Dean Burmester GOLF, A FAMILY HISTORY LE GOLF, UNE HISTOIRE DE FAMILLE In the Burmester family, this is Dean, son and grandson of golfers. The South African champion, Ambassador of Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels and Mont Choisy Le Golf since 2016, combines strength, simplicity and authenticity. Dans la famille Burmester, voici Dean, fils et petit-fils de golfeurs. Le champion sud-africain, ambassadeur de Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels et de Mont Choisy Le Golf depuis 2016, allie force, simplicité et authenticité. BY BÉRÉNICE DEBRAS PHOTOGRAPHS ARNAUD SPÄNI From the clubhouse of the Paradis Beachcomber, the manicured green highlights the impressive Morne Brabant mountain. Soon appears the figure of the five-time champion of the Sunshine Tour, winner of the Tshwane Open and the Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe, and, for the second time in his career, winner of the 2021 Tenerife Open. He is late and apologises with a wide smile. His hazel eyes relax in the landscape that is both grandiose and simple. At the age of 32, he has the self-assurance of the great, as well as their discretion and delicacy. Golf is part of his make-up. In Zimbabwe where he was born, his parents were often on the courses, his mother won the Women’s All Africa Championship. His grandparents managed the Leopard Rock, a hotel known for its golf course. Dean’s childhood was spent mainly on the green carpet. “My first memory of golf was when I was five. Rain was pouring down, and my parents didn’t want to leave the clubhouse. I really wanted to go outside, so I went off with my caddie to play 9 holes, but eventually did the full 18. When I ran out of balls at the 15th hole my caddie dived into the pond to retrieve a few!” Since then his passion has never faltered. The consequences of the civil war in Zimbabwe could have put him off playing. But no. “I was 14 when our farm was seized in 2003. We were forced to leave, to say goodbye to our life, our friends and everything we’d ever known, and start afresh in a new place, South Africa, where most of the inhabitants spoke Afrikaans, not English.” Life can’t have been easy. “But it wasn’t all bad, because some time later I met my South African wife. We now live in George with our son, who is 6.” Every year at Christmas in his adopted town, he plays a round of golf with his father, mother and brother. It’s a family tradition. THE BIRTH OF A CHAMPION As a very athletic teenager, Dean ran, swam, and played rugby, cricket and hockey and more, before deciding, aged 17, to become a professional golfer. In addition to his golfing family, his idols were Tiger Woods, Nick Price and Ernie Els. It was Ernie, better known as “Big Easy” (former world number one and winner of four majors), whom he met at a championship. Dean was 20 and his dream was right in front of his eyes. “We make such a big thing about champions. Then when you meet them, you realise that they’re quite ‘normal’. It was like this for Ernie Els. So I said to myself that I could be like him.” In other words, a champion. To get there, his best asset is his extreme concentration. “When I put on my glove, I concentrate. It takes three minutes. Then when I take it off, I take a break. Otherwise it’s impossible to stay fully concentrated for five hours on a course.” Any particular secret? “I mentally visualise the shot before doing it.” He applies this technique to his gym classes (an hour a day, 6 days a week), which he doesn’t particularly enjoy. But it’s doubtless the secret of his strength, the quality of his swing and his shot length - his most precious assets. Dean loves hot countries like Mauritius, which he discovered during the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in 2015. “It was love at first sight. I was lucky enough to forge ties with Beachcomber. I am struck by the courtesy and hospitality of the hotel staff. These human values are also found in sport and, at my level, I try to uphold these in my competitions.”
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