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Whatever happened to?... Hendrik Buhrmann
Whatever happened to?... Hendrik Buhrmann
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.
Some of the guys suggested that I try golf, which I must admit, I thought of at the time as a ‘sissy sport’
“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 me was a natural thing, I never had a junior career, the only junior tournament that I played in was at Royal Durban, so nobody knew me as a junior (in those days it was under 18 not under 19).
“After finishing school, I went to play amateur golf and I started winning a lot of tournaments around the country. I became the number one amateur while I was in the army and looking back this was a great personal achievement since it only took me four years to attain this.
I’m fortunate to have my hobby as my profession
“I turned professional in 1985 after completing my two years of National Service. My first tournament was at Milnerton in Cape Town, and I remember David Frost won and Mark McNulty finished second. Frost shot 81 or something like that and still won (you must know how strong the wind was). I shot 85 and I remember clearly that I won R700, and I thought I was a millionaire.
“I was on Tour for thirty years, first the Sunshine Tour, then I went to the Canadian Tour for three years, which was a was great experience, then I went to Asia (the first ever tour school in Asia), just made my card and finished second in my first tournament. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the traveling with my friends Richard Kaplan, Wayne Bradley, James Kingston and Keith Horne. All these guys we travelled with in Asia, and we built really good relationships.
“Presently I don’t have any hobbies as such; I like fishing but I’m fortunate to have my hobby as my profession. My passion is working out how I can make people better; how I can help people to play better golf, to develop the next generation of young players.
“These days I am a professional golf coach based at Eagle Canyon. I focus not only the technical side but on performance, meaning, how can you get your technique in sync with your mind because the two-work hand in hand, like hardware and software you must get the two to be compatible with each other to maximize your opportunities to play the best golf you can.
“I’ve read nearly every book that there is about the mental side and with my experience as a professional golfer, I can assist my clients to be better and help them perform to their best.
“I still play now and again with friends and some juniors but not much. I played a little bit in the senior events this year, in Port Elizabeth I finished 10th. But I’m really focused on teaching more than playing, I love the game and I still play well enough.
“I would like to play more but you know golf takes so much time you can’t be a good coach and play a lot of golf, that doesn’t work. You must do either or and that’s the main reason why I don’t play that much.”
