POLOKWANE – Review journalist met up with Dayle Hayes, Junior World Golf Champion in 1969, during the BMW Golf Cup International 2015 at the Polokwane Golf Club on Thursday
According to Hayes, passion, dedication and a love for the sport are the three key ingredients to excel in the worldwide popular game of golf.
“Golfers should bear in mind there are about 50 million people who play golf in the world, hence one has to be among the best in order to make it big. However, golf is not all about being professional but rather having a great time with friends and family. There are properly less than 1 000 people playing golf for a living,” says Hayes.
He adds golf is an individual sport meaning a player has to play every shot himself; there is no team to fall back on. People who are natural golfers usually succeed in the professional industry, Hayes believes.
“Golfers need the right equipment and have golf lessons with professionals to make it big. Players need to practice with a purpose and know what they want to achieve. We are fortunate to have so many professional golfers in South Africa because they serve as rolemodels to young children,” explains Hayes.
According to him it is unfortunate not everyone can afford to play golf since the sport is expensive and requires a lot of travelling. Hayes urges golfers to love what they do and start playing golf like never before in order to get recognised.
Dayle Hayes’ past golf achievements
Hayes won the u/15 and u/17 boys category at the Junior World Golf Championships in 1969. He turned professional the following year and quickly became a successful pro on the world’s well-known circuits.
The South African won more than a dozen events in South Africa and was runner-up on the South African Tour Order of Merit in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1979. In 1974 he won the World Cup of Golf for South Africa in partnership with Bobby Cole.
In 1971 Hayes won the Spanish Open at the age of 18 years and 290 days, becoming the youngest winner on the European Tour, a record which stood until Danny Lee won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic. By 1973 he was fourth on the European Tour Order of Merit, improving to second place in 1974 and first in 1975. He also finished in the top four in 1978 and 1979, but played little professional golf after his late twenties.
