Hall has her eye on the ball
At face level, 16-year-old Casandra Hall is just another outgoing, fun-loving and socially active teenager.
Place a golf club in her hand, however, and you will see a competitive, focused and incredibly talented young woman who has her sights set on achieving big things in the sport.
The Northmead resident and St Dunstan’s College pupil, who started playing the sport competitively at the age of 11, was recently announced as the Ekurhuleni Golf Union’s (EGU) Junior Girl Player of the Year (for the third time), to add to a steadily growing list of achievements both on and off the course.
The prodigious Ebotse Links member is currently ranked 22nd in Women’s Golf South Africa’s (WGSA) senior rankings and 14th on the junior ranking list.
She is Ebotse’s women’s club champion for the second year in succession, with the cherry on the top of that success being a magnificent hole-in-one on the eighth hole, on her home course.
Hall also recently returned from New South Wales, Australia, where she finished first on nett total in the girls 16 years age category, 18 shots ahead of the other girls in the age group, at the Srixon Junior International Tournament held at Cypress Lakes Golf Club.
On gross total she finished in third position at the tournament and in seventh place in the overall girls championship.
The City Times caught up with Hall at Ebotse Links recently and simply asked her why she loves the game.
“Golf gives you a challenge every single time,” she replied.
“You never ever play the same round of golf and you never hit the same shot.
“To me, golf is like a drug and there is no rehab for it.
“When you want to quit you just can’t, because it feels like something is missing from your life.”
She spoke of her first memories of the sport, when she started hitting golf balls at the driving range at Benoni Country Club as a seven-year-old, and how she is now striving to cross a few more of her goals off her list in 2016 and beyond, including more international experience.
“My coach (Robbie Stewart) wants to take a few of his academy players to Germany in August, next year, but I will need to put in a lot of hard work by then to drop my handicap by two to get to a one handicap,” she said.
Other goals which she hopes to achieve in the near future are to find herself in at least sixth or seventh spot in the WGSA junior rankings, gain selection for international tournaments and earn her South African colours in the sport.
“I also want to be a consistent scratch golfer,” Hall added.
She praised the invaluable efforts and support of her mother Charmaine, her coach Stewart and the wisdom and experience that she has received from women’s European Tour professional Nicole Garcia.
Of her recent recognition as the best junior girl in Ekurhuleni, she commented: “I have worked really hard towards that and I am humbled by the award.
“Ekurhuleni Junior Golf has played a huge role in my development so far and they really do a lot for us as junior players.”
With women’s golf rapidly growing in popularity and exposure by the day do not be surprised to see Hall proudly flying the local, provincial and national flags on the top greens and fairways of the world.
