At 24, Russo Roberts-Gouws, a Quantity Surveyor in Johannesburg found herself in a position that so many experience, with one repetitive thought: this is not what I want to do with my life. Her father, an entrepreneur who demonstrated throughout her life that love, passion and joy are critical to success in all facets of life, offered her a sabbatical; time to figure out what she wants to do and who she wants to be. She picked up her dog, said goodbye to her partner (now spouse) and moved across the country to Southbroom in KZN. There she met coaching legend, Derek James, and spent almost everyday for the next 7 months with him learning how to play golf. As an athlete and tennis player, she picked up the sport quickly and advanced from a newbie to an 8 handicap in three months. The sport liked her and she liked it!

 

A few months later, she experienced a severe fibromyalgia attack that would leave her with muscular paralysis, a condition that dissipates over a short time but not without consequence. It took many months to be able to move properly again, and years to regain her physical strength. She, however, would not think about golf again for the next 12 years.

​

At 37, she moved onto a golf estate. With the motivation of her better half, she started playing again. Very quickly, she fell in love with the sport all over. A new dream began to emerge... what if she can turn pro by the time she's 40? It's 3 years away, she has everything and everyone she needs in her corner to succeed. Is it possible?

​

The short answer is no, it's not possible. Not in South Africa. The platform that any amateur needs to succeed does not exist here except for the select few. Go to America, go to Europe, go to Australia. That's where you can play enough tournaments to learn what the pressure of competition will do to you, earn enough money to sustain yourself and have opportunities to further your career. But not here.

​

This is why Flyte Golf Tour was born.

​

At 40, instead of turning Pro, Russo realized that her mission was to fill this gap. The inaugural Flyte tournament was held in November 2024 at the prestigious Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate in Gauteng, proudly sponsored by Northam Platinum. The event was fittingly named the  "Woa-Man! Pro-Am" - Because Woa! is exactly what you say when you see these women play!

​

Founded in 2024, Flyte is building a professional golf tour that will sustain and inspire the incredibly talented women of our country and has quickly captured the hearts and minds of golf enthusiasts across South Africa.