Janco Vogel joined KeNako Academy in January 2015 as a 13 year old. He is from Amanzimtoti, just south of Durban in KwaZulu Natal. It was his grandfather who introduced him to the game of golf. He played his first major junior tournament, the Africa Challenge, in 2011, where he won his age group by 3 strokes and qualified to play in tournaments in Europe and the USA. He says that when he won the Africa Challenge and made his speech he felt very proud and had an incredible feeling. Janco is currently a 10 handicap but he has big dreams. His best round in a tournament off the men’s tees to date is 82.

The course that he most wishes to play in the world is St Andrews in Scotland, which he saw when he travelled to play in the tournament that he had qualified for after the Africa Challenge. His favourite local course is George Golf Club which he says is challenging because of the variety of shots required to play well at this course.

Janco joined KeNako Academy to help him pursue his golfing dream. Janco thoroughly enjoys the academy and he says that Roger and Carlo are both brilliant coaches who have seriously improved his golf since he arrived at the academy. In his words ‘the hostel is amazing…and the food is amazing and healthy.”

He also enjoys the fact that during Prep at the hostel he is able to get help with his school work. One of his goals for 2016 is to improve his school marks to an average of 75% for the year. His ambition is to turn professional when he is 20 years old, but if he does not make it at golf then he wants to become an Electrical Engineer. He has set himself some very clear goals for 2016. Besides getting his golf handicap down to 4 by the end of the year, he intends losing 15kgs of weight this year and Sports Science Professional Jan-Harm Venter is helping him with his program.

Outside of his gym work in official academy time he goes for a jog 3 mornings a week before school. Janco is in Checkpoint 3 (Grade 9 equivalent) at Rundle College and he enjoys the brilliant education system (Cambridge International Education) and the whole school. He says that ‘everybody is nice’. His subjects at school are English, Mathematics, Science, Accounting, EMS, Art, Afrikaans and History and Geography within the Theme periods.

His golfing hero is Rory McIlroy. Janco’s favourite club is his putter and he feels that his greatest strengths are his chipping and putting. In the below picture collage Janco can be seen on the golf course, sweating it out in his gym program and relaxing in the pool at KeNako with fellow students Loren and Etta.