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Writer's pictureMichael Oakley

Time is on our side


Alexandra Swayne about to launch her ball onto the ninth green at Modderfontein Golf Club during the Joburg Ladies Open on Friday.

Timing, in life, as in sport, is everything and this proved to be the case at the Joburg Ladies Open on Friday morning.

I arrived - still no working robots - with a plan (no issues at the gate this time, although there was a much bigger JMPD presence for some reason, less than a kilometer from the broken robots but not directing traffic) and that was to head to the ninth tee box at Modderfontein Golf Club and get a picture of one of the ladies hitting towards the green.

It’s a dramatic shot visually and when struck well takes the water short and right out of play and ignores the bunker on the left.

So that was it, I wasn’t going anywhere near the clubhouse, I was going straight to the tee to get my shot and the rest of the day was up in the air.

Walking towards the tee I didn’t want to bother the ladies as they were teeing off so I stayed to the right (their left) and only moved between shots.

By the time I got there, there was only one person left to hit and the threeball behind them was a long way back, so timing was everything.

I got behind the box and steadied my phone, snapping away as Alexandra Swayne and her caddy picked the right club, then the giggles hit.

You see one of my oldest friends and his partner have a nickname, think Beniffer or Brangelina, and that is Shwayne, so randomly picking someone named Swayne tickled my funny bone.

I controlled myself and didn’t ruin her shot at the green with my giggles but it did get me thinking about timing.

The timing it takes to flush a golf shot, hit a cover driver like Laura Wolvaardt, swing your boot like Handre Pollard, just right, to win two Rugby World Cups or time a pass to perfection to beat the offside trap.

The training and dedication it takes to be perfect every time is what separates world class from simply being ass.

But in sport it’s easy to see and work on but in life it’s more about luck.

Like walking into a restaurant on a random Monday and bumping into a guy you haven’t seen in about a year (as I was looking to start View From The Throne) and him becoming my IT guy when I started this venture, while also my biggest supporter, although Keenan, I think your mom might have taken that crown from you.

Thank you, Jillian, nobody shares my posts on Facebook more than you.

Like an ‘oops, sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going’ accidental shoulder charge into someone who believes in this thing you’re doing and finances it so you don’t have to live in your car (that hasn’t happened yet but I believe).

Like finding the man or woman of your dreams in Bloemfontein of all places when she lives in Pretoria and he lives in Joburg but a few short years later you’re married, congrats again Elmi and Corne.

The right timing in the sporting arena can make you rich, famous and a hero around the world, the right timing in life, well that can change it forever.

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