Picture: JUDY DE VEGA
WHILE most of South Africa is in the grip of soccer fever, it is a much smaller ball and a far longer piece of turf that is taking the attention of deaf golfer Gail Klichowicz. Gail is one of only two South African women, and the only player from Port Elizabeth, to be selected to play in the Eighth World Deaf Championships to be held at St Andrew’s, Scotland, in August.
She has earned South African colours for her achievement and hopes to wear the national blazer with pride. Alongside Vanessa McIllroy of Johannesburg, Gail will play against hearing-impaired golfers from around the world between August 9 and 13 on the course widely considered to be the hallowed home of golf.
“Until three years ago golf was not even in my vocabulary – and now I am going to Scotland!” the 43-year-old mother of two said in an interview this month. “I am a runner and I played hockey, which I only gave up last year.”
The legal bookkeeper qualified for the honour by excelling in her first tournament for deaf golfers, held at Humewood Links in March.
However, she has not been playing the demanding sport for long and only picked up a club when her son Michael, now 12, expressed an interest in the sport.
“I went to look for golf clubs for him, and bought a second-hand set for myself, and we went to the mashee course at Kragga Kamma.”
The fairways called and she then joined the nine-hole Shark River Golf Club before moving to the full-length Port Elizabeth Golf Club.
“The professional at the Hill, Graham Wale, has been brilliant and he has done a lot for my golf,” she said of the coaching she is now receiving.
Already she has dropped from a 36 to a 23 handicap and hopes to improve still more before the trip to St Andrew’s.
All golfers who compete in the deaf tournament have to remove their hearing aids to ensure they all have the same level of hearing on the course.
She does not object to this stipulation “it’s just nice and quiet! We had to have an international audiogram filled in because if I had more hearing I wouldn’t qualify.”
Gail was born with a hearing problem and attended the Dominican Grimley School for the Deaf in Hout Bay. “My whole family is deaf, but my husband Nick and my children can hear.”
Nick will travel with her but the two children – Michael and nine-year-old daughter Nicole – will remain in Port Elizabeth as the competition is during the South African school term.
Now Gail is trying to raise funds to pay for equipment and training ahead of the big event and next week on Thursday, July 8, she will be the beneficiary of the LG Harris Golf Day.
“She has always shown huge potential to do well in golf but now we need to raise funds to help her get decent equipment, a professional coach, physio, caddie fees, competition entry fees and any other expenses that may be needed to get her ready for this tournament,” said Nick.
Green fees are R600 for a four-ball at the Port Elizabeth Golf Club.
Further information from Nick, 082-7721368 082-7721368, or 041-4871861 041-4871861
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