Carlo is a member of the professional coaching team at the KeNako Academy. He works closely with Roger Wessels, KeNako’s Head Coach, and plays an important role in the golf coaching program for the students. Carlo also coaches private clients in his available time.
Carlo has been playing golf since the age of 10. As with many young golfers, he was a good all round sportsman and especially good at cricket, earning provincial colours in Primary School. Once he reached High school he switched his focus to golf – he decided that concentrating on an individual sport would be more rewarding and more interesting.
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Carlo Kok
Carlo grew up in Pretoria and learnt to play golf at Wingate Park Country Club, where he won the Club Championships 3 times. He played provincial golf for Gauteng North, as a junior in different age groups (U13, U18, U23 and after completing school he represented the senior provincial team. A highlight of Carlo’s amateur golf career was being selected for the South African U21 Side to tour Austria and Spain in 2001. Soon after achieving his ‘green jacket’, Carlo accepted a Golf scholarship in Scottsdale Arizona in USA.
Things didn’t work out for Carlo in the USA so he decided to return to South Africa to pursue a career in golf. On his return he worked in the retail industry for 3 years and continued to play amateur golf. In 2002 he achieved another highlight, losing to eventual winner Anton Haig 1 down in the Semi-Finals of the SA Amateur. Carlo decided that golf was his life passion, so he turned professional and started his Apprentice ship under Dave Usendorff and Morne Botha at Woodhill Golf Estate.
Once qualified as a PGA Professional, it was not long before Carlo accepted a position as a Teaching Professional at Fancourt and in 2006 he made the move to the Garden Route. He was involved with the Fancourt Academy and also assisted at the Ernie Els Foundation (EEF) under George Harvey before the EEF at Fancourt closed in June 2009. Whilst working at Fancourt Carlo was introduced to Ken Viljoen, then CEO of the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB). When the EEF at Fancourt closed, Carlo was offered the job to head up the Southern Cape region of the SAGDB program, with 5 local coaches reporting to him. A highlight of his time with the SAGDB was seeing 8 of the young players that he coached achieving their provincial colours, either at junior age group level or at the U23 level.
It was whilst working at Kingswood that Carlo was introduced to KeNako Academy. Carlo had this to say “I was able to see the amazing KeNako Academy facility being built from scratch and it is with pride that I look at it today and realize that I am a part of the team – it truly is an outstanding facility. I became involved with KeNako from the beginning and it’s a great facility with all the right tools to create future champions. Working closely with Roger Wessels has been a privilege and I continue to learn every day. Coaching the students daily and seeing them progress in their golf is very rewarding. I get a great deal of pleasure out of coaching, not just in helping people to improve their golf but also in introducing new people to this wonderful game that we play.”[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]