Etienne Olivier – Founder & CEO
Etienne Olivier Golf Academy
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eogagolfacademy |
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EtienneOlivierGolfAcademy |
| What led you to becoming a PGA Professional?
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I’ve dreamt of being a golf professional since I was 12 years old. |
| How long have you been in your current position?
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Since Jan 2010 |
| What does your job entail?
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– Golf coach and Director of Instruction to our full team of coaches
– Business development and growth – Oversee the management of our academy sites, currently 5 – Maintain strong relationships with stakeholders at all academy sites Please see attached CV for more detail |
| Do you have any environmental or sustainability goals that you have met and would like to share?
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Creating and providing jobs for young PGA professionals; apprentices; and keen trainees in the industry
Driving new memberships through our academies by helping golfers enjoy playing the game Getting involved with local charities and communities within and around our academies |
| Please give us a brief outline of the path you took to lead you to your current position | I’ve always as a youngster wanted to be a golfing professional, I still remember watching tiger in his hay day and dreaming of being a golfing star. My commitment to golf gave me the opportunity to play golf full time at Northlink College / Tygerberg. Here I was competing against golfers much better than me and my dreams were soon crushed to become a professional player. I decided to pursue a career in the sports/ golfing industry and joined the Global Golf family at Steenberg GC Proshop as a Shop Assistant. I’m so grateful to have met the Global team as it made me into a young professional, from walking the walk to talking the talk. I started teaching a few lessons when I started my journey as a young PGA professional in 2007 whilst working in the shop. At that stage I fell in love with retail and customer service, and was convinced this was the right career path for me. It was when Roelof resigned from the Head Teaching Pro position that the club approached me with taking over the position. I was hesitant at first to give up my journey in retail, but decided to give it a go. It only took one week of full time teaching for me to realize that teaching and helping others to enjoy the game, was my life passion. My next goal, which I’m still pursuing, is to build the best coaching establishment in SA – that’s focused on purely helping golfers achieve their dreams. |
| Why do you feel that you would be a good candidate to win this award?
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Coach of the Year: Improving golfers is my life passion. It has taken all my dedication, of consistently studying and learning, to became a better golf coach and mentor to my students. I’ve also taken great pride in teaching our team of instructors. Watching them improve their knowledge has lead to ultimate job satisfaction. I’m looking forward to another 10+ years of learning and improving my own coaching ability
Grow Golf Coach of the Year: Our academy does a great Job at providing plenty of golf introduction programs for children and ladies. This had definitely increased the number of golfers that now have become golf club members in the SA communities. Our future lies in creating new golfers daily!!! Entrepreneur of the Year: I’ve been blessed with good entrepreneurial and marketing skills that has lead me to build a successful Business, with the help of an amazing and loving supporting wife. |
