3 minute read
Whatever happened to?... Justin Hobday
South African golfer Justin Hobday was a big name back in the 80s and 90s. He represented South Africa on four occasions as a Springbok, once to Switzerland, once to Taiwan, and hosted both of these countries in South Africa.
He turned professional in 1985 and playing on the Sunshine Tour in his first year as a pro, he won the Bobby Locke Rookie of the Year Award. Justin played on the European Tour for eight years, from 1989 – 1995 and 2000.
He also played on the Asian Tour in 2001 and 2002.
All in all, he was involved in professional tours for over 20 years. We caught up with Justin to chat to him about the past and to see what he is up to these days.
He explained “I was fortunate to be able to do my PGA apprenticeship under Kevin Stone while at Centurion back in 2003.
He provided fantastic support to me which allowed me to complete my Golf Directorship Class A qualification, which is a Diploma run by the South African PGA and endorsed by the British PGA and the Irish PGA. This 3-year Diploma covers Business Management, Coaching, Sports Science, Equipment and Rules. I won 18 tournaments during my career and retired in 2005”.
“Since having left the professional golf arena I have over 15 years of experience at senior executive level. My 15 years of experience has been in businesses providing risk management and consulting services.
I received a lot of support and mentoring over the years and have developed a skill in strengthening management teams to maximise profits and efficiencies”.
“I have developed experience in all sectors of a business and have the ability to develop systems to make it dynamic and progressive. I also really enjoy the financial side of the business and am very comfortable with financial statements”.
“I am currently the Chief Operation Officer for NOSA, handling their Health and Safety Support services related to auditing, consulting and their international operation based in China”.
Clearly, Justin has certainly not been sitting on his laurels, but with all these work commitments we wondered if he still has time for golf.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time now days so only play golf occasionally. However, I still love to play and if I find a customer who likes to play then I drag them onto the course at any opportunity. I also play as often as possible with my father Jonathan, who at 83 is still very competitive, or when my mates arrange a game”.
“My real hobbies nowadays are 4x4ing, overlanding, wildlife and birding.
I really love traveling around Southern Africa to remote places and camping where you have to be self-sufficient. My dream is to travel extensively through Africa someday in the not-too-distant future”.
It was wonderful speaking to Justin Hobday, we wish him all the best for the future and hope that his dream of travelling through Africa can soon become a reality.
