Ryk’s reminder on advantages of discipline and attention to detail

It feels like another lifetime that I convinced my friend, the late Rob Armitage, to pick up golf clubs for the first time. Rob, best known for having played cricket for SA, was more into fishing than golf, so until then hadn’t bothered with tees and greens. Yet he proved a natural at this most unnatural of games, romping home against a competitive group.

Although we spent most of Thursday together, I didn’t ask Ryk Neethling whether he ever swings clubs in earnest. But if so, he’s likely to be more than adept. Because being world class in any sport requires discipline and attention to detail unimaginable to the rest of us. Something multiplied in swimming, where fractions make all the difference.

My visit with the Olympic gold medalist was spent exploring the Val de Vie Estate in the Cape Winelands, where Ryk is one of five long-serving directors. It’s our newest partnership, one where Biznews’s role is to expose Val de Vie’s retirement homes to our community. A pleasurable task now I’ve witnessed this one-of-a-kind estate up close.

Seeing what Ryk has helped build was also a reminder that advantages from discipline and attention to detail don’t only apply to golf. In the investment world, fat pitches are only recognised when you really understand the opportunity and have applied patience. A point worth bearing in mind before taking a plunge on something you’re unsure about. That’s gambling. Different to investing, which is about attention to detail and discipline.

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