, then all the better!”
