The Perfect Recipe has all of the right ingredients!!!

The Natural Beauty

The Architecture

Ambassadors who tell everyone else!!!

A TEAM who bring it all together!

What does it take to produce a winning recipe? If it’s a world-class golf estate we are talking about, I have always said it takes four things:

1. You’ve got to have a great, natural beauty to begin with – a great piece of land, spacious, natural and beautiful. The course just breathes quality and beauty as well.
2. You need quality, beauty and function in the buildings – the clubhouse, amenities and THE homes!
3. You need Ambassadors – people who have come to the estate and gotten totally smoked along the way. These are the people who share their positive testimonials wherever they go.
4. You’ve got to have a TEAM that holds it all together.

Nearly 20 years ago, I came to South Africa as the Director of Golf at Fancourt. I used to train the caddies on Fridays, play with the members on Wednesdays, smoke the guests every day and, whenever possible, take the TEAM - housekeepers, bartenders, waitresses (they weren’t called waitrons then), admin staff, estate staff and others out on the course to show them what they had to be proud of. I would tell those housekeepers to see how beautiful our course was; I would point out the beautiful buildings and lodges; I would tell them about our ambassadors – the Gary Players and the John Blands and the Ernie Els’ AND I would thank them for being part of our winning TEAM – I would tell them how we could really make something special because we had all the ingredients needed for the winning recipe!

Well, we have all the ingredients here for something really special. This past weekend, a young talented tour player, Brandon Grace, came here for the weekend with my good buddy, Meyer DuToit (see Short Putts) and Brandon’s friend and caddy (and my Pezula club champ) Johan Greeff.

We played our course from the Gold Tees over two days. The tees and pins were moved from Saturday to Sunday – giving Brandon the chance to REALLY see and feel the Links. When it was all said and done and he and I (partners, of course) had taken Meyer and Johan’s cash on Saturday (and given it back on Sunday), he was a true Ambassador for St Francis Links. Brandon’s already a champion on the Tour, winning at Fancourt last year – at 20! He hits it long and straight, chips and putts like gold and does it all with the best manners a young man could have – I like that!

When he finished the golf, he thanked me to no end. When he left on Sunday, he thanked me for dinner, golf, the weekend and more. When he returned to Knysna, he called, along with Meyer, to thank me again. Then he sent me a note and I asked if I could print it –

Dear Jeff and St Francis Links

Thank you very much for your hospitality and having me for the weekend.

WHAT A GOLF COURSE.............. Unbelievable in all aspects, it's like four courses in one from all the different tees. I can see now why St Francis Links is rated as one of the best in South Africa, but should be rated amongst the best in the world!

St Francis Links can be admired.

Thank you once again,
BRANDON GRACE