Whatever happened

“Next up in our series of South African golf stars from the past is Hendrik Buhrmann. We chatted to Hendrik and asked him to take us through from where it all began, to what life was like on Tour and what he is up to today.

“I was born in Vereeniging but grew up on the farm Oudekraal, just south of Bloemfontein (where my sister still has a guest house). I went to school in Edenburg and then attended Grey College in Bloemfontein. After I matriculated, I went into the army.

“I started playing golf after injuring my ankle whilst playing rugby for Grey College. I wasn’t a top rugby player and I played in the C or D side but if you if you are at Grey, you must play a sport and I couldn’t play after a doctor advised that I give it a 2–3-week break. Some of the guys suggested that I try golf, which I must admit, I thought of at the time as a ‘sissy sport’.

“I played nine holes one afternoon with them at Tempe golf course and I saw that I was as good, if not better than them without even knowing the game. My ankle got better, and I went back to rugby and cricket, but I got the golf going a little bit. By the age of 17, I decided to take the game seriously as I realised that I could potentially be the top golfer at Grey. From there on I never looked back and at 21 years of age, I was the top amateur in the country.

“Becoming a professional golfer for had a junior career, the only junior at Royal Durban, so nobody knew was under 18 not under 19).

“After finishing school, I went to play winning a lot of I became the was in the a great only this.

“I’m my

“I turned completing National tournament Town, and David Frost second. Frost shot something like that and strong the wind was). I shot 85 and R700, and I thought I was a millionaire.

“I was on Tour for thirty years, first the Canadian Tour for three years, experience, then I went to Asia (the just made my card and finished second enjoyed it a lot, especially the traveling Kaplan, Wayne Bradley, James Kingston guys we travelled with in Asia, and ships.

“These days I don’t have any hobbies fortunate to have my hobby as my ing out how I can make people better; play better golf, to develop the next for me was a natural thing, I never tournament that I played in was me as a junior (in those days it play amateur golf and I started tournaments around the country. the number one amateur while I the army and looking back this was great personal achievement since it took me only four years to attain this.

“I’m fortunate to have my hobby as my profession “