Their very own Pro Golfer – Donnington Grove

The dream of many a young golfer who is a qualified player and pro teacher is to see if they are able to reach the heights of the professional golf circuit. It is an incredibly tough and competitive environment but Max Nicholls, formerly of the Donnington Grove pro shop, decided to launch an assault on the pro circuit, starting last year, with extensive sponsorship and a professional team behind him.

Max has recently been playing in the South Africa Qualifying School in venues like Heron Banks Estate and State Mines Country Club. The “sunshine” tour is the next stage and a big step towards high level professional golf. The “Q” stage (played in torrential rain, and thunder) is the premier pathway to earn playing rights for the Sunshine Tour. The final tournament was over 5 rounds with 170 players, the top 25 obtaining World ranking points. Max shot 69 + 71 + 70 + 68 + 70 to finish 12 under par but missed the cut for a full tour card by just 2 shots. These are fantastic scores and demonstrate the extraordinary challenge
that exemplifies the professional circuit.

Max will continue his golf in Johannesburg at the end of April, in the Big Easy Tour at Heron Banks with a goal to finish in the top 12 to earn a full tour card for 2027.

Donnington Grove Golf Club have expressed themselves enormously proud of Max and they follow his dream. Who knows?, they may yet see him on the telly in a major event.