EXCLUSIVE: How golf and rhino conservation are close to Dean Burmester’s heart
Dean Burmester’s passion for rhino conservation and the rebranding of Stingers GC to Southern Guards GC for the new LIV Golf season highlight the team’s commitment to protecting South African heritage and the anticipated economic impact of the upcoming LIV Golf event in South Africa. Picture: Souther Guards GC
Image: Souther Guards GC
With Stingers GC rebranding to Southern Guards GC for the new LIV Golf season, it seems like no coincidence that the horned member of the big five formed a key part of the new logo.
Dean Burmester, one of the four members of the SA team in the PIF Saudi-funded golf tour, has long been a campaigner for rhino conservation and was closely involved with the Birdies for Rhinos initiative on the Sunshine and DP World Tour.
Burmester, alongside team captain Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel, were forced to change their team name after trademark issues arose after three years building the Stingers GC.
The SA contingent, however, have taken it in their stride as they look ahead to the new LIV Golf season.
Burmester’s Passion for Rhino Conservation and LIV Golf’s Fortitude
“The plight of the rhino has been close to my heart for about 10, 11 years now and we do a lot of effort to make sure that the rhino is making a bounce back and with the rebrand obviously, I think it all kind of fell into place,” Burmester told IOL in an exclusive interview.
“There’s a little bit of luck, I think, from the LIV Golf perspective to offer us that kind of logo and the way it all turned out with, you know, what it stands for, you know, the fortitude, the strength behind the rhino and the uBuntu, you know, I am because we are, it’s close because we are four really close guys and we’re a close-knit family, not just us, you know, the whole team, everybody involved.
“For us to be that close-knit and, you know, to have the rhino and what a charge of rhino, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a rhino in the wild, but whenever there’s a baby around, the baby is the first priority.”
Rhino Symbolism and Team Commitment Amidst Name Change
Burmester likened the protective nature of rhinos to the attitude of his team.
“And the rhinos actually circle around the baby to make sure that the baby can eat, to protect it obviously from predators and certain things. And these kinds of things are really close, and that’s how we feel with South Africa.
“We feel that South Africa is where we come from. This is our place, this is our close little thing, and the little world is around. And there are predators all over the world, and we want to protect our heritage, and we want to protect what we stand for. And I think the logo has come out great, and the head of the rhino. If you look at it closely on our logo, it is actually the shape of South Africa, and that’s how close and important it is to us.”
On the actual name change, Burmester admitted it wasn’t ideal but that wouldn’t change his team’s commitment to producing top performances.
“It is difficult coming from Stinger GC, having built up a brand over a four-year period, and then to have the event coming [to South Africa in March] is difficult, and then for it to change to Southern Guards is tough.
I think the fans will obviously look at it from their perspective, but from our perspective, we had limited choice and we had limited availability due to trademark reasons. But because of what everybody behind the scenes was able to create, create this ethos and we want to protect, you know, South Africa, we want to protect the Southern Guards and that’s what it is and that’s what the Rhino does and that’s what it means.”
LIV Golf’s Economic Impact and Growth Potential in South Africa
With the first LIV Golf event a matter of months away from coming to the African continent for the first time at Steyn City, anticipation was heating up, believed Burmester.
“I think bringing this event to South Africa is going to have such an economic impact on the area. Wherever it goes, obviously now with Steyn City we're going to have an amazing impact with the schools, the local schools around there and introduce a lot of people to golf that wouldn't have necessarily ever seen golf before.
“And then on top of that the outreach that will flow out of the event. The economic impact's going to be in the millions and then that's going to reach people all over the country and that's going to be exciting for us and that's going to help grow the game of golf at home in South Africa and we can hope to have another major champion come out of one of these programmes.”