FACILITATORS
Alan Crossan - Heads up the International Business Development Division in golf for RetailTribe. He completed his PGA apprenticeship at Country Club Johannesburg in 1996 before taking up the position of Director of Golf at Centurion Golf and Country Estate. He then moved to the position of Head Professional at Houghton Golf Club. Alan subsequently took up a role in Sales Management within the golf industry before expanding his sales and management skills developing and managing a hugely successful loyalty programme for a major Financial Institution in South Africa. Alan is a founder of RetailTribe and has spent the last three years working with over 1000 Golf Professionals in the United Kingdom on their Marketing and Sales strategies. He is now a key speaker at many golf industry events.
Graham Starkey - Is Head of Channel and Publication Management for RetailTribe. He has worked in the golf industry for many years in the United Kingdom and South Africa. His skill base is specifically retail having worked with American Golf Discount managing store openings. He then joined the Foremost Golf group coordinating the Merchandise and Layout Planning with a very large number of Golf Professionals in on-course golf shops. He has spent the last two years providing Channel and Retail management support to the Golf Professionals in South Africa working for RetailTribe. That has included providing Retail Education seminars for the PGA of Southern Africa.
Theo Bezuidenhout - Theo Bezuidenhout has a Masters degree in counseling psychology from the University of Pretoria (Cum Laude), specialising in use of technology in sport psychology sessions with amateur golfers.
He has a great working relationship with five Sunshine Tour players including Rookie of the year 2008 Louis Moolman. He is a Consultant to leading professional ladies Ashleigh Simon and Stacy-Lee Bregman, a consultant with the SAGA Elite Squads for 2008 and 2009 and a Corporate consultant for companies such as Moregolf Pty. Ltd, Acushnet South Africa, Deloitte Talent Management and Realty1 Property Group.
He was a Mental coach for the IPT winning Gauteng North u19 side in 2007 and King Edward vii golf team who won the FNB International Team Champs at Sun City in 2008.
Theo is currently working with Derik Ferreira, top ranked amateur in the country.
In his time, he consults with another 10 amateurs in the top 30 of the SAGA Amateur rankings.
Theo is a columnist for Tee to Green for column called Swing Thoughts which is supported by Titleist.
Mark Wiltshire - is a qualified PGA Fellow Professional who has been playing golf for more than 40 years, both as an amateur and as a Professional. After 11 years as a full time Touring Professional two years were spent as Tournament & Operations Director for the PGA's Sunshine Tour in South Africa, coordinating all professional events including the 1995 World Cup of Golf at Erinvale. That was followed by a 6 year stint as General Manager of a first ever golfing theme park – The World of Golf, selling over 10 000 memberships to an up market driving range and opening the first Gary Player Golf Academy in South Africa. Mark then joined Fancourt as the Director of Golf of two golf courses including The Links, as well as Golf Teaching Academy at Fancourt. The highlight of his career at Fancourt was the set up and running of the Presidents Cup in 2003, the inaugural Women’s World Cup of Golf in 2005 and also the South African Airways Open in 2006 . Mark ensured a strong junior program was formed at the academy and he was included on the board of the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation during his stay at Fancourt. After 4 years of service Mark resigned and started Mark Wiltshire Golf (Pty) Ltd.
Dave Usendorff is easily one of the more entertaining guest speakers in the golf industry. He is not only able to entertain clients with an instructionally based, fun golf clinic, but is also an excellent Master of Ceremonies and after dinner speaker. His sense of humour enables audiences to sit back, relax and enjoy themselves.
After attending the University of Port Elizabeth, where he played golf for the Eastern Province, Dave became the Club Professional at the Port Elizabeth Golf Club. Having been the Pro there for many years, he moved to Pretoria to take up an appointment as the Golf Director at Centurion Country Club. It was during that time (January 1998) that he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the South African Professional Golfers Association.
Still based at Centurion; Dave joined Matko Turf, where he ran the operations of the Turf Maintenance Division of the company. Dave was instrumental in the setting up the PGA National Golf Club – a “virtual” golf club which is owned by the Professional Golfers Association.
During 1997 & 1998 Dave won the Club Pro Series Order of Merit, and continued to finish in the Top 10 over the next few years.
At the beginning of 2000, Dave joined 18-Global – a golf-internet company. He spent most of the year travelling through the UK marketing the company and recruiting on-course professional golfers to make use of their facilities.
Throughout this time, Dave has been involved in doing clinics; MC and after-dinner speeches whenever he has been available.
During May 2001, Dave joined Dale Hayes to be more involved in Corporate Functions. He also appears on The Pitch & Putter, a weekly golf magazine programme aired on Thursday evening’s on SuperSport on a regular basis with brief discussions on the latest golf equipment, as well as a golfing tips. As the show was relaunched as SuperGolf, Dave is still involved in doing inserts and tips.
In April 2003, Dave took up the position as Golf Director at the prestigious Woodhill Country Club in Pretoria East. (He left Woodhill at the end of January 2007). Dave has become very popular among corporate clients, and all of them have been very impressed and satisfied with his service, as we are sure you will be too. |
