Imagine a double whammy for our country at Sun City and Leopard Creek

LAST weekend I experienced something brand new. I was thinking! I’ve had a headache ever since.

What was going through my mind was how amazing it would be to have the final two tournaments on the European Tour both played in South Africa. Can you imagine the Nedbank Golf Challenge as the penultimate event, which is exactly what will happen next year, but then follow that up with the Chase to Gold with the final event being the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek.

Sixty of the best golfers on the planet, teeing it up for an astronomical amount of money and South Africa would not only get publicity for one week, but for the entire year.

Here are the plusses. Less travel for the international players, a far, far better golf course, an area of the world that is truly unique, where every player would be entertained and educated with visits to the Kruger Park.

The reason these ideas were going through my mind was that I was trying to work out why Leopard Creek have added an absolutely incredible new driving range and par-3 course to their already superb facilities. Plus, rumour has it that they have bought the hotel opposite the entrance to the club and there is also talk that the entire golf course will be re-grassed and some minor renovations will be done within a couple of years.

With all that going on ... why not throw in a few dollars more and have an annual event that would do for South Africa every year, what the Rugby World Cup and the Soccer World Cup did? Okay, let’s get back on track. In the last two weeks I have had more calls for tickets for the Nedbank Golf Challenge than I’ve had in the last three years. The new format, plus the announced change for next year, have obviously captured the golfing public’s attention. Great news! Five majors champions, the defending champion plus few really exciting youngsters, add a few golden oldies and you end up with a great field of 30 golfers.

Andy Sullivan, the SA Open and Joburg Open winner, took Rory McIlory to the final green in Dubai. With three wins this year he’s definitely a player to be reckoned with.

Branden Grace has had a great year and would like to finish it in style and Louis Oosthuizen, despite missing the cut last week, is the sweetest swinger in the game and if he gets hot, be very careful! The engraver will have a tough job getting his name on that trophy.

The golf course has blossomed over the last few weeks with a little bit of much-needed rain and is, as usual, in pristine condition. It ranks right up there with Augusta in conditioning, and the players love the golf course.

The dangerous holes are the 3rd, 8th and 15th. It’s mainly the tee shots on these holes but the approach shots can also be dangerous.

The 3rd has an awkward green that’s long and narrow and set well above the fairway.

The 8th is also uphill, with an undulating green that is tricky, especially if you leave yourself a downhill putt.

The 15th is a par 5 that is often reachable in two shots but you have to hit the fairway off the tee, and the line of the tee shot needs to be carefully worked out because you are hitting across the fairway. A long drive that is 10 metres offline could get you into a lot of trouble and 10 metres off a 300-metre drive is a small error.

The Gary Player Country Club is a true championship golf course that is too difficult for most average golfers. Every shot that is miss-hit or offline could mean a huge score. Every year, I take a drive around the course and try to work out a winning score and I’m usually way off the mark.

I’m looking forward to doing the starting on the first tee and doing commentating for the coverage on SuperSport. I will be joined in the commentary box by Ewen Murray, Dougie Donnelly, Ken Brown, Andrew Coltart, Tony Johnstone and Dave Usendorff.