WHY CHOOSE ST FRANCIS LINKS FOR CHARITY?
I’LL GIVE YOU R150,000 IN GOOD REASONS!

WHAT IS THE WINNING FORMULA?

The Woodlands Dairy Charity Golf Day benefitting HOSPICE is without a doubt one of the greatest events on the area golfing calendar. It may be the biggest fund-raising day in the Cape!
We have had the pleasure of hosting the day three years in a row! Each year, the field has been full with a waiting list - the players who participated the year before are the first to sign up for the next and even when Mother Nature has a “mood” and tries to dampen the golfers and their spirits, their spirits remain strong! Those taking part arrived at The Links Golf Estate in St Francis Bay early – many came for breakfast and some enthusiasm before the game. The skies were falling and I called a little ‘strategy session-reality check’ with Carin, the amazing coordinator from Woodlands Dairy. With all of the work that had gone into the day, with nearly all of the guests arriving, food prepped, hand-outs and course snacks bagged and ready, tee and hole sponsors getting in place and everyone looking forward to playing our great links, plan B could only be a last resort. Yet, we had to make a plan.
At 10am, they were off – in a soaking ‘easterly’ that was great for the course – not for the body. Yet, after one of my more compelling pep talks and a strong reminder as to why they were all here – they were off! Two and a half hours later, I called them back in, scoring the event on the seven holes that all groups had completed. Some brave souls carried on! At 2pm, we had a full deck and bar – spirits were still high! The prizes looked great, the funds raised before teeing off already totalled R89,000! We put out food for an army (in addition to the spit braai and other snacks that were offered during play) and we were off to make more money in the auction that accompanied the p rizegiving. For an auction to work, you need good items and good supporters. With this day we had both. The initial three items, ‘dairy for a year’, a weekend of golf in Knysna with accommodation at Pezula and a signed jersey from the winning Lions brought in an amazing R23,000! When one guest added a quick R8,000 to round it off at R120,000 (after we handed over the cheque) another auction item came up for bidding – well, you had to be here to see it – let’s just say it raised R30,000 more and HOSPICE received R150,000 from a day that featured limited golf, great food, drink and spirit!
See you next year!!!
Jeff (Santa) Clause

To Jeff, his team and everyone involved: Hooray for sportsmanship!
A special thank you to every single person involved in the soaking wet Woodlands Dairy / St Francis Hospice Kouga Golf Day! Jeff Clause and The St Francis Links Team - you are the absolute best! Jeff is so “diplomatic” – he doesn’t call it good news or bad news but rather a “reality check”.
Golfers - a special thank you to each of you – your sportsmanship and spirit in which you played really was very, very special. Sponsors - thank you for your generous contribution and the ladies’ willingness to entertain in the pouring rain. The Woodlands team - you were great as always! Hospice – it is such an honour and humbling experience to work towards this day and to be able to donate the amount of R150,000 towards your cause. You all contributed towards making the day a huge success despite the merciless weather.
Thank you to St Francis Links for offering a free round of golf, including carts to each golfer; this is a wonderful and much appreciated gesture.
Jeff, it seems like we’re already sold out for 2012!
Carin du Preez – Organizer