The Rotary Club of Knysna held its 22nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament from Thursday 26 May to Sunday 29 May at five different golf courses on the Garden Route.

22 years ago, Rotary Knysna President Des Wearne and Jeff Clause (Director of Golf at the newly opened Sparrebosch Championship Golf Course) got together and decided to invite golfers who were playing on Saturday at the Knysna Golf Club in the fledgling Rotary fundraising event to play on Sunday at Sparrebosch. All proceeds from the weekend would go to Rotary.

Thus, was born an event which has just been held for the 22nd time.

Played over four days, the event now includes Pinnacle Point Golf Club near Mossel Bay, Pezula Golf Club & Championship Course (formerly known as Sparrebosch), Simola Golf & Country Estate, Knysna Golf Club and Goose Valley Country Club in Plettenberg Bay.

This year 206 golfers booked and played 696 rounds of golf. Three golfers, Stephen Paulsen, Hercu Smit and Louis Moller qualified to receive their 10-year caps.

The weather for the first three days presented the players with perfection, but unfortunately a very cold and wet Sunday led to some abandoning the greens rather earlier than anticipated.

The purpose of the event is to raise funds for the many projects that Rotary supports.

Some recent initiatives include:

• Assistance and mentorship of a local entrepreneur with an IT start-up business.
• The procurement of a mobile C-arm X-ray unit for the Knysna Provincial Hospital.
• The Seed of Hope food security programme with its ongoing training component – a collaborative project implemented by Knysna Rotary, Knysna Methodist Outreach NPO and Growing Upwards.
• A comprehensive early childhood development project, working in conjunction with Knysna Education Trust.
• Support for the creation of an indigenous arboretum at Pledge Nature Reserve.