BDGA Junior Golf Academy

is for Competitive Golfers

Through a holistic teaching approach, students of all ages and abilities learn to apply effective golf performance processes, which in turn produce lower scores and better golfers.

How good do you want to be and what will you do to get there?


Hendrik Buhrmann personally designed this Junior Champions program to address the individual needs of the competitive junior golfer in the program. He personally spent time with each junior on the Range. This program includes boys and girls from 10 to 18 years old. 

Every junior golfer in the academy will get coach Hendrik to evaluate the position where he or she is at that given time. There is no curriculum that they all fall under. I personally meet them at their level and improve them individually in the group.

Unlike a one hour lesson, the academy gives you time to not just learn a new technique, but also to practice your new techniques under the watchful eye of the coach Hendrik.

There’s an advantage to a group environment because of encouragement, shared struggles, and extra motivation when you see someone next to you working hard and making progress. Also, during the academy, you’ll get a well-rounded look into all parts of your game, for chipping, putting, sand play, driving, and more, plus on-course time with your coach.

 
 
FIVE WAYS TO PICK A HIGH-QUALITY TEACHER OR COACH

Great teachers, coaches, and mentors, like any rare species, can be identiɹed by a few
characteristic traits. The following rules are designed to help you sort through the
candidates and make the best choice for yourself.

1) Avoid Someone Who Reminds You of a Courteous Waiter
2) Seek Someone Who Scares You a Little
3) Seek Someone Who Gives Short, Clear Directions
4) Seek Someone Who Loves Teaching Fundamentals
5) Other Things Being Equal, Pick the Older Person

— The Little Book of Talent - by Daniel Coyle --

Coaching Staff

Seasoned professionals, Hendrik Buhrmann, head up the coaching staff at BDGA. Hendrik has 40 years of experience in the competitive golf world.  Learn more about Hendrik.

Hendrik Buhrmann

  • Hendrik Buhrmann has 40 years of experience in the competitive golf world as a golf coach and professional golfer.

  • Coached some of South Africa’s top players – Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen, Richard Sterne, James Kingston, Keith Horne etc.

  • Competed on European Tour, Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour and European Senior Tour

  • Won 9 professional titles

  • Represented South Africa in the World Cup in 1995 with teammate Retief Goosen

  • Represented Southern Africa in the Dunhill Challenge, with teammates Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Nick Price, David Frost - captained by Gary Player

  • Helped restructure the Asian tour as it is today

  • Served on the board of directors of the Asian Tour and still on the Sunshine Tour board


Some Tour winners we’ve coached

We’ve Coached more than 100 tournament winners at BDGA

1

Charl Schwartzel

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Dawie van der Walt

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JB Kruger

James Kingston

James Kingston

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Dean Burmester

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Keith Horne

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Haydn Porteous

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Andre de Decker


Golf Facilities

Eagle Canyon Golf Estate in Johannesburg, South Africa is the home of the BDGA Golf Academy.  It is a fantastic facility, with Championship golf course, kikuyu grass driving range with large grass teeing area, golf studio, gym, spa, luxurious club house and a big, bent grass chipping green with two greenside bunkers

Large grass teeing area.

Studio and short game area with course in background.

Studio and short game area with course in background.

Indoor analysis studio

Indoor analysis studio

Practice putting green

Practice putting green

Luxurious clubhouse

Luxurious clubhouse

  • Driving range has the best chipping green in Johannesburg

  • Pitching range with short game targets inspired by Zach Johnson

  • Greens on range

  • Targets for testing and skills assessments, driving, iron play, short game


CHOOSE SPARTAN OVER LUXURIOUS

We love comfort. We love state-of-the-art practice facilities, oak-paneled corner offices,
spotless locker rooms, and fluffy towels. Which is a shame, because luxury is a
motivational narcotic: It signals our unconscious minds to give less eʃort. It whispers,
Relax, you’ve made it.
The talent hotbeds are not luxurious. In fact, they are so much the opposite that they
are sometimes called chicken-wire Harvards. Top music camps—especially ones that can
aʃord better—consist mainly of rundown cabins. The North Baltimore Aquatic Club,
which produced Michael Phelps and four other Olympic medalists, could pass for an
underfunded YMCA. The world’s highest-performing schools—those in Finland and South
Korea, which perennially score at the top of the Program for International Student
Assessment rankings—feature austere classrooms that look as if they haven’t changed
since the 1950s.
The point of this tip is not moral; it’s neural. Simple, humble spaces help focus
attention on the deep-practice task at hand: reaching and repeating and struggling.
When given the choice between luxurious and spartan, choose spartan. Your
unconscious mind will thank you.
— The Little Book of Talent - by Daniel Coyle

Program Content

In its broadest sense, our training program can be divided into 4 parts, Mental, Physical, Technical and Strategic aspects of the game.

At the BDGA Golf Academy, you will work with Hendrik Buhrmann for the duration of the time. Unlike other popular academy’s, the student sees little of the head instructor. At BDGA, the student actually works directly with Hendrik Buhrmann at the academy.

 Discipline, ownership, and respect in our academic curriculum are a feature of life here. Most students will be here because they seek to play golf at a leading college or on tour. In order to do this, they will not only need to excel on the golf course, but also demonstrate a track record of academic achievement in their school work.

Competitive Training Cycle

Competitive Training Cycle

Various elements that influence a player's skills

Various elements that influence a player's skills

We follow a systematic training approach and give attention to the various elements that play into a player’s skill development. We utilize times of Teaching, Coaching and Group Training to help players develop their skills and knowledge of the game.

 


CHOOSE FIVE MINUTES A DAY OVER AN HOUR A WEEK

With deep practice, small daily practice “snacks” are more eʃective than once-a-week
practice binges. The reason has to do with the way our brains grow—incrementally, a
little each day, even as we sleep. Daily practice, even for ɹve minutes, nourishes this
process, while more occasional practice forces your brain to play catch-up. Or, as the
music-education pioneer Shinichi Suzuki puts it, “Practice on the days that you eat.”
How short can these segments be? Hans Jensen, a cello teacher at Northwestern
University, provided an example when he taught a time-strapped medical student who
desired to practice only two minutes a day. Working systematically, they broke a piece
into its component passages, tackling the toughest ones ɹrst. The student was able to
successfully learn a complex étude in six weeks. “We were shocked at how well it went,”
Jensen said. “The key was total focus and being ruthless about noticing and ɹxing every
tiny mistake from the start.”
The other advantage of practicing daily is that it becomes a habit. The act of
practicing—making time to do it, doing it well—can be thought of as a skill in itself,
perhaps the most important skill of all. Give it time. According to research, establishing
a new habit takes about thirty days.
— Quote Source

Technical Training

Our indoor golf studio with live feedback system

Our indoor golf studio with live feedback system is simply the fastest way to make changes to technique.  We also give video feedback on technical training on an almost daily basis in the player’s personal online Training Space.  We have many training aids to enhance the learning process and have created a series of drills called the BDGA body and spatial awareness drills to aid with technical training.  We also have a golf specific workout area, with equipment geared to help improve technique.

Golf Studio

Golf Studio


Mental Golf Training

BDGA does a mental screening assessment + comparison vs. elite golfers. We have extensive knowledge of how a player’s mental profile will influence his performance.  BDGA has screened SA’s top professionals including a major winner and have intimate insight as to how their mental strengths and weaknesses help and hurt their performance.  Through understanding the blueprint of the mental game, not only in theory, but practically doing it for many years on tour we are able to help players with their mental games.

Mental profile vs. elite players

Mental profile vs. elite players


Physical Training

We work in conjunction with Willie Van Berg. 

A dedicated physical trainer implementing the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) concept.

Individualised screening and program development for each student.

Integration of fitness routines to enhance overall athletic performance.


Technology

BDGA utilizes a range of different technologies to help their students improve their skills.

Golf Stats Coach App and Coaching App form an integral part of how the coaches communicate and collaborate with players, parents and other stakeholders. 

Golf Stats Coach App

Our Golf Stats Coach App helps you identify the areas in your game you need to work on to avoid poor golf and to play the golf you know you’re capable of.

Golf Coach App

Golf Coach App enables you as a student to get coached from anywhere, anytime.

Swing Catalyst

Swing Catalyst software is used in our indoor swing analysis studio. Our indoor golf studio with live feedback system, coupled with our golf gym is simply the fastest and most efficient way to make changes to golf swing technique.

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Flightscope

Flightscope radar launch monitor is utilized to identify golf swing issues that the eyes cannot see.  We also use it for skills challenges, competitions and to see how the player progresses.

 

FocusBand

The FocusBand is a wearable brain training device with three sensors that are placed on your head to measure your brain activity.  Measured data is displayed on a mobile for effortless brain training to a calmer state of mind.  The FocusBand enables you to self regulate your emotional levels.  With simple breathing exercises you watch your progress on the avatar.  Now you are able to view and verify your shift to a calmer state


Reporting and Communication

Online Reports

BDGA has an online system that helps students generate relevant reports. 

  • Weekly goals sheet – helps students plan for their week and also evaluate their past week.

  • Weekly practice schedule – helps students create a practice schedule in line with weaknesses identified through various means, like golf stats, so time is spent wisely and in line with helping the student improve.

  • Tournament Preparation

  • Tournament Evaluation

All of these reports are used to give the player a clear view of the state of their game, practice habits and skills sets. 

Tournament Preparation

The very essence of being a competitive golfer is to perform when it really matters.  We therefore use every tournament as a learning experience.  We have created a Tournament Preparation form as well as a Tournament Evaluation form to help our players prepare for and learn from tournaments.  These forms are all accessed online and the reports end up in the player’s Training Space at which time player and coach can discuss.  This gives the player and coaches great information to work with and assists with creating an effective practice plan for the upcoming training times.

Golf Stats

Hendrik made a study of golf stats while competing on tour and subsequently built a custom Golf Stats Coach App. The App helps you identify the areas in your game you need to work on to avoid poor golf and to play the golf you know you’re capable of.

  • Includes teaching players how to view their stats and how to learn from it

  • Custom online golf stats system developed and built by BDGA to get stats like the PGA tour uses for their strokes gained stats

  • Ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of every player accurately


Program times and pricing

Mondays to Thursdays  

  • 3pm - 6pm

BDGA Junior Academy offers 4 options, all inclusive of unlimited online coaching:

  • 1 Day Option

    1 day a week, for the month R4,500 (EXC VAT)

  • 2 Day Option

    2 days a week, for the month R5,400 (EXC VAT)

  • 3 Day Option

  • 3 days a week, for the month R5,950 (EXC VAT)

  • 4 Day Option

  • 4 days a week, for the month R6,700 (EXC VAT)

Administration fee on sign up - R3000 EXC VAT)

You can upgrade anytime.

If you downgrade your option or cancel our servers, with a month's notice is required

Physical Training by Willie van de Berg:

A dedicated physical trainer implementing the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) concept.

Individualised screening and program development for each student.

Integration of fitness routines to enhance overall athletic performance.

Technical Coaching by Hendrik:

Hendrik, main coach, will focus on refining the technical aspects of the student's swing.

Leverage Hendrik's 30 years of tour experience for practical insights.

Mental Conditioning by Hendrik:

Monthly one-hour sessions with students and optional involvement of parents, individually tailored to optimise performance.

Utilisation of TAIS (Attentional and Interpersonal Style) test to assess concentration and focus.

Open communication and support to enhance the mental side of the game.

Nine-Hole Competitions:

Every Wednesday afternoon, students will engage in a dedicated nine-hole competition.

Opportunity to practice routines, strategy, and perform under simulated pressure.

Stat tracking to assess progress and encourage competition-friendly statistics like 'stroked gains".


WHY BDGA ?

The answer is simple… No one else in the country has what we have. No one else has Hendrik Buhrmann, number one amateur in South Africa, who is a 9-time world wide major tour wins and played in the World Cup for South Africa in 1996, who can teach you how to think, how to believe in yourself, how to commit, how to PLAY the game. Can use his expertise along with our cutting-edge technology to improve your ball striking, short game, putting, etc. Old school meets new school at the BDGA Golf Academy.


Hendrik coaching


BDGA Junior Academy

Contact Hendrik

hendrik@bdgagolf.com

or

083 262 8998


FIVE WAYS TO PICK A HIGH-QUALITY TEACHER OR COACH

Great teachers, coaches, and mentors, like any rare species, can be identified by a few
characteristic traits. The following rules are designed to help you sort through the
candidates and make the best choice for yourself.

1) Avoid Someone Who Reminds You of a Courteous Waiter

This species of teacher/coach/mentor is increasingly abundant in our world: one who
focuses his efforts on keeping you comfortable and happy, on making things go
smoothly, with a minimum of effort. This is the kind of person who covers a lot of
material in a short time, smiles a lot, and says things like, “Don’t worry, no problem, we
can take care of that later.” This is a good person to have as your waiter in a restaurant,
but a terrible person to have as your teacher, coach, or mentor.

2) Seek Someone Who Scares You a Little

In contrast to encounters with courteous waiters, encounters with great teachers/
coaches/mentors tend to be filled with unfamiliar emotion: feelings of respect,
admiration, and, often, a shiver of fear. This is a good sign. Look for someone who:
Watches you closely: He is interested in ɹguring you out—what you want, where
you’re coming from, what motivates you.
Is action-oriented: She often won’t want to spend a lot of time chatting—instead,
she’ll want to jump into a few activities immediately, so she can get a feel for you
and vice versa.
Is honest, sometimes unnervingly so: He will tell you the truth about your
performance in clear language. This stings at ɹrst. But you’ll come to see that it’s
not personal—it’s the information you can use to get better.
It’s worth noting that the word “coach” originally came from kocsi, the Hungarian

word for “carriage.” You’re not looking for a buddy or a parent figure. You’re looking
for someone solid, someone you trust, someone with whom you take a journey.

3) Seek Someone Who Gives Short, Clear Directions

Most great teachers/coaches/mentors do not give long-winded speeches. They do not
give sermons or long lectures. Instead, they give short, unmistakably clear directions;
they guide you to a target.
John Wooden, the UCLA basketball coach who is widely considered one of the greatest
teachers of all time, was once the subject of a yearlong study that captured everything
he said to his team. Wooden didn’t give long speeches; in fact, his average utterance
lasted only four seconds. This underlines a large truth: Teaching is not an eloquence
contest; it is about creating a connection and delivering useful information.

4) Seek Someone Who Loves Teaching Fundamentals

Great teachers will often spend entire practice sessions on one seemingly small
fundamental—for example, the way you grip a golf club, or the way you pluck a single
note on a guitar. This might seem strange, but it rejects their understanding of a vital
reality: These fundamentals are the core of your skills (see Tip #10). The more advanced
you are, the more crucial they become.

5) Other Things Being Equal, Pick the Older Person

Teaching is like any other talent: It takes time to grow. This is why so many hotbeds are
led by people in their sixties and seventies. Great teachers are ɹrst and foremost
learners, who improve their skills with each passing year. That’s not to say there aren’t
any good teachers under thirty—there are. Nor is it to say that every coach with gray
hair is a genius—they’re not. But other things being equal, go with someone older.
— The Little Book of Talent - by Daniel Coyle

Security

  • Eagle Canyon has a reputation for being one of the most secure estates in South Africa.

  • The estate maintains a high standard of security with zero tolerance for incidents

  • State of the art 24 hour estate security

  • Video monitors on perimeter walls

  • Electrified fencing controlled access

  • Security patrols

  • Gate controlled access within the estate itself