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The three big golfing headlines in 2023 were Tiger’s legs, competing and will he ever play again, the rollback of the golf ball and LIV.

Let’s see what we have to look forward to in 2024.

We now know that Tiger is playing again and planning to play about 10 events in the 2024. He will play at all the Majors and amazingly, he will need a special invitation to play at the US Open, which I have no doubt he will get. I’m guessing he will play the Genesis Open in Los Angeles, which he hosts, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial, out of respect to the Grand Slam legend.

Tiger’s return to the course means golf will get front page news coverage and larger TV audiences plus far bigger crowds at the events. Welcome back Tiger!

The rollback of the golf ball has invited loads of criticism from all quarters. I don’t think enough has been done. They are saying the change will mean about a 13-metre difference for the elite golfers and three to four metres for the average club golfer. I really believe it should be doubled to restore the game to where it should be. Six or eight metres won’t make a significant difference to the club golfers, but the professionals will notice 26 metres taken off their drives.

That will mean, for example, that on a 520m par-five hole, which is currently a drive and a 7-iron, they will lose about a club or a club and half on their second shots. That hole will now be a 3- or 4-iron. On longer par-five holes we may even see pros hitting 2-woods to reach the greens.

The USGA and R&A have also got the option of changing the driver – shorter shafts, smaller heads – that would reduce the distance of the ball. A golfer who has played at his club for 20 years may have to hit a 5-iron into a green where he currently hits a 6-iron.

We will have to wait and see what the two organisations responsible for the rules finally decide.­­­­

On a personal note, our family has been at Zwartkop Country Club since my father was hired as the professional in 1940 – a full 83 years ago. My brother Brian and I were born and raised at Zwartkop, and Brian has worked there for 53 years. It’s the only golf club in Pretoria to have hosted the SA Open, which happened to be the last one the great Bobby Locke won in 1955.

We got the opportunity to buy Zwartkop in 2001 when the owners, Iscor, decided to rid themselves of all non-core assets. It was a dream come true at the time.

Unfortunately, the river that runs through the golf course has worsened over the years, in terms of the water quality and flooding. Eventually, in October 2022 our insurance company could no longer offer us coverage. Over the next five months, we had flood after flood, so eventually in February 2023, the family decided to close the nine holes that suffered 90% of the damage.

In the six months that ensued, we had an exodus of members and 80% of our corporate members left since we could only accommodate half the golfers as a nine-hole golf course. This also meant half the people using the facilities such as the halfway house, golf carts, bar and catering.

We were burning through money each month and we had to come up with a way to make the club attractive, to all the loyal members who stayed as well as new members. We came up with a plan and fast-forward to December 2023. We built a fancy driving range using Trackman, a radar ball-tracking system down the old finishing hole. It’s great fun for families and for the serious golfer. There are games for kids, as well as precision shots for nearest the pin and longest-drive contests. You can play different courses such as St Andrews and Pebble Beach, among others, by hitting real shots.

We also secured partners for the installation of four TopPadel courts, which are set in a beautiful area in the trees near the clubhouse.

It's going to be a long road back after the Covid-19 closure and all the flooding that followed, but we have amazing members and staff. And the Hayes Family is a resilient bunch.