He may only be 7 years old, but Durban’s Luyanda Gumede has already set his golfing goals high: he wants to play Tiger Woods’ son Charlie.
The Savannah Park youngster was introduced to the game by his dad Siphiwe Gumede after his mom Gladness died in 2021 of Covid.
Gumede said Luyanda was only four, and he did not want him to feel the void of losing a parent.
“Although he has not forgotten his mom and sometimes would ask whether she would have accompanied him to play golf, the sport has built his character,” he said.
He said golf was just not a sport to Luyanda and the boy “comes alive when he is playing”, losing himself in concentration on the game.
Luyanda will play the SA Kids Golf Order of Merit competition at Zimbali tomorrow and will take part in the Junior Africa Challenge in San Lameer on the KZN South Coast from August 12-22.
Gumede, who works as a bus driver, said he would love to see his son compete internationally and be one of the best golfers, like Tiger Woods.
“I would like to enrol him in a school where they play golf as well. I think that would help him. I also want him to learn to speak up for himself,” said Gumede.
He said they had tried to find a school but had not been successful because they could not afford to pay for expensive schools. He said they had been able to get sponsorship “here and there”, but it had not been enough.
“The sponsorships do help. We are also grateful to clubs that allow Lu to play for free because they see his potential,” he said.
The Independent on Saturday went to see Luyanda in action earlier this week at Papwa Sewgolum Golf Course in Reservoir Hills, where he practices with his two friends, twins Daniel and Cameron Lawson, 8.
Luyanda seemed shy at first, but his confidence shot up when he started to play with his friends, all with big smiles.
The twins’ dad Russel said they met Luyanda about a year ago at the Kloof Golf Club and since then Luyanda and his twins had been inseparable: “They do not just love golf ‒ they are obsessed with it.”
He said the game was good for children because it built character and discipline and kept them grounded, even as they ‒ and their proud dads ‒ all dreamed of playing on the world stage.